Questions about copper pots
Posted by biodancer on Apr 17, 2008 · Member since Jul 2007 · 978 posts
So I've inherited a collection of brand new, never used, copper pots. They are so shiny and pretty, but I'm scared of them. They seem so...expensive. Even though they were never used, I didn't receive any instructions on the care/use of them. I know I have to buy some solution to pretreat them before I use them to cook, but that's all I know. Do I need to use special utensils so I don't scratch them like teflon pans? Dishwasher safe? Do I need to be more careful with them like you are more careful with your good china dishes? Are they really any better to cook with then regular pots? Maybe I should just use them as decoration and stare at my reflection in them.
Copper pots are awesome. I have one and I love it. Basically you have to be careful about the heat applied. Also the way you pretreat them before using depends on if they are lined with tin or not. This link may be useful: http://www.retinning.com/care.html
My aunt has 5-year old copper pots that look like brand new. She never uses metal utensils to cook/stir in them, washes by hand, and then puts special "copper cleaner" (I think it's similar to jewelry cleaner found at hardware store), on the bottoms and washes the bottom with a soft cloth. But then again, my aunt is very particular about a lot of things. And single ::)
My old bff from HS worked at a kick-ass coffee shop w/ copper counters. To clean them, they just used lemon juice. And let me tell you, they were SPARKLY!! You can literally squeeze the juice on, and just use the cut lemon as a "sponge". No wasting paper towels, woohoo!
My aunt has 5-year old copper pots that look like brand new. She never uses metal utensils to cook/stir in them, washes by hand, and then puts special "copper cleaner" (I think it's similar to jewelry cleaner found at hardware store), on the bottoms and washes the bottom with a soft cloth. But then again, my aunt is very particular about a lot of things. And single ::)
:-D
that killed me.