If you have ever looked through cooking or home decorating magazines, you have probably noticed some stunning kitchen layouts featuring overhead pot racks filled with gleaming copper pots and pans. The warm color of the metal makes the whole idea of cooking seem more luxurious and exciting. However, if you have invested in copper cookware, you may have discovered that they take some extra care to maintain that high polish. Here are some tips and general information about this type of cookware, including how to properly polish copper.
Why Choose Copper?
Take a walk down the cookware aisle and you will discover that copper items tend to cost significantly more than those made from other metals. Is there any good reason to choose copper over other materials, apart from the visual appeal? Yes. In short, copper is a fantastic conductor of heat, which causes food to cook more evenly. In some other metals, heat may be centered right at the point of contact with the stove instead of being distributed throughout the metal and up the sides of the pot. The uneven heating which results from this concentration of energy can cause sauces to separate and can prevent soups and stews from simmering correctly.
Because copper reacts with acidic foods, such as tomatoes, most copper pots and pans are lined with tin or stainless steel. The tin lining is preferred by many professional cooks because of its non-stick properties. However, tin is more delicate than stainless steel, and these types of pots do need to be retinned eventually, depending on frequency of use. However, stainless steel-lined cookware is more readily available, and the stainless area can be easily cleaned with a scouring pad. The heat distribution properties of copper can also be found in some easier-to-clean cookware which sandwiches a copper core between stainless steel and/or aluminum layers. This is meant to give you the advantages of cooking with copper without the need for polishing.
Are Copper Pots Safe?
Copper is a naturally-occurring mineral, and some amount of copper is essential in a healthy diet. However, it is also a heavy metal, and ingesting too much of it can make you sick. For some uses, such as whipping egg whites or melting sugar, unlined copper is preferred, but for general cooking, especially with acidic foods, lined copper is used.
Should You Bother to Polish?
It is a question that comes up fairly often: Why bother to polish your copper pots and pans? Don’t they perform just as well whether they are polished or tarnished? The short answer is yes; they do perform just as well, shiny or not. On the other hand, any tarnish you see on your copper pots is a form of corrosion and does eventually degrade the surface. However, this process is very gradual, and for most people the decision to polish copper is an aesthetic one.
How to Polish Copper Using Natural Ingredients
The beauty of copper imparts a feeling of authenticity and an element of naturalness into the kitchen, an environment that tends to be overrun with plastic accessories and processed, packaged foods. Caring for copper pots and pans in the old-fashioned way works as well as, or possibly better than, using harsh chemicals.
To polish copper naturally, all you need is a fresh lemon and some salt. Depending on the number of copper pieces you have, you may need more than one lemon. To use this method, first cut the lemon in half. Next, sprinkle a generous amount of salt right onto the surface of the lemon. Wait a few seconds for the salt to begin to dissolve, and then rub the lemon right onto the copper. You do not need to scrub very hard. You will notice the less-tarnished areas becoming bright and clean right away. Stubborn spots will require multiple passes with the lemon, perhaps after you have added more salt.
The salt works as a gentle abrasive while the acid in the lemon juice cuts through the oxidation on the pot. If you do not have any lemons, you can make a paste out of vinegar and salt, and apply it to the copper with a soft cloth. Never use a scouring pad on the copper. When you have finished polishing, use a soft cloth to dry the surface of the pot. Any wet spots left on the surface will cause more tarnish spots to develop.
Commercially-Available Alternatives
There are many commercially-available copper cleaners, with different formulations and different brand names. When choosing a packaged copper cleaner, follow the instructions carefully and be sure that the product is food safe. Some polishing products may need to be rinsed off before the polished copper can safely be used with food. If you do need to rinse your copper pots after polishing, remember to dry them thoroughly to prevent new stains from forming.
What About Lacquer?
Decorative copper items are often lacquered to prevent tarnishing. While this is fine for an item that is only decorative, it is not appropriate for use with food. If you have a usable lacquered copper item and wish to put it to use in your kitchen, you will first need to remove the lacquer. To do this, bring a large pot of water and baking soda to a boil, and carefully insert the lacquered copper item. Use tongs, oven mitts and eye protection to avoid any burns. You will need approximately one tablespoon of baking soda for each quart of boiling water. Use enough solution to cover the lacquered item. Once the lacquer starts to dissolve, begin to rub if off with a soft cloth, and then polish as described above. Remember, you will be dealing with hot metal, so take safety precautions!
Final Thoughts on Caring for Copper Pots and Pans
Only you can decide whether or not copper pots and pans deserve a place of honor in your kitchen. If you do a lot of cooking using traditional methods, your choice of cookware will matter more than it will if you only cook occasionally, or tend to simply heat up prepared foods. If you have a particular look in mind for your dream kitchen, copper may be an essential part of the equation. Your budget will be a factor, as well as whether you wish to purchase antique cookware or brand new cookware. You will have to weigh the pros and cons of owning and cooking with copper, but rest assured that keeping that bright polish on a copper surface is not as daunting as it may seem.
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