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FRENCH COPPER COOKWARE
Copper has a fascinating history and has been used in cooking for at least 3,000 years. However, you won’t find much usable copper cookware dating back further than the 19th century.
To make copper safe to cook with, pots and pans were lined with tin for hundreds of years, but this has largely been replaced with durable stainless steel. Note that copper jam and conserve pans are typically not lined, as acidic foods can react with the lining and become toxic.
Villedieu-les-poêles in northwestern France is considered the home of French copper and loosely translates as ‘God’s city of pans’. Here, the most famous maker, Mauviel, has been making copperware since 1830 alongside other brands, such as Gaillard of Paris, which closed in the 1980s.
Dating pans isn’t easy, but makers’ marks, the initials of the family they belonged to, or where they were fabricated, can often be found stamped close to where the handle meets the pan.
As well as its decorative value, the appeal of copper is its ability to heat up quickly. Frequently appearing in the stately kitchens of period dramas, gleaming copper pans have gone on the wish-list of many collectors.
A set of antique pans could cost just £100, yet a new set of Mauviel copper pans will set you back over £600. Oakland Collectibles sells excellent affordable pieces.