Everyone ought to have copper cookware in the kitchen, even if just to save energy. With the energy problem looming over us, every bit of saving counts. Copper cookware utilizes heat more efficiently than other pans/pots built using other metals like stainless or aluminum. The reason it uses less heat is because of copper’s conductive property. It transfers heat from the source to the pan much quicker than other metals, for recipes that requires the stove to be medium high, it could be that using copper cookware, it will be medium low. This translates into a lot of savings overtime. The conductive property of copper is good not only as an energy saving measure, it results as well to a more precise way of cooking. When the heat is turned up, the temperature in the pan goes up almost immediately. When the heat is turned down, the temperature of the pan goes down almost immediately as well, there is no retained heat as is the case when cooking using other metals. Retained heat is a problem in the kitchen especially for an amateur chef, a category which a lot of home chef/cook falls into. The almost instantaneous response of copper cookware to heat reduction/addition is a perfect thing to have when braising or browning the food. It primarily because of copper’s conductive property that makes it attractive to professional chefs.

Copper cookware has no hot spot or sweet spot, the heat is distributed evenly on all surfaces of the pan, which allows for cooking heat sensitive food without worry of overcooking some parts of the food and undercooking the other parts. The property of copper heating evenly results to food cooking evenly which makes the food tastier, healthier and more gourmet looking–perfect for pancake and egg dishes.

Copper cookware is typically constructed using other metals such stainless, nickel or tin as interior lining. The reason for this is because copper reacts to the acids found in food such as tomatoes and citruses to name a few. When the cookware is lined with stainless steel, almost always the lining need not be replaced, this is not the case with tin-lined cookware, the tin will wear out and the cookware needs to be re-tinned when it happens. Tin however is a better conductor of heat than stainless, but because of maintenance required by tin-lined cookware, stainless lining is preferred by many.

Copper cookware comes from the manufacturer with a very shiny finish, you will need just a little bit of copper cleaner, copper paste or elbow grease to maintain the luster and shine of the cookware. The cookware may need to be hand washed because most of soaps found on dishwashers have acids which may cause discoloration or tarnishing–with that little detail out of the way, it is very easy to keep the cookware shining and sparkling.

Copper cookware is almost indestructible and could last a lifetime, it can be passed on to next generation of chefs in the family. It makes a good decorative display as well in the kitchen.