What You Should Know About Using Antique Copper Cookware with Rajiv Surendra

[@pwp8737]

I always admired copper cookware, but winced at the cost. During the pandemic an elderly neighbor died and her son came to clean out his mother's apartment. He placed about a dozen copper pots and pans and almost as many of the flat disc lids in the garbage room. I asked if he was throwing them away and he said take them. My heart fluttered; these were mostly Mauviel, 2.5 -3.0 mm thick with excellent tinning. I will treasure them for the rest of my life, and they will surely outlive me.

[@Padraigp]

Oh my goodness what a boon! I got one copper pot for 80 dollars but its a huge jam pot. I adore it. I rarely see anything even for sale.

[@sherylboyle939]

You lucky woman! Well, actually, his mother sent you there to get those copper pans knowing how much you would cherish them!

[@DobleWhiteAndStanley]

As they outlived their previous owner.

[@celinefederici6951]

I was so excited to watch your visit to East Coast Tinning. I am a native New Yorker now living on Cape Cod, but I bought several copper pots and pans at Zabars back in the 1980's. Now it is 40yrs later and some of my copper pots needed to be retinned. Turns out Jim is the only one on the east coast who does this. Since it would have cost a few hundred dollars to mail all the pots to him, my friend and I decided to go to RI. Jim was great on the phone and we were really looking forward to meeting him. We had the great good pleasure of spending over an hour with him and seeing his collection and stories about them...including that Frenchchefs and establishments would have the name or initials stamped on their pans. I laughed when I saw the unmarked door again. Jim was even nice enough to come down and help us w all my copperware. That was about 2yrs ago, and mine is already grey and dingy on the inside and I rarely polish them.Usually it is the acid from lemon that grays them. I love using my copper pans, they heat very quickly and you can keep them on a low flame and they will cook so evenly...you really don't need high heat at all. Another great thing is that they are 99% not stick and if something should stick, just soak no need for anything harsh and best not to use it anyway as Jim said. Tin lined copper are very expensive if bought new, but if you can afford them, they are worth every penny...easy to cook with, clean and the food does taste better! Sorry to go on but Jim is the best and so is copper cookware. Thanks Rajiv for creating this video.

[@steftrujillo4168]

Great video. I learned so much. I was told cooking with copper is best cooking because of the heat conductivity. Thank you again for the enlightenment on this subject

[@lynitakin2742]

Great info. Thank you.

[@magorzatasanchez736]

Rajiv you’re really great at bringing meaning and depth into daily life. In our rushed and distracted world in which we rarely stop to hear our own heartbeat or that of others, may we all notice how we boil our water. I can’t WAIT to get a lovely kettle!!!

[@lmacdonald1281]

Now that’s a Coppersmith who needs his own show… very wow

[@jambonzurirafiki]

Hi Rajif, I am writing in response to your comment about encouraging us to invest in items that are well made. I am in England and I have just started a horticulture course and I need some steel toecap work boots for this. Thanks to your video about the shoe maker in Italy, I had the idea to find a family business in England that hand make traditional English boots, such as work boots. I found one who have been doing for four generations. I have made an appointment to visit them next week to try on two sizes to work out which size will suit me best before they make them. Yesterday I booked a train ticket to visit their workshop in the countryside in Derbyshire which is in a traditional slate barn in a village. This in an area where historically manufactured for mining. In addition to the fitting they are going to take me around the workshop to see how the boots are made. They take 20 weeks to make the boots.I would never thought of doing so before. Oh, and the safety boots they make are really well priced too !

[@notnow7973]

Very cool

[@kareharpies]

Can you tell me the name of the family business pls?

[@Padraigp]

@jambonzurirafiki just a warning many hand made in Italy shoes are actually made in Bangladesh by children. Sorry to tell you this also hand made in England too. Just watched a documentary about it. But if you have found a good one that's great. Just not all are what they seem so be careful. I was going to get my son some bespoke hand made shoes because of his odd feet shapes but it will be 1500 euros. And it just seems too much right now. But would be worth it because you can fix them for ever and have them for your whole life.

[@Earthy-Artist]

Hi friend, he spells it 'Rajiv'.

[@susanaaragorn8606]

My God! That is too expensive. ​@@Padraigp

[@glass-yuzu]

Rajiv you are such a respectful listener; I always see you maintaining eye contact and making sure the person you are listening to knows you are paying attention. It's a rare skill, and you've inspired me. I'm usually a very nervous person, but I have been trying, inspired by you !

[@moredinero]

I've entered the comments section specifically to point that out. The presence of Rajiv in whatever is happening around him, especially dialogue-wise here, is something you don't see often anymore.

[@Lacoux]

So glad to have discovered Jim's workshop. I'm going to be telling my mother and anyone else I know who needs their pieces retinned.

[@user-wi6pr5yz7q]

❤. I have a set of cooking utensils I bought 48 years ago when I was planning to get married. I have use every day for the last 45 years and I told my kids they have to keep them and use them after I'm gone and remember all the times mama used the to feed family and friends. I value those more than some of my jewelry. I totally understand your feelings about things made to last.

[@antoinettepresdee6148]

👌🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🦘🇦🇺🐨

[@cltinturkey]

I lived in Turkey for five years. There are multiple places to get your copper retinned there. They are great craftsmen, and I had several pieces done there.

[@katrussell6819]

I have an old copper bowl with hardly an tin still on it. I use it for decor, not food. It may be from Turkey. It is lovely.

[@cltinturkey]

@@katrussell6819 They are wonderful crafts men and women. It's a great place to find treasures. I'm glad you enjoy yours.

[@lisztomaniac5710]

Thank you Rajiv for a very enjoyable video story. It was 10 years ago that I found an old, French, solid copper stockpot at Goodwill. It was quite an inexpensive find but I knew something was terribly wrong with its badly discolored interior. Afterward I learned how copper cookware is lined with tin and mine certainly no longer was. At that point I had no idea what to do about my pot's interior condition. I was at a loss and wondered if I would ever be able to use it. 10 years later, I finally discovered a place where I could have it retinned! For those out here in the west, Rocky Mountain Retinning Co. in Denver is a godsend. They have a website and the owner/retinner is a wonderful person. Brought back to life, the stockpot is like a work of art. Just another one of those origin stories your guest mentioned that so often accompanies copper pots.

[@katrussell6819]

Years ago I bought some old copper pans that badly needed re-tinning. I looked for two years and could not find a way to have them repaired. Finally I recycled them. My heart was broken and this video makes me sad again. So glad that Jim is doing this work, now.

[@susanwatson1599]

I've always wondered about using copper cookware and how to maintain it. Now I know. Thank you for sharing another fascinating video.

[@mursepurse]

I'm impressed at how you can recite Yates from memory

[@sharonmyers7016]

Now I realize why my Revere Ware has a copper bottom, to evenly distribute heat. I know it's nothing like the copper pans you showcased in this video, but when I take the time to clean the copper bottoms it makes me feel rich and content. This was a very enlightening video. Thanks for sharing another one of your passions!

[@dc_rocker]

I love my Revere Ware pots and pans. Some belonged to my great-grandparents and others were wedding gifts to my parents. They're still going strong, beautiful, and relatively easy to care for.

[@sarahp1383]

Loved this video because it's all about copper and it's care...a subjectv closest to my heart. It brought back childhood hood memories of Bombay, when I used to watch with fascination, a certain tin smith making his rounds from house to house , in our neighbourhood, , to coat those copper and brass vessels whose tin plating had long gone. Then he would get down to business setting up the tools of his trade beside the pavement. He would take out some coal from a knap sack, gouge a hollow in the soft earth, and with a pair of hand held bellows , he would get the fire going. Next strips of tin were taken out from another satchel and the process of tin plating would begin . All very primitive, but fascinating to watch nevertheless. After each vessel was coated evenly with tin, he would slosh some water on the red hot vessels. A hiss would follow and soon a cloud of steam would be released. Part of the magic. The beloved tin smith has long vanished but his memory remains . Thank you for this lovely video. It was an education by itself listening to Mr. Jim Hamann explain the process of tin plating and the proper care of copperware in great detail. It was very engrossing. Thank you Rajiv and Mr Hamann ❤

[@SusanGeyer-l4k]

I wish , I wish , I had a little house With a mat for the cat and a holey for the mouse A clock going tock in the corner of the room And a cupboard and a kettle and a big birch broom.❤

[@Earthy-Artist]

Here is the rest of that poem I was able to find, it's called 'The Shiny Little House' by Nancy M. Hayes, To school in the morning the children off would run, And I'd give them a kiss and a penny and a bun, But directly they had gone from this little house of mine, I'd clap my hands and snatch a cloth, and shine, shine, shine. I'd shine all the knives, all the windows, and the floors, All the grates, all the plates, all the handles on the doors, Every fork, every spoon, every lid, and every tin, Till everything was shining like a new bright pin. At night, by the fire, when the children were in bed, I'd sit and I'd knit, with a cap upon my head, And the kettles and the saucepans they would shine, shine, shine, In this tweeny little, cosy little house of mine!

[@SusanGeyer-l4k]

@Earthy-Artist How on earth can I say thankyou for the rest of the poem... my mother used to recite it.

[@Earthy-Artist]

@@SusanGeyer-l4k Your welcome 😊, It's a great poem, and it seems to describe Rajiv quite a bit!

[@SusanGeyer-l4k]

@Earthy-Artist exactly

[@ceegee1070]

@@Earthy-Artist Thank you, I love this!

[@jayejohnson5257]

Hi Rajiv, thank you for this video. I recently thrifted a copper sauce pan $15 made in Italy. I have a collection of 11 pieces in my kitchen that are all thrifted. Since a young girl I've had a love for copper.

[@allonesame6467]

Rajiv, you are so connected with all the energies of Mother Earth. Blessings.

[@IWMIL]

Jim definitely knows his stuff, love the video.

[@indie825]

This type of video are my all time favorite to watch. Love learning how to fix an old piece of that were. Thank you Rajiv and Jim for taking the time to make this video for us to watch.

[@naliniganguly649]

This brings tears to my eyes, as kids growing up in India we watched a guy with a little basket on his head carrying all his tinning paraphernalia and walking on foot to tin coat brass and copper pots and pans which needed to be redone every once in a while. Those days no one used steel or any other kind of cookware. He did it for a few rupees and the cookware was good to use for a long time. Now this talent is hard to find even in India , virtually nonexistent. In the interim people adopted aluminum and coated cookware to our own detriment. What followed is the rise of cancer , it will take youngsters like Rajiv to educate people so bless these guys.

[@novaricos]

Thank you Rajiv, now I can get my mom's copper pots and pans made safe to use again! She got them when she was inspired by Julia Child's French Chef cooking show on ch 2 TV back in the 60s and loved them for years. They wore down so they needed to be re-tinnned, but I had no idea that there was a business like this around. I'm in Massachusetts, so it's great that they are just in Rhode Island, a 'hop, skip and a jump' away! love the reminder of Yeat's poem too, about the peace that enters your heart when the kettle is singing on the hob, a very hospitable sound. Thanks again. I'm so glad to have found your channel popping up in my youtube recommendations, and I promptly liked and subscribed. 😇

[@Palatinata]

🫖dear Rajiv🤗, thank you so much for taking us with you to East Coast Tinning and your beautiful poem💝🫖

[@MillicentMurph]

Rajiv this was such an interesting and enlightening video. I never knew anything about tinning. Whenever I watch your videos I learn soooo much!!! The copper pots are beautiful.

[@jojo-tl5ei]

Your content is so unique and valuable. Thank you for supporting artisans and craftspeople. Loved his expression "A niche of a niche."

[@cynthiaallyne]

I am so glad you did this interview! I adore vintage copper. I hope sometimes soon your next video is on coffee.

[@lifeisabeach888]

I learnt so much about copper cookware from your show. Thank you, Rajiv! Thanks also to Jim for sharing his knowledge.

[@chrissy817]

Another fascinating video! Thank you Rajiv!! 😍

[@ilnpa2722]

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!! Just when it started to get good… I like learning but I love shopping! It’s no very nice that you teased about shopping for a kettle and NOT taking us along. I hope you have a future video of Jim’s shop coming soon.😅😊😅 Thank you for sharing such interesting content❤❤❤

[@joannathesinger770]

I have a series of direct ancestors from Bavaria that were coppersmiths from about 1400-1500...and one who was a silversmith. It is said that we carry a remembrance of our ancestors at a cellular level. I have taken art metal classes at our local community college and have hammered my own small corrugated copper bowl as well as a number of silver jewelry pieces, so as I was watching this, it resonated with me that these copper things were made to be used for several lifetimes. You've now awakened in me a desire to start my own collection of copper cookware.

[@cjtzioumis686]

Absolutely wonderful, beautiful video. Love your approach to life.

[@jainthorne4136]

Lovely! I wasn’t expecting a video this morning so this is a delightful surprise! 💕

[@tonirudder5398]

Rajiv I so much appreciate videos such as this featuring the crafts that are still around. You inspire me sick much. And I think the same way as you I love beautiful things in my home even if they're the mundane items. THANK YOU MORE PLEASE

[@susandorward2293]

Everytime I walk by my French copper jam pan hanging on the wall waiting for me, makes me smile!

[@ruthfearnide-l9q]

Thank youfor the youtunes you make I just watched one from 14 Oct 2023 it is so nice to hear you talk about your kettle! I think Im trying to say When I saw it I got a surprise because my Aunt gave me one very similar that her grand father brought with him from England. Its very tarnished. It is nice to see another one looking so lovely, and find out a little bit about this antique kettle as well.

[@ot7stan207]

Rajiv is such a treasure!

[@yoli5779]

What an art Jim and the rest of the team at East Coast Tinning are doing, I'm very, very fascinated. I love all that you said about the aesthetic value of things and I have always felt this way my whole life, thank you Rajiv for putting into words what I have always innately felt in this lifetime.

[@Earthy-Artist]

A BIG GIANT THANKYOU Rajiv! You asked excellent questions and received expert answers regarding how to know, and how to test, when when a piece of copper is in need of re tinning! I couldn't find any real conclusive answers anywhere online after having searched for quite awhile. Thank you for sharing this talented artisan craftsman Jim Hamann with us! I will not hesitate to trust him with my copper if it needs re tinning! P.S. I've been crazy busy all summer I'm looking forward to relaxing and catching up on your wonderful videos over the winter Rajiv!

[@latinaartista36]

As you shared your love and philosophy on antiques it melts my heart and I could see his expression change as you spoke. You are so lovable and you bond with kindred spirits wherever you go.

[@zero-gravity]

Very interesting video. We have some copper pans and pots at home from my grandmother. Great to know how I can use them safely after some maintenance.

[@McKenzieIdeality]

Im so glad you shared this! I have the exact same kettle as you Rajiv, and the inside so desperately needs some love - I had no idea where to begin to restore it to it's former glory. This was some very needed copper education♡

[@cheryldale4836]

Jim retinned my pot a couple of years ago. He is the best!!

[@rebecanelson207]

This is a great episode. The copper pan is a thing of beauty that conducts heat the best--a true work of art. So, one has to be careful with it. A thing of beauty is fragile but strong--it isn't disposable.

[@jillbeans1573]

Thanks for this introduction. I love my big tin washed copper pan. It is not only beautiful, but it is so responsive.

[@TheriStarling]

This was so helpful! There's so much conflicting information online but now I feel more comfortable using the antique copper pot I found (only $4!) for a while longer before re-tinning it!

[@claudiamann7111]

Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous business. Love the story of how it was started. I never knew all these things about copper and tin.

[@raeechil]

I was just looking at antique copper cookware on Facebook marketplace wondering how people find anything that’s useable. A much needed video, thank you!

[@keepscats7936]

I love the pots and pans I've acquired over the last 50 years. Most are copper. Each was purchased for a particular type of task. It's a little extra work to polish the copper, but I don't put any of my cookware in the dishwasher, so it's not a big deal. I actually find polishing copper and silverware rather soothing. I don't really "need" another pan, but I've been considering one of Jim's little egg pan for quite some time.

[@celiad6012]

The copper ware looks so warm and beautiful, but takes so much TLC that not many people can be bothered with it these days. All the better for collectors!

[@martifinan998]

What great ideas for souvenir shopping. I'd add thrift shops. Your paintings are honestly beautiful; full of contrast but so marvelously subtle - nice tension. You're such a talented and hard working painter. Thanks for being a great mentor, too!

[@mpalmer8449]

Thank you for this, I need the man in my life! I have a lot of copper pans etc, collection. A couple need retinning... Also some day I want to sell this wonderful collection because I am cooking less only because I am getting older. But Thank You. I will be in contact with Jim.... 🤗

[@daisylee298]

Rajiv Rajiv Rajiv it always seems like your inside my head. I refused to throw out my cooper kettle, now I know why - I have to get it re-tinned. Thank you- I just checked directions to RI, I’ll have to make a day of it - so it’s in my future plans ❤

[@joseguimaraes1094]

Each time I see and listen to you, each and every time I'm learning. Thank you, Rajiv. Have a great weekend.

[@mariaSubak]

Very informative. Great video.

[@marthamiriam8983]

I need to rewatch this video again so much information! I was trying to get ready for work and listen at the same time. This deserves my undivided attention! I didn’t even think to google “re-tin my cooper pots” honestly did not know it was still being done. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS AWESOME INFORMATION.

[@sydneygrell7737]

Feeling a lot of love for this duo

[@debbiehopkins2245]

Thank you for this information on copper pans. True I know that my mother had given me many copper pans to hang on the wall a very long time ago and hang to this day 50 years later. I love them so but never have used them because I didn't really know if I could and how to care for them. With this information I will look at them as useful too. I really enjoy so many things I have collected over the years that are well before my years on earth and would have been happy to have lived so long ago. My one love is my 1928 Model A that with a friend put it back together. It is like a friend that will live past my life too. Thanks

[@rachelkruitbosch3156]

Thank you for such an informative, beautiful, inspiring tour! I definitely am so intrigued that I must buy myself an antique copper pot! Much love Rajiv! ❤

[@feliciad.hutchins4507]

❤❤❤Thanks for lending opportunity for path to sophistication and practicality ❤❤❤

[@angelagrimes8237]

I love this. I got a copper mould whilst in England and it needs retinning. So this is fabulous info

[@daisyfieldparrks9320]

Great video. So true that people made things to LAST whereas, today, they make them to break so they can make more money (at least some people still do). Thanks for this information.

[@jcrane45585]

The video I've been waiting for

[@mycreativelife-renee6315]

So crazy weird to turn on this video. My art studio is a door down from these guys. I wondered what happened behind that door! lol. Small world! Thanks for this great information. I’ve wondered about tin and copper pans for a while. I’ve always loved the look but was always unsure about cooking in them.

[@JC-qh7ze]

Hi Rajiv! I would love to learn more from you about different kids of wool and how to care for them! Which ones are itchy, which ones pill, etc.

[@MaryEllenBlack-l5n]

While function has to comes first for me, beauty in practicality is what I strive for. To have pleasure in something I use everyday is part of the ritual and the joy in daily living. Thank you Rajiv.

[@JuliaKhan-ps3fp]

I so understand quality and truly love what you see and use every day of your lifes. I truly ❤ loved this video.

[@mysteriousu5528]

That's awesome. Thank you Jim for this wonderful video. Did I miss the part of how to wash and after wash care of copper utensils? To be honest, I don't have a single copper utensil😢. I have All Clad and couple of Italian and French stainless steel cookware, cast irons, enameled Staub(my fav) and Le Creuset. In India, we have drip coffee filter made of copper, water jug(sombu) made of copper or pure silver. We use copper plates for "Arti and Aradhana"(for ceremonial worship of God) and silver plates to eat. How well it can hold for Indian cooking, God only knows😂. I am going to look for it and make sambar(lentil soup) in it and put it to ultimate test🤣🤣🤣. Thank you Rajiv for this educational video❤

[@VEE-rd7cu]

Excellent video... I've always wondered about copper vs iron vs stainless steel (all clad) which is the most healthy for our bodies (since our food supply has been corrupted)? Ooh, what a gorgeous kettle 😍

[@Invisableme39]

Thank you so much. I just went through the little copper I had, and tossed it out in the recycling. I learned a lot today on this.

[@paulalogue976]

Ok so now I will be on the lookout for copper pans when I visit Brimfield next year. Great video!

[@alro11]

THIS WAS AWESOME! thanks for doing this Rajiv! heading to the website now!

[@susannaeknes3566]

Always so wonderful to see such great way to share beauty and knowledge.

[@Vieweratlarge]

Loved this Rajiv. But honestly it would be so great to help us understand how this gentleman achieves the lustrous shine on the copper. Many of us are nervous to polish our copper. Help us!

[@NyttanGnistan-bd6gc]

Looooove this Rajiv ❤ Love everything you do! ❤️

[@incantations446]

23:39 Hahahaha! I use cloth napkins but I don’t iron them. I wash them at the same time as my other whites. It has been simple for us to use and I am not paying $500/year for paper towels. I’ve had the same cloth napkins for several years.

[@ladylocust1118]

I found my two copper pots for $10 at a thrift store 😲 I love them. My kettle might have been a little bit more than that 😉 Thanks for sharing.

[@silviablue9889]

Such a beautiful video thank you for the recitation as well .

[@vivian9803]

Too fussy for my minimalist lifestyle but I do appreciate the beauty of these copper items. Informative video.

[@Pocketfarmer1]

I’ve had a couple of things retinned by east coast. They are great.

[@anticapitalisthomedesign]

I found a saucepan at an antique store for $20 that had very clearly just been re-tinned, and I use it for my oatmeal every morning in the winter. I got a wooden spoon to use just with that pan!

[@powersandassoentdorothya8981]

❤ love it Thank YOU and Yes We have a couple of pieces but I love the idea of having a kettle 🌹 peace and blessings stay encouraged and encouraging be good to yourself 🙏💜🕯️

[@KenAmro]

Super useful. Thank you

[@sparklingfay]

So interesting! Thank you both! 🤗 I also like things produced for long lasting.❤

[@ranji8084]

Great job Jim and Rajiv. Another great informative video. 👍

[@tomandlisamckibbin3761]

Thank you for posting such informative and fascinating videos Rajiv.

[@rajivsurendra]

Thanks for watching!

[@ruthiezophia7118]

I have oatmeal for breakfast. It would be special just to cook it in something pretty. It would probably make it taste better also😊

[@DobleWhiteAndStanley]

I'm learning how to make copper cookware the old hammered method. So far its been a lot of fun. I suck at tinning. Getting better though.

[@goodpeople5676]

Hi Rajiv , after watching this video I have to subscribe you dear .you provide lovely information in each video in a very unique way. Enjoy With love from SAM Guwahati, Assam, India 🇮🇳 ♥️

[@carolequesnel9783]

Loved this episode !

[@Tiffany-s.pace247]

loved this :) thanks for sharing

[@JuliaKhan-ps3fp]

Outstanding❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ErikaRivertree]

PLEASE share a link for where you got your tea kettle! I must have one! 😀

[@borge2014]

How do they re-tin the spout in the kettle...I can imagine them doing the flat exposed surfaces on a pan, but that's a tiny enclosed area in the kettle to get access to, I guess is the art of it and dexterity or maybe it is a secret. This was such a good video, thank Rajiv!

[@judihopewell2499]

Loved this piece. Wish you had told us about cleaning the copper outside as i struggle with keeping them nice in gas….

[@delphinedumas7272]

Very interesting video !

[@helenm3133]

I appreciate your videos so much. Did he touch on how to clean the pots and I missed it? I would like to know the best products to use. Thanks.

[@Diana-yj2ko]

Fascinating! Thanks.

[@bernicehoggsfav]

This is SO interesting!!!

[@KristinaDAF]

Thank you for taking us along with you to meet these knowledgeable craftspeople! It’s fun to watch you look as delighted as I feel to be able to learn from them.

[@GinaStanyerBooks]

Wow, this was so interesting.