rodentraiser Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 A couple of months ago, my 8" Teflon frying pan started to lose its Teflon. As I wanted a larger frying pan anyway, one thing led to the other and I started looking at cookware sets. I got taken in on eBay where some of the cookware sets started at $40. Unfortunately for me, they never stayed at $40. So I raised my money parameters to $100. I also began a crash course in pots-and-pansology. I decided there was one brand I liked that had all the pots and pans I wanted. The only thing was, it was going for over $200. I began perusing Craig's List and twice I finally saw the set I wanted for only $100 and *sigh* by the time I emailed, they were sold. I decided this would never do, so I finally found my set on Costco for about $175. And I raised my money parameters again. I'd looked at the copper stainless steel-lined cookware sets before from Calphalon and a few other manufacturers. However, I was looking at prices of $500 to $700 a set and my money parameters don't even go close to that. Then I thought about buying a copper set 1 pan at a time and that idea quickly bit the dust when I found out one pan was $200. Or more. That was the small pan, so the rest were all 'or more'. So I sighed and decided to wait till I won the lottery. Anyway, I was just about to order the Costco set this morning when I decided to check Craig's List one more time just to see what I could see. And lo and behold, someone had a copper cookware set there they'd just listed 4 hours previously for ------ $175! It's an old Revere Ware set (copper, NOT just copper bottomed) from 1976, brass handles even, and it includes three saucepans with lids (I'm guessing 1 qt, 2 qt, and 3 qt) and 3 sort of frying pans that look to be 12" across. I believe one is a fry pan, one is a griddle, and one I don't know what it is. I emailed the lady right away and she responded right back to me. I was so excited I then called her and I will be going over tomorrow morning to pick the pans up. I am so exited I can barely type. I never, ever, EVER thought I would be able to have copper pans in my lifetime. This is me right now: I know I won't sleep all night. And Lisa will be thrilled because she's getting very, very, VERY tired of me yapping on and on and on and on and on about cookware sets. By the way, anyone here know how to cook with copper? Because I don't. Oops. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 How funny! I've had copper bottomed Revere wear off and on for years. You can find an odd pot or lid at garage sales and thrifts pretty regularly. Some of the thrifts price it as though it were gold plated, but I've found a good sized sauce pan for $3. As far as I can tell, there's no difference in how you use the pans. The copper just heats more evenly, so that's the benefit of it. It sounds like you got quite a bargain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hooray! How exciting! I love when stuff like that happens. Have fun learning to cook with copper. I can barely cook with normal pans, so I'm no help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I have Revereware saucepans and skillets, the ones with copper bottom. I stow them in cupboards when not actually cooking in them, because I cook in them often enough that I gave up keeping the copper pristine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Im a cast iron girl myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Kelly, I believe you are saying the food will be touching copper and not stainless, is that correct? I kind of recall back in the 70's some bad press about Revereware and copper leaching into food. Please research this further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debora59 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I am so exited I can barely type. I never, ever, EVER thought I would be able to have copper pans in my lifetime. This is me right now: I had to literally laugh out loud, because I felt that way about fabric a few weeks ago, just thrilled beyond belief over fabrics! probably doesn't compare but the excitement was there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbharrington Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Copper conducts heat much faster than stainless steel, so you may find that your food cooks faster, or that you do not have to cook on as high a temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Sable, no, these are copper pots and pans with stainless steel inside of them instead of tin or nickle. Here is what little I have found out about it: "Recognizing that a high-end consumer market existed for the solid copper cookware commonly in use by professional chefs, Revere introduced the Paul Revere Ware line in 1967. Produced only at the Oneonta, AL plant, the copper/stainless steel material it used was made in-house using a high temperature, pressure-bonding process, not the traditional Revere electro-plating process. Designed as much (or more) for visual appeal as for function, the solid brass handles were attached with rivets welded to the bodies (producing a riveted handle with no exposed rivet heads on the cooking surface). Initial production carried "Limited Edition Collection" stamped on the undersides of the handles while a stylized Paul Revere "signature" was later added to the underside of each piece. This combination was designated the "Paul Revere Signature Collection" when the handle imprint was removed. A special issue commemorating the American Bicentennial added "1776-1976" to the hallmark." There's more, but that's the gist of it. And here's a picture of what I got - I picked my set up this morning and I am still jazzed as all get out! That round looking thing on the far left hand side is supposed to be for heating cream? You put the cream in it and then put the whole thing in hot water and swish it around. I doubt that I'll be using that. The saucepans are also stainless steel inside and the lids have stainless steel on the undersides of them. Comparing them to the old pots that I had, I have a 3 qt, a 2 qt, and a 1qt sauce pan. Then going from left to right, that oblong looking thing is either for frying fish (not me!) or an omelette pan. If Julia Childs was any example, you put the egg in the pan and push the pan forward and jerk it back to make the egg fold on itself. The one time I tried it, I flipped the egg right on to the stove. I think I needed a bigger pan (I was using the 8" fry pan I have) and I guess I got one. The one in the middle is a 10" fry pan and the one on the right end is a 12" griddle. They are pretty hefty. They're certainly not lightweight pans. Except for the 2 qt saucepan, they all have this on the bottom: That dates all but the 2qt saucepan to 1976. So this set is 40 years old. It's obviously been used, but it looks like it's in great condition. There's a seller on eBay who has a store of this copper Revere Ware, but he says himself that his prices are high. But from a look at eBay, the small saucepan is listed on there from $10 to $30 and the other ones I saw listed were $40 to $50. The large griddle I saw was $119 and the other pieces I think ranged from about $50 to $100. Whatever, I feel like I got one heck of a bargain. This copper line was discontinued in 1986. By the way, from what I read on the Revere Ware website and elsewhere http://www.revereware.org/info/id10.html , the old copper bottomed pans have been made thinner and thinner, so as I read it: "It may look like your Grandma's cookware, but it sure doesn't cook like it!" If you are going to look for Revere Ware in thrift shops and the like, make sure whatever pots and pans you are thinking of buying say patent pending or pending or something similar on the bottom. Those are the original ones. I learned all this yesterday after staring at the computer till I was practically blind. LOL I imagine cooking in these is going to be like cooking with stainless steel, so I'm reading up on that right now. I wonder how much food I'm going to ruin before I get the hang of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 13 hours ago, bluebear said: Hooray! How exciting! I love when stuff like that happens. Have fun learning to cook with copper. I can barely cook with normal pans, so I'm no help... And what, pray tell, makes you think I know how to cook? This is like a 16 year old being given a Porsche for his birthday right after he's passed his driver's test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 8 hours ago, vbharrington said: Copper conducts heat much faster than stainless steel, so you may find that your food cooks faster, or that you do not have to cook on as high a temperature. Thanks, Vickie, that's good to know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Ha! So y'all are going to laugh. I came home and checked my favorite pots... And yep, they are Revere ware with the brass bottom... Clueless... Those are some awesome looking pots and pans Kelly, I'm so excited for you. And I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time. At least you know what you have! And now I've learned something today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Hey, Tracy - I'm glad you're confident about that. I just wish I was. I'm still editing my post. I'm still so excited I can't type worth a darn right now. LOL And um, your Revere Ware has a copper bottom, not brass. Revere Ware is really good cookware, at least the old stuff was. My mom got a copper bottom set in the 60s and she told me she paid over $70 for those - and that's when the grocery bill for a family of 5 didn't go over $40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Yep! Copper... I really am losing my mind! I'm pretty sure mine was a hand me down from MIL. But I've been using it for over 20 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbharrington Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 The "cream" pot is used as a double boiler, which is very useful if you ever need to melt chocolate, temper eggs, make Hollandaise sauce, and lots of other things. Granted, I'm a Culinart Arts teacher, and the only time I ever use it is when I teach those techniques, but other people may like cooking more than I do (Yes, I'm a Culinary Arts teacher that doesn't like cooking at home) It looks like it has a rounded bottom, which makes it easier to use. Congrats again on a great find. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 Thank you, Vickie. I've found out it's called a zabaglione - or something close to that, and yes, I can melt butter and chocolate in it. I really don't need it since I've always melted butter and chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat and never had a problem doing it that way. I never could understand the double boiler thing at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Many, many years ago I used to cook rice in a double boiler... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 You're more ambitious than I am, Holly. I just get the Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag 10 minute rice. I don't eat rice that often. Although if I could figure out what vermicelli is and get it into the rice like in Rice-a-Roni, I might have it way more often. By the way, you guys, I tried making Swedish meatballs in the griddle the other night. It worked out great and the meatballs were to die for, but I ended up spilling some of the gravy over the sides of the pan. When I washed it, I found out the sauce had removed some of the tarnish. So I had to go to Chef John's site and tell him his Swedish meatballs gravy was also a copper cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Both DH & I have been eating rice with meals almost daily since we were married. I can cook a pan of "real" rice in 10 minutes (unless I'm making risotto). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 18 hours ago, rodentraiser said: You're more ambitious than I am, Holly. I just get the Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag 10 minute rice. I don't eat rice that often. Although if I could figure out what vermicelli is and get it into the rice like in Rice-a-Roni, I might have it way more often. By the way, you guys, I tried making Swedish meatballs in the griddle the other night. It worked out great and the meatballs were to die for, but I ended up spilling some of the gravy over the sides of the pan. When I washed it, I found out the sauce had removed some of the tarnish. So I had to go to Chef John's site and tell him his Swedish meatballs gravy was also a copper cleaner. Interesting, nerver know that about the gravy... Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 18 hours ago, rodentraiser said: You're more ambitious than I am, Holly. I just get the Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag 10 minute rice. I don't eat rice that often. Although if I could figure out what vermicelli is and get it into the rice like in Rice-a-Roni, I might have it way more often. Vermicelli is skinny spaghetti. Break it into small pieces and toast it in one of your new pans, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn, and cook it with the rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 If it's skinny spaghetti, then I have some in my cupboard right now. But when you say 'break it into pieces', I know this is going to sound really dumb, but how? I usually always break my spaghetti in half (I just take it in my fists and break), but I have little pieces of spaghetti flying everywhere. I can't imagine being able to break the spaghetti into half inch pieces and not having a total mess. Is there a secret to this? As you can tell, I'm not very smart about cooking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I can see the pasta flying! lol Try breaking just a few at a time. Or put it in a plastic bag. Put the bag on a pillow of towels and whack away with a hammer. You're creative -- you'll think of something. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Try holding the smaller bunch of pasta close to one end and snap off short bits into bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 4:06:32, KathieB said: I can see the pasta flying! lol Try breaking just a few at a time. Or put it in a plastic bag. Put the bag on a pillow of towels and whack away with a hammer. You're creative -- you'll think of something. :D ROFLMAO Creative. Right! hahaha Holly, been there, done that. For every piece that goes into the bowl, 6 go on the floor....or on the counter, or into the dish drainer, or into my shoes, or...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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