Cleaning copper pots and pans.

Easiest care of your copper pots is to gently rub them with lemons dipped into salt or if you prefer a mixture of vinegar and salt...this is to take off any tarnish.

Cooking with copper is fairly simple...place food in pot and cook the same way as you would with a stainless steel pan. Copper is a great conductor of heat and it heats across the entire bottom of the pan evenly so you won't run into a lot of uneven cooking.

Are your pans coated in any substance? If they have not started to tarnish somewhat then they probably are and it would be advisable to get that stuff off them prior to cooking in them...I have a feeling the internet might have some sites which would be helpful for advice on that.

You can find some information HERE

Thanks guys!

I like the salt/lemon idea as I try to avoid chemicals whenever possible.

The pans appear to be from two sets - one older, that appear to have been used for cooking and now have some tarnishing; and one newer, if used they were well cared for, with just a tiny bit of tarnishing.

I really don't remember her ever using them. They are really very beautiful and come in some very practical sizes. I would kind of like to use them becuause I like useful things.

I'll check out the site too!

They are really very beautiful

Wow! That site has some great non-chemical info on cleaning too. Neat.

That site says you can remove protective laquer with "washing soda" -- any ideas on what that is?

The entire outside of my pans are copper and the insides are some kind of silver metal. There isn't any tarnish on the inside of the pans. Do you think that is because they are a different material or that they have laquer on them?

The outside of some of the newer pans are pitted in a few spots but not a lot of pantina. Would that indicate laquer?

Washing soda is sodium carbonate and is in the same family as baking soda. It has just been processed differently. It is much more caustic/alkaline, with a pH of 11, and while it doesn't give off harmful fumes, you do need to wear gloves. It is found in the laundry section of most supermarkets. Arm & Hammer is one brand.

Most likely, the inside of the pans are stainless steel and would probably not be coated. Most decorative copper is lacquered and items meant to be used are generally, but not always, not.

I made the mistake one time of putting a copper kettle on the stove at a very high temperature and forgot about it. It scorched the kettle and I could not get it back to normal. It was, apparently, coated as well.

Thanks again!

Before using I think I'll take precautions anyway -- just in case.

Good idea. Enjoy your new pans.

Ketchup works great. I learned it from a guy who was a curator of a railroad museum - he had lot's of brass and copper to shine. Just smear the ketchup on the pot, leave it for about an hour and then wash the pot.

Isn't that harmful to the environment, Green Witch? Ketchup emissions and all that.

Only if you inhale.

I like your new avatar, GW. Very mysterious and almost snake-like.

Don't bogart that Heinz, you stoners.

Catsup huh?

I happen to have some of that right here, man.

Thanks, someone named Lezzlie nicked my public domain face, so I decided to be more original.

Give the ketchup a try right now Boomer, you'll be glad you did.

I ran upstairs and got some ketchup. Not only does sniffing the fumes give you a pleasant high, it also seems to enhance one's creative abilities. I was messing around with my keyboard and discovered that by hitting the proper two keys you can make a little house..... />/

Is that cool or what? You see the door and the way the house slants a little?

This ketchup inhaling is excellent!

Let's see now. Last time you talked about food, Gus, you had put mayo (or maybe it was Miracle Whip?) on your pumpkin pie. Now you're sniffing ketchup. I kind of always suspected that Miracle Whip was a gateway condiment. Gus, I'm pleading with you, JUST SAY 'NO'.

<)))))><

Mine's a fish.

kewl, GW!!!

(are you a secret Christian?)

Obviously Green Witch has a much higher quality ketchup.

Now we finally know why John Kerry lost.

Perhaps he is available to clean my pans though!

Gateway condiments! I'm going in there to throw away my capers right now. They always made me suspicious.

I will try the catsup tomorrow. I've come up with an interesting way to display my collection of beautiful pans and want them looking fab.

I'm also going to look for some of that washing soda because it would be so nice to cook in these things. My mother must have aspired to be a sauce maestro becauce there are numerous incredible sauce pans.

My mother (forgive me mom) thought Campbell's mushroom soup was a sauce but that girl could dream. I love her for that.