Watch A Former Rocket Scientist Make Top-Notch Copper Cookware
Copper conducts electricity and heat faster than steel, aluminum, and most other materials. That’s why copper pots and pans are among the best you can buy: they respond quickly to temperature changes, making it easy to go from a rolling boil to a gentle simmer in seconds. But how is copper cookware made? Former aerospace engineer Jim Hamann shows you all the little details.
Hamann has been handcrafting copper cookware for more than 15 years. He makes his Duparquet line of cookware by first cutting a large disc of copper and trimming it on a lathe. Most of the disc becomes the bottom of the pan. To form the sides, he fits the disk onto a form on the lathe then manually bends the copper around the form using levers as the disk spins. Steady, even pressure is the key to straight sides, since the more that copper is worked, the stiffer it becomes. Next, holes are drilled into the side to attach a cast-iron handle with copper rivets, which are heat-softened then hand hammered into place. Hamann lines the interior with tin by melting the tin then evenly spread it by hand. After a final polish, the pans are ready for cooking up anything you can imagine. Watch Hamann demonstrate and discuss the process in this fascinating YouTube video.
