Copper Help

[ravelda]

Ok, I am sure that I am worrying about nothing, but I cooked with my new Mauviel copper frying pan on Saturday, and the copper has big patches where it has an almost rainbow effect. Firstly is this normal, and secondly, with copper cleaner, will this go back to its gorgeous copper colour?

Somebody, please help!!

[Octaveman]

Yes, yes.

[ravelda]

Bob - thank you so much - I can stop panicking now!

[paulraphael]

Normal!

your pans are fine. That's just the early stages of oxidation. You can polish it away with any copper polish. but my wish for you is to learn to love the patina of a pan that gets used (as opposed to the coppery gleam of a fetish object in a show kitchen). A few more uses, and the pan will darken with a nice mottled, well-worn look that tells the world you actually coook with it.

My good friend is a cook with a huge batterie of copper cookware. He used to keep it all gleaming. Finally his mom called and said, "David, stop polishing your copper and go out and make some friends."

'Nuff said.

Ok, I am sure that I am worrying about nothing, but I cooked with my new Mauviel copper frying pan on Saturday, and the copper has big patches where it has an almost rainbow effect.  Firstly is this normal, and secondly, with copper cleaner, will this go back to its gorgeous copper colour?

Somebody, please help!!

←

[Busboy]

I worked in a swank French place and they never actually bothered to polish the pans. Whatever you do, they'll never gleam as they did when they were new, so put yourself out of that misery. On the other hand, a $2.99 can of "Barkeep's Friend," from the obscure cleaning products section of your grocery or hardware store, will get them back up to pretty durn clean with almost no effort. Think Comet on steroids.

[Franci]

without spending so much money: coarse salt (or Kosher) and vinegar works very well for cleaning copper pots.

[ravelda]

Thanks for all your responses, I am now much happier! I hear what you are saying Paul, but just as I like my food to look good on a plate, I want to have some show piece pans. And one look at the stainless steel lining of the pan will always denounce the pans as well used. I just got a 28cm Mauviel Saute pan yesterday - it is a tru thing of beauty, but damned heavy! Getting that back on the tube (London Subway) on crutches was a challenge and a half last night!