As an enthusiastic home chef I have bought my share of different pots and pans. These include aluminum, corning ware, cast iron, stainless steel, anodized aluminum, Teflon coated steel, clay rosters and finally enameled cast iron. If one were to add up the cost of all these pans it would be depressing to think about how many pieces of tin lined copper I could have had and still be using as apposed to all the others that I ended up throwing or giving away.
It was a chance encounter when I walked into a discount kitchen store one day and saw a small display of Mauviel copper pans tin lined and solidly made. The prices were not that much more then I had paid for some of my better made pieces and they were beautiful. The shiny copper was about an eighth of an inch thick with heavy cast iron handles riveted to the pan. I walked out of the store with two saucepans and one medium sauté pan prepared to cook as soon as I got home.
Most of us have never heard of tin lined cookware and are not aware that it is the original "non-stick" material. Tin is an organic material that excels as a lining because it is an excellent conductor of heat and food does not stick to it. Contrary to popular misinformation, it is non-reactive to acidic foods. I have cooked enough tomato sauce without ever having any issues to make this statement.
Actually people were cooking with copper pans lined in a pure tin organic material, that is save and non-stick long before there was Teflon coating and anodized aluminum, which do not remain effective for the life of the pan nor can it be resurfaced. So after a while Teflon coated pans and aluminum simply becomes worthless.
If you are a serious cook that desire to have your food and a uniform color when serving and long lasting non stick surface that won't suddenly break into pieces, then tin lined copper is your best solution.
Copper is the best practical conductor of heat, which means it cooks better then anything else. It cooks more evenly so foods taste their best. You will become a better cook by using copper cookware because you will be able to cook it right every time.
Is there a down side to tin lined copper cookware. The tin will eventually wear out from use and will need to be renewed, (average cost to renew - 0.) the tin can only be heated to 460 Fahrenheit or it will melt and form little bubbles around the bottom edge of the pan ( not a big deal). You should not use metal utensils with it or it will scratch (use plastic, silicon or wood). Cannot use harsh cleansers to clean or you will remove the tin in short time. Your tin lining will loose its shine and oxidizes to a gray color.
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