On January 22, 2016 at 4:03 PM, boilsover said:
This is somewhat funny. I would submit that very high-BTU ranges evolved parallel to the decline in use of copperwares. Even a relatively weak gas hob can keep a copper bottom up and recover it faster. Copper's just far more efficient, and so there's mostly no need for high-output hobs for dry cooking.
Again, you can easily go to 480F and above in tinned copper as long as there's fat in the pan by the time you near 437F. And really? For the fats I use in pans, there's no need to go any higher than that.
It's not funny, it's true. The point about BTUs is that the more you have, the less important it is to preheat the pan far above cooking temperature. I have a fairly low output range ... probably under 12,000 BTU/hr. With this kind of output it's always critical to preheat to a high temperature if browning a significant quantity of food. If you don't, the food will drop the pan temperature and just stew. It's true with heavy cooper, with heavier cast iron, with spun steel, with a 7mm disk of aluminum.
And sure, you can easily go to 480F and above in tinned copper. You will simply melt the lining into puddles. Every time. If you do not experience this, then you're mistaken about the temperature, or about the lining material.
You cannot have fat in the pan if you are preheating to these temperatures. You must preheat a dry pan, add the oil, and then immediately add the food before the oil burns. You probably do not want to add oil or food to melted tin. That's just messy. I wouldn't pay extra for the privilege.
