Your CartFrench Country Copper |Tricks of the Trade
If you are a huge fan of copper cookware, and think it’s one of the best ways to decorate your very own French cuisine, you are not alone! Copper is warm, shiny, bright, and reminds us of French country kitchens, and sunny days tasting a soupçon of the chef’s famous soup! French Country Copper – it’s a trick of the trade!
Antique copper pieces look great anywhere in your home, but they seem to look especially at home and amazing in the kitchen. This warm tone metal pairs beautifully with white or dark kitchens. Copper adds instant history, adding warmth, and a classic French country feel.
Copper has a long history, being used as copper cooking vessels by the time the Roman empire came along. Ever since then, copper’s heat conductivity makes it the number one choice of chefs around the world.
Those delicious sauces and soups French chefs have long been famous for whipping up may not have been as good without their copper pans. Who knows? French kitchens are a vision of copper pans organized on a rack beside or above cooktops.
One of our very favorite copper antiques are copper molds. Used in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s to make “jellies” which more often than not actually were things like fish and vegetables in aspic. {So not those delicious fruit and whipped cream beauties most of us dream of when we see these!} Each one was hand made, and has its own personality.
I love this Pommes Anna pan…..love. Did you know? This French Copper Pan is what that delicious buttery golden potato cake known as Pommes Anna is made in. Created in 19th century Paris by chef Adolphe Dugléré, of the Café Anglais, for his favorite customer – the celebrated courtesan Anna Deslions. This pan was imported from France by Mr. Lamalle.
Charles F. Lamalle was the son of charcutiers in Lons-le-Saunier, France. He immigrated to New York City in 1927 at age 22 and opened a kitchenware store with imported Mauviel copper, Sabatier knives, and other French kitchenware way before other gourmet kitchen stores opened. He was quite a character and was very beloved.
The New York Times said “Mr. Lamalle … is to French copper-ware what Tiffany & Company is to diamonds” and “his specialty is triple-gauge copper pots and skillets with thick bronze handles, some of which weigh as much as a young St. Bernard.”
Not just for the kitchen, copper looks wonderful anywhere in your home. It’s versatile, and the dazzling glowing quality of copper adds charm to every room.
Copper is also perfect to add to your entertaining pieces. If you are anything like me, you love everything shiny and copper mixes so beautifully with silver and gold. This hand hammered copper ice bucket holds two bottles of French champagne. It was made by Mauviel, one of France’s premier makers of hand made copper.
It’s not antique, but it’s no longer available, so I snapped it up when I was offered one from a dealer because I know these are always in high demand! Not just for champagne, the size is great for so many things…to put little individual shrimp cocktails on ice for a party, to add a glorious array of blooming plants to for your kitchen island, and more.
Copper is the perfect touch for any home, regardless of it’s style. Old world, contemporary, French country, all of these look fantastic with a few touches of copper! It doesn’t take many pieces to make a beautiful and huge impact.
CLEANING TIP:
Copper will develop a rich patina over time. To keep the exterior looking new, use copper polish or a combination of lemon and salt. Be sure to use a non-abrasive cloth! If you scrub too hard, you can scratch the copper and remove the finish.
You can make your own copper cleaner with lemon juice and salt.
- Squeeze the juice of one lemon in a bowl and then sprinkle salt into the juice. You will want to use 3x as much lemon as salt.
- Stir until the salt dissolves, about one minute.
- Dip a soft cloth into the solution and wipe the copper.
It’s like magic, it will dissolve tarnish!
Secret Bonus Tip.
Mineral Oil. That’s the secret tip of chefs in France. After you clean your copper pans and decorative pieces, a light coat of mineral oil {or baby oil!} helps prevent tarnishing. After cleaning, make sure your piece is completely dry, then put some oil on a soft cloth and wipe the outside.
What I love about antique copper is that even if you never cook, a great French pan can still look fantastic in your kitchen! I do cook, but if I didn’t I would love storing a few cutting boards on my range in this antique French pan. Mr. FGH thinks it’s silly, but I tell him…well, never mind what I tell him. It’s basically to mind his own business, which is the garden, not the decorating. {Sorry, hope you still like me!}
Copper complements other shiny metals beautifully, including your stainless steel appliances. It will add warmth and bring your very own quintessential French kitchen to life! Copper accents look beautiful when decorating for any season.
SHOP COPPER IN OUR FRENCH CUISINE >
ARE YOU A FAN OF COPPER IN YOUR HOME?
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
I learned a lot, Miss Lidy, merci beaucoup!
I do love copper and am collecting bits of it for my kitchen, very slowly. I have a copper beating bowl and a small saucepan, and a small casserole. Also some copper finished canisters and an oil pourer. Thanks for the tip about how to clean them – some pieces are in desperate need of polishing.
Oh gosh, Lidy, I GAVE a beautiful set of pans – already re-tinnned inside to a friend of Connie’s because she was giving us her sofa. Turns out the sofa was very low and not good enough to recover for us. Where was my mind? I don’t know if this friend still has it or is displaying it – but I would LOVE to have it back!!! or even half of the collection! I did cook with these before we moved to France and brought them to San Diego. Gracious, I and think of so many treasures I left behind. I can’t even find anything like a Puces here in San Diego!?
oh my, I know. I think we’ve all given away things before without another thought to be slightly sorry later! I hope that your friend who got the pots still loves them! San Diego has some great antique shops, do you know about Vignettes? Google it, it’s a beautiful shop I think you will adore.
Thank you so much for informative article.
Gosh, I forgot about that one! There was another anitquey store in OB called the OBCorner store. I actually sold several pieces through her store that I didn’t have space for now. She specializes in Annie Sloan paints and I had slip-slapped those pieces. Unfortuantaly, during the pandemic she didn’t bode well there but has since opened a shop further in-land (La Mesa) and says she is doing well. I will put Vignettes on my schedule – thanks!
Copper is so beautiful, not being a good cook hard to justify the cost! Guess I will have to admire it from a far. Love the formula for cleaning nice to use natural ingredients instead of harsh chemicals. Always informative, thanks!
I have two pieces of Mauviel. They have been in the bottom cabinet for about fifteen years because they tarnish so easily. However, as always your tips make such a difference, I will get them out and use the mineral oil when I am done polishing. By the way I just ordered the linens in your last post. You know I really need more linen napkins. LOL.
Beautiful copper!! Thanks for all the tips and tricks!! I have a wonderful set of French copper pots (Mauviel) and fell as though I am constantly cleaning them. I will try using baby oil after cleaning them. I assume the oil won’t burn.