Look To Your Pantry For All The Tools You Need For Polishing Copper Cookware

According to certain home cooks and professional cooks alike, copper makes some of the best cooking pans money can buy — and money is certainly the operative word here. Copper cookware is much more expensive than even stainless steel or cast iron, making it quite the investment. However, those who love it say it's well worth the price, as copper is well-known for excelling at heat conductivity. It heats up quickly and maintains its temperature as long as it remains on a hot cooking surface.

Once removed from that surface, it cools just as quickly. This makes it the perfect medium for making fragile foods like fish or for tempering chocolate to coat homemade dark chocolate-covered caramels, since it's less likely to overcook or burn them. If you make things like this frequently, that may mean copper pots are a good investment, along with them being absolutely gorgeous when on display — at least when they're properly cleaned. Unlike stainless steel or aluminum pans, cleaning copper requires some time and love.

Possibly the biggest drawback to copper cookware is its tendency to tarnish. Similar to silver, copper gleams beautifully when it's clean, but oxidizes over time. Fortunately, the supplies needed to get them clean and shiny again aren't nearly as expensive as the pots themselves. In fact, you likely have most of them in your kitchen right now. You'll need dish soap and non-plastic sponges for general cleaning and disinfecting, ketchup to polish, and a combination of white vinegar, salt, and flour to make them glow.

Like any other cookware, you'll need to wash your copper pots every time you use them to ensure they're sanitary and avoid stains. However, what you use to wash them matters, as using the wrong materials could lead to scratches or corrosion, which can't be buffed away. This is why you should always wash them by hand, as the harsh detergents and high heat inside a dishwasher will almost certainly damage your copper pots and pans.

Instead, opt for a gentle dish soap, such as Dawn and plastic-free, non-abrasive cleaning sponges. Cellulose sponges are ideal because they're softer and more porous than plastic alternatives, which means they won't scratch your copper pots. If you can't find cellulose sponges, you can also simply rub your cookware down with your fingers. Dish soap cuts through grease, so you're unlikely to leave fingerprints behind, and your skin is certainly softer and more forgiving than your average Scrub Daddy.

You'll also want to dry your copper pots by hand instead of letting them air dry, which could result in water spots. Avoid paper towels, if possible, as some brands are abrasive enough to cause damage. Microfiber towels are both very soft and super absorbent, meaning you can use them to buff your copper pans dry without fear. Once clean and dry, it's also important to store them correctly, as stacking them inside each other could damage their finish. Instead, try hanging your pans from a sturdy pot rack.

Once your copper pots are nice and clean, they're ready for you to polish away any tarnish or oxidization. While copper polishing kits do exist, you don't really need any specialty products to give your pots and pans a professional sheen — you can just use ketchup instead. Not only was ketchup touted as a miracle medicine in the 19th century, this popular condiment is every housekeeper's best-kept secret. Most ketchup recipes include tomatoes and vinegar, both of which contain acetic acid, which is great at breaking down tarnish and making your copper pans look like new.

Of course, if you're a self-described ketchup hater, there's no need to purchase a bottle of the stuff just to polish cookware. A combination of distilled white vinegar and fine sea salt will also do the trick — just mix them with a little flour to create a paste similar in consistency to runny ketchup. You can then apply either medium to your pans with a cellulose sponge, let it sit for a minute or two, rinse it with cold water, and then dry immediately with a microfiber cloth.

If your copper pots are seriously tarnished, it may take a few polishing sessions or even a combination of techniques to get them shiny again — just be gentle and work slowly to avoid abrading them. You can also try a soft scrub with oxalic acid, such as Bar Keepers Friend, to cut through the last of the tarnish.