What you actually cook on
A copper pan is copper outside with a thin lining inside, because bare copper reacts with food. Older and some French pans are lined with tin; most new ones, Made In's among them, with stainless steel. A stainless pan has steel inside and out, usually clad around an aluminum core that spreads the heat.
How they cook
Copper heats quickly and evenly and cools as soon as it leaves the burner, which is why Made In suggests it for jam, caramel, chocolate and delicate sauces. Stainless takes longer to heat but holds the heat steadily, and a clad core spreads it evenly, Caraway says. Both sear and sauté well.
Upkeep, induction and price
Copper needs polishing to keep its shine. A tin lining wears and needs re-tinning from time to time, and it can't take high heat because tin melts at a low temperature; a stainless lining needs neither. Copper isn't magnetic, so it won't work on induction unless the maker adds a steel base. Stainless doesn't tarnish, takes acidic food, and most clad stainless works on induction. Copper also costs far more, both makers note.
Which one to choose
Choose stainless for an everyday set that takes any food, any cleaner and an induction cooktop. Choose copper for a pan or two where quick, exact heat matters most, such as a saucepan for caramel and sauces, if you're happy to polish it.
How these comparisons are made
Questions about this choice
Do copper pans work on induction?
Not on their own, because copper isn't magnetic. Some makers bond a steel plate to the base so the pan works on induction; the maker's page for your pan says whether it has one.
Tin-lined or stainless-lined copper?
A stainless lining lasts and never needs re-tinning, Made In says. Tin is the traditional lining; it wears with use, needs re-tinning now and then, and shouldn't be heated empty or very hot.