Cooking: High Quality Cookware

Among the cookware sets available on the market today, copper cookware sets are fast becoming the most popular ones. They are simply indispensable for making that perfect meal. Compared to stainless steel or glass cookware, copper pots and pans conduct heat about ten times better.

You will want to make sure that the cookware sets you consider have the pots and pans you need for your style of cooking. For high-heat, fast-cooking techniques such as frying or sauteing, copper’s ability to heat evenly gives much better cooking results. A frying pan is essential for cooking eggs, sauteing onions and pan frying fish, etc.

A saute pan, on the other hand, has higher edges than a frying pan, so it’s essential for cooking meats on the stove, and for creating thick dishes like stews, paella, or jambalaya. Some copper pots and pans are made to be oven safe as well, great for dishes that start out on top of the stove and then need to be finished off in the oven.

Compared to other steel or aluminum made utensils, copper is ten times a better conductor of heat, which is especially useful for range-top cooking, where the food has to be cooked at precisely controlled temperatures.

It conducts heat quickly and uniformly, and because the thermal and heat absorbing quality helps to cook food faster, easier, and more evenly, it’s usually the top choice for professional chefs and gourmet cooks.

The benefit of copper cookware sets is that they distribute the heat evenly throughout the pan, instead of just on the bottom where the thicker metal is in most of the others. However, a lot of copper pots and pans are now lined with stainless steel.

This is important because unlined copper can react with certain acidic foods. Lining the pots and pans with stainless steel or tin prevents those unwanted reactions from happening, and as an added bonus makes cleaning them easier too. The copper on the outside will still provide the superior heat conductivity that you want even when they’re lined on the inside.

Copper kitchenware has all the features necessary that you could want in a great cookware set, and come in a wide variety of designs, shapes, sizes, and prices. You will also find that copper is available in 2 thicknesses – the 2mm thick copper exterior, which gives you superior heat conduction, and the 2.5mm, which is valued for it’s quick heating and cooling properties.

Sets can start with two or three pieces, or can have as many as five, seven, or eight. Mauviel copper cookware offers a 5 piece set that is lined with stainless steel, (easy cleanup), has cast iron handles, is oven safe, and includes a 2 quart saucepan, a 3 1/2 quart saute pan, both with lids, and a 10″ fry pan.

Mauviel’s 7 piece set includes an 11″ fry pan, 3.4 quart saucepan, 3.3 quart saute pan, both with lids, and a 6 quart stockpot with lid. This is a great starter set containing the most useful pots and pans for most kitchens. Other pieces can be purchased separately as you discover what you’ll need for your cooking endeavors.

Copper cookware is easy to clean and maintain. With a little extra care, the copper exteriors will remain beautiful during their lifetime. They shouldn’t be put in the dishwasher, because harsh detergents can darken copper, or if left to air dry, you may find you’ll need to polish them more often, so handwashing and drying is recommended.

Copper cookware sets are always going to be more expensive than other cookware. You can choose to buy cookware that costs less, but the quality of the food that is prepared with it will reflect the attempt at saving money, from hot spots that burn food to lumpy sauces or gravies resulting from uneven heating, and all kinds of other mishaps that can quickly turn a perfectly planned meal into a culinary disaster.

Find out for yourself why copper kitchenware has been the preferred choice of cookware for centuries, and start enjoying dishes that turn out perfect every time.