Rabbit Hill Kitchen - Copper Cookware

Our Story

Each month you might notice our steady increase of copper-ware in the online shop. I have to admit that I am smitten with the look of beautiful and history filled copper pots in my kitchen. Heavy and substantially made, full of long standing French cooking tradition. Searching for and restoring copper cookware has become a true passion. If you are new to using copper cookware and particularly vintage copper in your kitchen, you are probably starting from exactly where I did a few years ago.

My father-in-law was a chef. When we moved to France he was long retired, but still cooking. My husband's parents owned and operated a restaurant and hotel in Trouville sur Mer for many years and over time he had of course acquired cookware, which was given to us after we moved to Rabbit Hill. I hung it in the barn. Yep. It was pretty, but surely not cook-worthy. I was one of those people that thought that vintage and worn copper cookware was not safe -- and absolutely dangerous to use -- right?!  Wrong.  What I learned, was that properly restored, it is ready to be used and loved for many, many more years.  Evidence of that is the 19th century French pots I have in my kitchen now that I use almost every day ... because they have been restored!

Most all of the cookware, pots and pans are vintage and antique, and although they are restored, retain marks of their long life when they were lovingly used.

Copper Cookware Restoration at Rabbit Hill

Tinning & Restoration

We now carry out full tinning and restoration of all the copper cookware featured in our shop, right here at Rabbit Hill. More than just polishing up the exterior, often the interior needs to be refurbished too. We knew of only a few 'ateliers' that did this in our area, lead-time and turnarounds were significant, sometimes as long as six months, and the tinning was costly.

Tinning and restoring is a complex process and is labor intensive. It requires acid baths, heat and molten tin, grinders, polishing wheels. Truly it is amazing. So much that it fascinated my husband. Maybe it was that he could not stand to see the beloved pots of his dad or his grandmother and mom -- hanging as decor in our barn. Or maybe it was that he knew how much I would love (and become obsessed with) cooking with high-quality and authentic copper pots and pans (and gratins and 'fait touts' ...). He was right. When he is right -- he is RIGHT.  So he learned restoration and tinning. Just like that. Well not entirely 'just like that'... It took many, many hours and trial and error and persistence and lots (LOTS) of Ibuprofen --- to fill my kitchen with a 'batterie' of cookware, I could only dream about.

Each piece is hand-selected and restored at our farm in beautiful Normandy, France. Most of the copper that we restore is between 75 to 200 years old and has been used for decades and decades by professional chefs and accomplished cooks.

Copper is a superior cooking material as it heats quickly and evenly and cools quickly when taken off the burner. The tin surface is also one of the most desired interior finishes as unlike steel or aluminum, it is essentially non-stick when used correctly. The traditional tinning process involves heating pure tin to it’s melting point and then ‘hand-swiping’ the molten tin evenly to cover the interior of the cookware. This is a traditional method used for centuries. Wipe marks, small ripples and marks are inherent of the hand-swiping technique and do not affect the use or functionality of the pan. As well, after a few uses, the tin might become less bright and shiny, but this also does not impact the use of the cookware.

Check out some photos of the restoration process here on this page, showing the journey from tired and tarnished hunk of metal, to beautiful and functional collector’s item.

Quality French Copper Cookware & Decor

Our Focus on Quality

Right away, when we started to look for pieces to restore, we educated ourselves on what to look for in quality and craftsmanship that makes the difference. For my kitchen and for the online shop here is what we look for:

• French made brands

  Mauviel - Villedieu, Havard, Allez Freres, Atelier du Cuivre ...and especially my personal favorite E. Dehillerin (copper cookware that was made exclusively for Julia Child's favorite cookware shop in Paris). Good cookware is stamped with a brand, size or chefs initials or restaurant name. Occasionally really great cookware is not stamped, either because it is very old or just wasn't stamped but was still made by a known maker, in which case look for ....

• Wall thickness

  Because in most cases this is the best indicator of quality. Good quality cookware will range from 1.5 - 3 mm thickness. However, certain types of cookware will sometimes be under that for reasons of functionality, like a skillet for example that is meant to be lighter in order to be efficient.

• Brass details and handles or iron?

  So for brass, it's really pretty and doesn't have the same upkeep requirements as iron. Iron can show signs of use and rust when exposed to persistent moisture, which requires the same upkeep as cast iron kitchen items (seasoning between use or when rust appears), while brass just needs to be polished. But the brass also conducts heat really quickly (like copper) and the handles can become too hot to the touch and for this reason, professional kitchens often go with iron which gets hot to the touch more slowly and is easy to handle. There is also a function element. Lighter weight sauté pans and skillets and crepe pans, will often have brass handles instead of heavy iron, which might cause the pan to be out of balance and not sit perfectly flat on a flat surface.

  For all of those reasons, most professional kitchens will have a combination of both brass and iron detail cookware.

There’s so much more we could share! Grab a copy of our 50 page e-book to learn everything you need to know about adding copper to your kitchen!

Purchasing, Use & Care Tips

Use & Care Tips

• Your pot has been hand-tinned using the 'wiping' technique and therefore swirls and bumps are inherent (especially in antique, very old pots) and do not affect the quality of use.

• Only use wood or silicon-coated utensils when cooking with your newly tinned pot. Do not use metal or sharp utensils (even a fork) that could scratch or gouge the tin surface.

• The surface of your pot is almost 'non-stick' and should not be scrubbed with abrasive sponges or brushes. A reminder that tin melts at 450F, so never heat your cookware while empty or use it in a hot oven without food inside.

• Hand-wash and dry immediately for best results. Polish the exterior as desired.

• Copper is a super-reactive metal and sensitive to changes in temp and moisture and even light. So just by being in your kitchen (or even in storage) the copper will discolor or darken and marks will appear. If it bothers you to have it that way between uses, just do a quick polish. You can do a 'dry method' for quick touch-ups or a full polish method (rinsing with water) for bigger jobs.

• For more tips and information on caring for your copper, see our FAQs

How to use our copper paste:

Be sure to remove grease, cooking residue and dust build up before polishing your cookware. After your cookware has been washed in a normal fashion, apply the paste in a thin coat uniformly with a damp sponge using tepid water. Gently rub areas where there is staining or black marks. As soon as cleaning is achieved, remove the excess paste immediately with cool water, rinsing completely. Follow with a thorough interior and exterior washing using a clean sponge and dish soap to remove any remaining paste. For stubborn tarnishing, oxidation or staining on the copper surface, you may need to repeat the polishing process to achieve the polish you desire.

If the paste is left for an extended period of time, it will leave streaks and wiping swirls, so it is best to only polish one piece of cookware at a time. You can apply the paste a second time to remove marks if necessary. The copper surface can be scratched if you use abrasive sponges or scrubbers. Be sure to dry the cookware or copper piece completely after polishing.

For touch-up's or to remove small marks, you can use a 'dry-method' by applying the paste to the mark and then gently rubbing with a soft flannel cloth, being sure to remove all paste.

As with all cleaning products, use with care. Avoid getting paste into eyes and keep safely away from children. We recommend using gloves to apply paste if you have sensitive skin.

Brass details on cookware can be cleaned with our copper polish and iron (cast or forged) handles and details should be cleaned with soapy water and dried, followed by an application of mineral oil or iron pan oil to treat and avoid potential rust.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Will copper pots work on my induction cook top?

• No, copper cookware will not work on an induction cooktop as it does not conduct the magnetic field required to activate the burner. You can still use it on an induction cooktop if you use an interface disk that will be magnetic between the copper pan and the induction cooktop. However, one of the drawbacks of using interface disk is that heat gets transferred slowly and cooking food takes a long time.

• If you are interested in adding copper cookware to your kitchen, but have an induction cooktop, we recommend starting out with one of our gorgeous oven-to-table pieces; an oven gratin pan or a baking dish.

Can I put my cookware in the dishwasher?

• Technically, yes you can, but we don’t recommend it. The rule of thumb for me is if your cookware piece pre-dates modern dishwashers (and most of our restored pieces do) then it’s better to clean them by handwashing. Copper reacts unpredictably with dishwasher detergents and can discolor or blacken due to a chemical reaction. Also, the abrasiveness of some detergents, can damage the interior of your pot.

Can copper cookware be used for all types of cooking?

• If your cookware has a traditionally tinned interior - it is not the best option for some kinds of cooking. Tin can be damaged at temperatures about 450F and should never be heated ‘dry’ or empty. For this reason, we don’t advise high heat searing (that starts with a pre-heated pan) or cooking without ample oil or liquids.

• On the other hand, when used correctly, the interior is essentially non-stick (heat slowly on low and gradually increase heat for cooking) so it’s perfect for omelets and egg dishes and sautéing meats and vegetables. I keep a pastry brush next to my stove and brush oil or butter on my pan, turn the burner on to low and heat the pan just slightly before adding ingredients to cook, increasing the heat as needed once the food is added.

• Because it heats quickly and cools down once removed from the heat source, copper cookware is perfect for making thick and silky sauces and for heating up soups and stews.

How long will my copper cookware last?

• Copper cookware is an investment and is intended for lifelong use with just occasional maintenance (every 10 - 20 years if used correctly).

• If you accidentally scratch or scrub your pot and the copper shows through on the interior surface, it is still safe to cook with, however, avoid acidic foods (tomatoes or citrus) as this causes the copper to oxidize and very large amounts of oxidized metals are not healthy for consumption.

How can I keep my copper cookware gleaming?

• Traditional polisihing methods include using lemons and salt, white vinegar and salt or commercial liquids and pastes made for copper. We've been asked for quite some time how to bring back the shine to copper cookware and had been searching for a polishing paste that we felt was above the brands that we have tried over the years. We were thrilled to try out paste that is made right here in Normandy, and to collaborate with artisan copper maker 'Atlelier du Cuivre' to offer it in the online shop.
  

Thanks for taking a moment to get to know a little more about collecting copper cookware and our work at Rabbit Hill Copper in Normandy, France.

Hope to see you at our next online sale!

A few of our previously restored and sold pieces …