Copper Cookware Question

[papapoopski]

poopski - How's business? You on the other side of all that shit?

Had my third and now second best year of business since 1998. Moved my family to a better place. I've been able to expand creatively in the kitchen as guests are comfortable spending again. Could not be happier.

Thank you for asking. Seriously, thank you.

I've only ever worked in quality places. No place ever used copper.

[irul&ublo]

Freeze the butter before making the crust. Use a cheese grater to cut it into easy to mix pieces. Melting fats is bad news for pies and biscuits.

Even better, use a pastry cutter





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[MontuckyFried]

Nice, I'll have to keep that in mind fellas, didn't know! TGRforums delivers again!

Agreed! That's why I love this place. Got some great ideas in this thread. Thanks for the help, everyone!

[Harry]

My wife's a heck of a great cook.

Austin, since I am your new BFF, when are you inviting me over for dinner ?

[Mazderati]

Had my third and now second best year of business since 1998. Moved my family to a better place. I've been able to expand creatively in the kitchen as guests are comfortable spending again. Could not be happier.

Awesome. Glad to hear it.

[MontuckyFried]

Austin, since I am your new BFF, when are you inviting me over for dinner ?

Hopefully as soon as I bag an elk. Her elk sirloins are out of this world! Will definitely invite you over if that happens...and any other mags in the area for that matter.

[narc]

Clad pans ftw. The copper core means they heat up quickly but the heat is evenly distributed and they have the durability of stainless steel.

[KQ]

Hey Austin, I thought of something else. If you go with the LeCreuset pick up a stainless steel knob - it is rated for higher oven temps than hard plastic knob that comes standard on the lid. She will need it if she is going to use her French oven to bake bread.

Also I want to mention that one thing I really love about Cooks Illustrated - they don't go in for using specialty cookware. Instead they try to adapt their recipes for the types of pots and pans that are typical in most kitchens. Dutch/French ovens are called for in a great many of their recipes.

One more thing - Cooks puts out recipe collections in magazine form. You can find them in most grocery stores near the check-out stand. I've picked up some great ones for holiday cooking/baking, breads, soups and stews, etc. They run about $9.

[Benny Profane]

I got their entire TV recipe collection from 2001 to 2013 in a huge book for Xmas last year. Just broke it open after some time now that I have a sweet working kitchen again. Great stuff. And, yeah, KQ, I like how they always direct you to the best value in equipment. Love their gadget reviews. Usually wind up giving the almost cheapest item of the bunch the best of ribbon.

[MontuckyFried]

So after my wife insisted I not get her anything since we're going on a bit of a ski vacation for Christmas, I decided to forgo the copper goods (for now), but I'm still going to get her some Christmas goodies, despite her protesting. Hehe. I've already ordered the book, Larousse Gastronomique, and will be buying her a Le Creuset French oven along with a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. That French oven should be a nice addition to the kitchen. Will definitely revisit the copper cookware subject after I buy her a nice range.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! She'll be stoked for sure.

[Benny Profane]

Can't go wrong with that Cruset.

[Tippster]

We use our other set of All-Clad Copper-Core for daily use.

Clad pans ftw. The copper core means they heat up quickly but the heat is evenly distributed and they have the durability of stainless steel.

I scored a 10 piece set of All-Clad Copper Core from Craigslist a few years ago. Couple got it as a wedding gift, but also got a Calphalon set and the wife didn't even want to open the All-Clad box. I paid them $500 and they thought they won the lottery. They didn't realize it was worth 2x that. Even heat, easy to clean (Barkeeper's Friend rocks!) and the right weight in the hand, especially the 10" skillet.

Those of you complaining about food sticking need to learn how to cook. Other than eggs and crepes you actually WANT food to stick and create a crust & fond.

Get a carbon steel pan, season it well, and you'll never go back to teflon.

[Plainview]

Wasn't cast iron all the rage around here just recently?

[irul&ublo]

Have you considered Lead based cookware? Very affordable from what I understand.

Pretty sure digitaldeath grew up eating from it

[KQ]

On a different kitchen utensil/gadget/tool note I'm hoping Santa brings me one of these this year:

Folding Bread Proofer

[racesla]

Austin it was real nice meeting you today. I use to be a working chef, get her All-clad no question. I really like the cooper core. The d5 brushed is also real nice. The cooper clad is beautiful but very spendy and I don't think the cooking performance is any better than the cooper core.

[MrDirt]

Gotta support All-Clad as well. I have MC2, Stainless, and D5 pieces and they are all spectacular in use and presentation. The copper stuff is sick, but I'll give a +1 for doubting you're gaining much out of the additional cost. Shop carefully and you can find the stuff at a fairly reasonable price.

I should also mention I know people who work at the factory and if I turn around in my tree stand it's 200 yds away. May be a little biased toward supporting my local economy.

[KQ]

So after my wife insisted I not get her anything since we're going on a bit of a ski vacation for Christmas, I decided to forgo the copper goods (for now), but I'm still going to get her some Christmas goodies, despite her protesting. Hehe. I've already ordered the book, Larousse Gastronomique, and will be buying her a Le Creuset French oven along with a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. That French oven should be a nice addition to the kitchen. Will definitely revisit the copper cookware subject after I buy her a nice range.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! She'll be stoked for sure.

Soooo what happened? Did she like the Le Crueset?

My 7 1/4qt gets an incredible amount of use. In the last week I've used it four times: Chicken Caccatori, Chicken Noodle Soup, Carbonnade, White Chicken Chili. Thing is a work horse - 20 years old and still looks great! Next on the menu: Jambalaya! Mmmmmmmmm.

[MontuckyFried]

Soooo what happened? Did she like the Le Crueset?

My 7 1/4qt gets an incredible amount of use. In the last week I've used it four times: Chicken Caccatori, Chicken Noodle Soup, Carbonnade, White Chicken Chili. Thing is a work horse - 20 years old and still looks great! Next on the menu: Jambalaya! Mmmmmmmmm.

Well, unfortunately she headed me off at the pass and forbid me to buy her anything (good woman) as we went on a fun ski trip across several states over Christmas week and she didn't want me spending any additional dollars on her. I still snuck in Larousse Gastronomique, which she absolutely loves! I still really want to buy her the Le Crueset, though! Could make the perfect Valentine's Day gift, right?

A bit unrelated, but my brother ended up buying her a little induction cooktop. WOW! This little thing is amazing. The weak burners on our crappy propane stove have a tough time getting hot enough, plus being at altitude have always made boiling water a challenge. Not with this little gizmo. Throw a teapot on there and you have boiling water in like a minute or two. Put a giant pot of water on there for making noodles or whatever, and you can get a full raging boil in like 5-10 minutes. Amazing. Don't know how we lived without this thing! Also much, much better for simmering as it can go way low...again, unlike our stupid range. A new range/oven is a huge priority for when we remodel our kitchen someday.

Thanks for all the help, KQ. Still going to follow all your advice. My plans have just been delayed is all.

[hutash]

I still really want to buy her the Le Crueset, though! Could make the perfect Valentine's Day gift, right?

Nothing says, "I love you" quite like "cook my dinner, bitch!"

[MontuckyFried]

Nothing says, "I love you" quite like "cook my dinner, bitch!"

Haha. The funny thing is she's also the kind of woman who would LOVE a new vacuum cleaner for a special occasion. Her passions are cooking and cleaning, I kid you not. Wonderful lady. There are many other reasons that I married her, but these particular qualities about her certainly didn't hurt my opinion of her.

[Tuckerman]

Haha. The funny thing is she's also the kind of woman who would LOVE a new vacuum cleaner for a special occasion.

Well Valentines Day is right around the corner.

[KQ]

Well Valentines Day is right around the corner.

[Cruiser]

bump

Picked a couple different sizes of these Baumalu tin lined copper sauce pans at TJ Max for like $40-$50 a piece recently. They are fantastically responsive on and off the heat. Makes my trusty Calphalon stuff feel cheap by comparison.

[Steven S. Dallas]

We got a big set of All-Clad copper core for Christmas and it's excellent- looks good, warms up fast, great heat dispersion, handles stay cool, etc. I supplemented with some Tramontina non-sticks and am pretty happy with our current array. The 12" cast iron still gets the most reps but it is great finally having the right tool for most every job. Also got an Anova immersion circulator and have been having fun with that. But the real addition was a copy of The Food Lab, which in addition to containing great recipes is just a pleasure to read (and is currently 45% off on Amazon). If you like Cooks Illustrated and can't afford Myrhvold's Modernist Cuisine, I urge you to check it out.

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087..._r5ZLwbFY26DK1