The Best Copper Cookware

Buying Guide

When you’re talking about cookware, looks don’t generally figure into the equation. Those good old stainless steel pots and pans in our cabinet are there to get the job done, not to impress anyone. But there are a couple of types of kitchenware that make any bystanders take notice; pieces that say, “I’m not warming up casserole tonight.” One of those is cookware made from copper.

With its distinctive brushed-gold shine, copper cookware certainly looks expensive, and it can be. Prices vary greatly, but a well-made set might run double or triple what you’d pay for stainless steel.

Mind you, you’re not just paying for that shine. Far from it: Copper has a lot of unique advantages (and a couple of quirks), but its biggest one is best summed up by Julie Chernoff, dining editor for the lifestyle magazine Better: “What makes it great: conductivity. It heats up both quickly and evenly, but that also means it doesn’t retain heat and cools off quickly.”

This mercurial property makes it particularly well-suited to sauces, sugary substances, veggies or delicate proteins, allowing a nimble cook to control their temperature on the fly. For things like steak, you’ll want a cast-iron pan that might heat up slowly but will retain that heat well. For sauteed onions or a good risotto? There’s nothing quite like copper in the hands of a capable chef.

The even heat distribution of copper makes it relatively non-stick, but you’ll typically find copper cookware coated with another substance. That’s because copper does tend to react with tomatoes, citrus and other acidic foods, imparting a funky taste. It might also leach into other foods at high temperatures, and while copper is a naturally occurring substance, too much of it can be toxic. Mind you, sugars will negate the reaction associated with acidic foods, which is why you’ll find certain saucepans and sugar pans made of naked copper to take full advantage of their properties. The Copper Chef Square Frying Pan With Lid, 9.5-Inch and the Gotham Steel Nonstick Griddle Pan, 10.5-Inch both boast a plus-size cooking space, perfect for creating large confections.

These days, though, you’ll find most copper cookware is lined with stainless steel. As far as conductivity goes, a small layer won’t affect the heat transfer much, although you might have to crank up your temperatures slightly. Stainless steel usually lacks the natural nonstick qualities of copper as well. On the other hand, it’s a lot more durable. Copper surfaces scratch easily with metal utensils, which is why you’ll want to use wooden or plastic spoons. With stainless steel, there’s no such need. It’s also rustproof and (as the name implies) won’t discolor with age.

Tin used to be the metal of choice for lining copper pans, although it’s much less common. It’s a somewhat better conductor than stainless steel and works fine with acidic foods, but it is much less durable, prone to discoloration and has a relatively low tolerance for high temperatures.

You might find linings on the underside of copper pans for a completely different reason: Induction cooking. Induction stoves work by passing an electrical current through the pots or pans on top of it, and while copper conducts heat like a champ, it doesn’t do so well with electricity. Some copper pans, like the Copper Chef Round Pan Copper Cookware Set, 9-Piece, might incorporate a metal lining on the base to counteract that. Definitely something to look for if you have an induction stove.

• Copper certainly has some great conductive properties on its own, but craftsmanship does count for something. The best copper cookware has a thickness of about 2.5 millimeters. That’s thin enough to allow it to heat up evenly without slowing down its conductivity.
• Copper pots and pans certainly do look great hanging from a rack over the stove, and some makers augment that by giving the cookware a “hammered” finish. Hammered copper will have evenly spaced marks where the hammer struck, or (much more likely these days) where a machine imprinted them. Back in the golden age of blacksmithing, such marks were a telltale badge of craftsmanship. Nowadays, they’re no guarantee of quality and the pattern won’t make a difference in the functionality — though the effect will definitely appeal to some.
• If you’re a lover of vintage kitchenware, you might want to seek out a tin-lined piece of copper cookery. The tin lining does tend to be less durable, to the extent that no matter how well you treat it, eventually all tin-lined pans will discolor and/or develop dimples in the surface. Good news, though: Unlike stainless steel lining, tin can be replaced if you can find a steelworker that knows how.
• Copper cookware is a prestige item, and like all heirlooms, it requires a little care. Bare copper scratches easily, so be careful not to use metal utensils for stirring. As for cleaning? Unless they’re specially treated — like the Copper Chef Round Frying Pan With Lid, 10-Inch, which is explicitly dishwasher-safe — copper pots and pans don’t fare well in the dishwasher. There are some simple techniques for cleaning them, however. One of the most common and effective is the good old “salt and vinegar” technique. Just fill up a small spray bottle with white vinegar and mix in some table salt until it is completely dissolved. Spray your copper pan all over and let it sit on a dry surface for about ten minutes. After that, just wipe vigorously with a sponge or cloth.