Copper cookware
Copper heats and cools fast, for caramel, jam and sauces. You cook on its tin or stainless lining; it needs polishing and won't work on induction alone.
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What you cook on
A copper pan is copper outside with a thin lining inside, because bare copper reacts with food. Traditional pans are lined with tin, which wears with use, needs re-tinning from time to time and can't take high heat empty. Most new pans, Made In's among them, are lined with stainless steel, which lasts and never needs re-lining. Unlined copper is made for jobs like whipping egg whites and cooking sugar.
How it cooks
Copper heats quickly and evenly and cools as soon as it leaves the burner, so you can stop a caramel or a delicate sauce at the moment you want. Made In suggests it for jam, caramel, chocolate and sauces, as well as searing and sautéing. It costs far more than stainless steel, so many cooks own one or two copper pans rather than a set.
Looking after it, and induction
Wash copper by hand with mild soap and a soft sponge once it has cooled, and use soft utensils, Made In says. Polish the outside with a copper cleaner, or salt with lemon juice or vinegar, when you want the shine back. Copper isn't magnetic, so it won't heat on induction unless the maker has added a steel base. The copper sets we list, Mauviel’s M’Heritage, are lined with stainless steel and go on gas, electric and glass tops; Mauviel sells a magnetic disc for induction.
The table compares how each is made, which stoves it works on and how to wash it.
Compare them side by side
Scroll sideways for every column; tap a heading to sort. “Not stated” means the maker doesn’t publish it.
| Mauviel M’Heritage M’150 S copper 12-piece set | Copper, stainless-lined | 8 / 4 | Saucepan or saucier, Sauté pan or braiser, Skillet, Stockpot or Dutch oven | Doesn't work on induction | Oven safe; no top temperature given / Not stated | Hand wash only | Limited lifetime, home use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauviel M’Heritage M’150 S copper 10-piece set | Copper, stainless-lined | 6 / 4 | Saucepan or saucier, Sauté pan or braiser, Skillet, Stockpot or Dutch oven | Doesn't work on induction | Oven safe; no top temperature given / Not stated | Hand wash only | Limited lifetime, home use |
| Mauviel M’Heritage M’250 B copper 10-piece set | Copper, stainless-lined | 6 / 4 | Saucepan or saucier, Sauté pan or braiser, Skillet, Stockpot or Dutch oven | Doesn't work on induction | Oven safe; no top temperature given / Not stated | Hand wash only | Limited lifetime, home use |
Questions before you choose
Does copper work on induction?
Not on its own. Copper isn't magnetic, so a copper pan works on induction only if the maker has added a steel base. Made In says its copper cookware isn't induction compatible.