The Best Copper Pan

Beginner cooks and professional chefs agree on one thing: copper pans are a gorgeous addition to any kitchen. These chestnut-colored pieces of kitchen gear look beautiful when they’re hanging from storage hooks, and it’s satisfying to cook a meal using this gorgeous tool. But these eye-catching pans don’t come cheap. 

Why are copper pans so expensive? For one thing, copper is pricier than other materials. There’s also a supply-and-demand dynamic at work: consumers prefer aluminum, stainless steel and nonstick pans, so the cookware industry has shifted away from copper.

Copper’s unique heating qualities set it apart from other pots and pans.

“It heats up both quickly and evenly,” says Julie Chernoff, co-chair of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She’s also the dining editor of Better, a lifestyle website and print magazine. “But that also means it doesn’t retain heat and cools off quickly. So, it’s not great for steaks, but it is terrific for sauces, delicate proteins and candy making.”

Copper’s conductivity also makes it attractive for uses outside the kitchen — that’s why you see it so often in your home’s wiring and in consumer electronics. Since copper isn’t being actively mined and it’s needed to keep your home’s lights on, you’re going to pay extra to use it as cookware. 

The distinctive heating properties of copper don’t end with conductivity.

“Copper is also very reactive — meaning it’s not so great with acids,” adds Chernoff. If you want to add a squirt of lemon juice to your stovetop salmon fillet, don’t do it in a copper pan. Over time, acidity can cause copper to break down, leaching the copper out of the pan and into your food. 

Many modern copper pans are blended with other materials, like ceramic coatings or stainless steel induction plates, to make them more user-friendly.  This makes the copper pans tougher, reduces or eliminates the risk of leaching, and helps them hold heat for longer periods of time. Some of these copper-infused pans are even tough enough to withstand high oven temps.

Copper pans can fill important gaps in your cooking. Classic copper pans can help you create sauces that break easily, like hollandaise sauce for your eggs benedict. If you’re tired of gnawing on overcooked fish fillets, a copper pan can be a welcome addition to your pan rotation. 

Now that you’ve gotten up to speed on delicate copper pans (and the delicacies you can create in them), take a look at our Tips & Advice for more buying hints.

• Copper pans are known for their conductivity, but they’ve got to be the right thickness for that to work. “Cookware thickness should be 2.5mm-3mm for best conductivity,” says our cooking expert Chernoff. 
• Copper pans can be tricky to care for, but once you know the basics you’ll be off and running. Look for copper pans lined with stainless steel — this will make them sturdier and less reactive. Since copper heats up rapidly, you’ll need to keep it on moderate heat or lower and let the pan do the rest of the work. 
• Avoid putting your pan in the dishwasher. Instead, clean it with warm water and dish liquid. You can buff tarnished spots with a mild abrasive, like table salt. A little white vinegar will help restore a beautiful shine to your copper pan. 
• Modern copper-infused pans don’t need the same kid-glove care as classic copper pans. Many of them, like the COOKSMARK 12″ Nonstick Frying Pan or the Copper Chef Round Frying Pan With Lid, are mixed with ceramic and have nonstick coatings for easy fried eggs that won’t get glued to the pan. They’re also a snap to clean. Others have built-in stainless steel induction plates for fast, even heating. Many are durable enough to go from stovetop to oven without a second thought. 
• The shape of your pan will influence how much food you can cook in it. Square copper pans, like the Copper Chef Square Frying Pan with Lid or the BulbHead Square Pan 5-Piece Set, can fit a bit more food in them, so they’re great for weekly meal prep. You can also fit more food in deep copper pans with high sides. Again, copper-infused pans are better for these tasks.
• Check out any accessories your copper-infused pan might come with. Tools like fry baskets, steamers and roaster racks will let you create almost any meal under the sun.