Copper has been a popular metal for making cooking pots. From a bunch of reasons, a few would be good electrical conductivity, long durability and its capability to prevent hotspots.
Another plus side for using copper is that they are usually lightweight than other cast iron and traditional pots making them easier to handle. Unfortunately, copper pots are very delicate.
They are delicate in the sense that they get scratched and bent very easily. This metal is a very reactive metal, and thus there are chances of it reacting with particular food types too.
To prevent this reaction from proceeding many copper pots are lined with a stainless steel lining. Copper pots also tend to react with air, so over time, they tend to oxidize and lose their coppery color.
Hacks & Tips For Cleaning
There are countless ways to clean your copper pots, and a few of them are discussed below:
1. Basic Washing And Drying Of The Copperware
A generous little bath with hot water and dishwashing liquid would clean your pots thoroughly. But what you need to keep in mind is that due to the chemical property of copper, they need to be dried as soon as possible to prevent the pots from decoloring.
2. A Commercial Cleaner Bath
If your copper pans are scarred with greenish areas, then all you need to do is wash them with a commercial cleaner, preferably with Wright’s Cleaner which is widely available. A damp cloth or sponge will help you to get rid of them. This should be followed by a drying session with a cloth instantly.
3. Paste Of Cornstarch And Coarse Salt
This one has been a very popular method of getting rid of tough spots from your pans. Make a paste of these two ingredients and simply rub the spots with it and with the help of a cloth. This will give it a nice polish as well as removing the spots. Rinse it later with warm water.
4. Vinegar Shower
Dip a cloth into vinegar, preferably the white one and by applying a little force try rubbing the stains roughly. Soon you will see that the cloth is soiled with the stains. Now take a cleaner portion of the cloth and repeat this method until all the stains have been removed.
This method can be time-consuming, but the results are amazing since your pots shall be free of stain and shining brightly.
5. Lemon And Salt Paste
The abrasiveness of salt couples with weak acid and makes the best paste to get rid of tarnishes. This is a cheap and easy method when you are looking for something widely available. It is also budget-friendly.
All you need to do is cut a lemon and sprinkle its open side with salt. You can later rub the tainted spots with this lemon paste and see its magic. But yes, do not forget to rinse and dry the pots later after rubbing them with salted lemon.
6. Tomato Paste Cleaner
Tomatoes are acidic just like vinegar and lemons. The acidic nature of tomatoes makes them a good cleaner. But tomatoes have a better side, due to the thick consistency of its paste they stay longer over stains and when removed, give a better shine and cleanliness.
You can place the sauce over stains for a while and later wash it off and dry the pots to see the shine it brings.
7. Tartar-cream And Lemon Juice
Tartar-cream has a slight acidic hint to it. This makes it good cleaning material for pots. All you need to do is add a few tablespoons of this cream and moisten it with enough lime juice so that a paste is formed. Now you can rub this paste with the help of clothes over the stains. Wash it well and dry completely afterward.
8. Baking Soda And Lemon Juice
Baking soda and lemon juice are two lifesaving ingredients that can always be found in the kitchen. They can help you clean your teeth, take care of blackheads and rub off stains from your pots as well.
Start the process by taking equal portions of baking soda and lemon juice and make a paste. Now you can rub them on the affected spots with the help of a cloth.
Polishing It After Cleaning
Given the fact that you love using copperware, you should also learn to keep maintain them well. For starters, you should make yourself used to the polishing part as copperware need frequent polishing to keep their shine on.
Usually, the pots and pans you find in the market have a lacquered coating. This coating needs to be removed before you start using them. You need not worry as it is not that of a difficult task.
All you need to do is get it a bath of baking soda and boiling water. But yes, once you get the layer removed your copper pots are now more vulnerable and can easily be tarnished.
There are many copper polishes available in the market. You should get your hands on one of them and use them to clean your pots. A lot of times, these polishes come with a polishing cloth which makes the task easier.
These cloths usually contain chemicals that help to remove tarnishes from copper objects. For starters, make sure you have cleaned your pots with warm and soapy water. This should be followed by rinsing and drying them out. Now, all you need is a gentle buff on the copper surface with a cloth to give it a beautiful shine.
How To Care For Your Copper Utensils?
It is equally difficult to take proper care of your copper utensils as it is to buy yourself a copper utensil. The main hurdle in maintaining them comes from the reactive nature of copper.
Copper reacts with air, certain foods items and other metals too. So it is always best to keep them dry and hang them in a place where they cannot come into contact with any other metal.
Also, copper is very delicate in terms that they can easily get scratches, dents and tarnishes. So it is best to keep or store them in a safe place when they are not in use.
Whenever you are cleaning your copperware make sure that you are cleaning them alone in the sink, away from other dishes. This is to prevent them from getting scratches or bumps.
Acid-based cleaners are also good for cleaning such pots. Lemon juice can be found in your home easily, and you can put this into use for cleaning your pans. All you need to do is make a paste out of lemon juice, salt and vinegar and clean your pots with it to get rid of stains.
Overall Story About Copper
Copper is a brilliant metal for cooking your meals due to its good capability of conducting heat and antimicrobial features. The best way to keep your pots safe after cleaning them is by hanging them. In this way, you can preserve their glow and shine and prevent them from corroding and getting dents.
This metal, however, corrodes over time due to its reacting capability with air and certain materials and that is why they need to be handled with care. You should clean them properly and dry them every time after usage.
Moreover, don’t get stressed if you feel that your pots are losing their glow and gently give them a vinegar and salt scrub to get them glowing anew.
Wash, dry and polish the pot each time you use it. If you notice the copper getting dull, use the lemon and salt or vinegar and salt scrub to remove tarnish. Lastly, give a final touch-up to their glow by rubbing them with copper cream.
Conclusion
Copperwares are not as popular among people as other utensils. There can be different reasons for this but the main ones are that copper materials are hard to handle as they are reactive and get stained easily.
But on the brighter side, these pots are lightweight. These are also great for their quick uniform heating which is due to the presence of good electrical conductivity in them.