Caring For Your Copper Cookware

Falk Culinair Cookware has been designed to last a lifetime with minimal maintenance. Please read the tips below to ensure you enjoy using your copper pots and pans for many years to come.

Copper is a much “softer” metal than steel, or cast iron, which coincidentally is also the reason is has superb heat conductivity qualities. Consequently, it requires a little more care than mass production cookware.

The exterior surface of any copper product will tarnish naturally taking on a darker, and duller colour known as “patina” or “verdigris” in a relatively short period of time.

We apply a unique brushed finish to all our products in the factory which prevents the kind of marking caused by normal handling that is visible on highly polished finishes. Our product thus avoids the need for continual polishing. The natural patina can be quickly rbe removed by the light use of a 3M abrasive pad in the same direction as the lines, or grain brushed into the surface during the manufacturing process. If you would like to try one of these pads, please contact us and will be happy to send you a sample with our compliments.

Alternatively, polishing your cookware with a non-ferrous metal polish suitable for copper will give the copper a warm glow. There are three popular attitudes or approaches to polishing cooper cookware:

• Frequent polishing to maintain a bright and shiny finish.
• Occasional polishing which maintains a warmer colour.
• Never polish and allow the copper to tarnish - this incidentally is the preferred approach of professional chefs.

The stainless steel interior of our products requires no maintenance other than normal washing after use. Any stubborn food residue that does not rinse off with soapy water can be removed by soaking the pan in soapy water for a short while or using a non-metallic spatula.

Cleaning the inside of unlined copper jam pots or sugar pans is essential. To remove any verdigris on an unlined pan, use a vinegar and salt solution or rub this with a lemon dipped in salt. The salt acts as an abrasive while the lemon cleans the pan. Then thoroughly rinse with water and dry the pan.

Rust may appear on the cast iron handles, particularly if they are not thoroughly dried after washing. This can be easily removed by rubbing with a fine gauge steel wool. We recommend the occasionally application of vegetable or olive oil to the handles.

We strongly advise against washing your copper cookware in a dishwasher due to the harsh chemicals used in some dishwasher tablets and solutions that can react with copper.

Finally, never use cleaning products containing bleach to clean your copper cookware as these are corrosive and may cause your cookware to pit.