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My husband and I scour e-bay and European markets for copper pots and pans and, because they are often bashed up, we get them beaten out and re-tinned by a lovely man at Sherwood Tinning. We recently picked up a set of three pots in France and had them re-tinned. They are the best quality yet, with a beautiful hammered finish and quite a thick gauge. See the difference between one of our standard pots and the beautiful hammered one in the pictures below. I can't say that they cook any better than any other sort of pot but I love the look and they bring me joy every time I pick one up.

I use All-Clad Copper Clad (a discontinued line) and Bourgeat almost exclusively or when I don't, I am using cast iron. All the copperware has stainless steel liners, except for one Irish skillet which has a nickel lining. I checked out tin lined but quickly determined its inherent limitations were not for me. Nor were Mauviel copperware, at least those made at the time I was buying. The All-Clad has stainless steel handles, which stay cool. The various Bourgeat have cast iron handles, which do not stay cool. Bourgeat is what I use when temperature control is critical as it has a thicker copper layer; the All-Clad for day-to-day. However, Bourgeat copperware is incredibly heavy so just be prepared if you go that direction. Brass handles are a good way to go to the emergency department for burn care /s. My cookware is "vintage", I bought most of it 30+years ago and still use it daily. Copper does require cleaning, but so do many things. I find a great deal of satisfaction in using high quality tools, whether cookware, KKs, woodworking and hand tools, and glassware. YMMV, as TonyB often says.

Built this box to hold our Royal Rummy game. Maple body, eucalyptus and red heart splines.

@Basher you have to admit that was not just any old "stainless steel welder". He did an awesome job. Are you any closer to getting home and being able to use all your toys yet?

Where are you David? I found a stainless steel welder and had one made. Really happy with the end result, mates bought it for my 50th birthday. It cost about $2k aus Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i passed at the opportunity to buy copperware for cheap at place seffarine in fes. my wife berated me for it because i told her we would go over our luggage limit. never tell your partner about luggage limits when traveling. 😂 i didn't know "goose" was a gastronome.

So about 10 or more years ago I picked us a set of Demeyere SS cookware which is produced in Belgium. I love the styling and function of this cookware, my only complaint is this stuff, especially the frying pans are very heavy. Within the past year or so I picked up a couple of Vermicular frying pans. These are highly engineered Japanese light weight cast iron frying pans with a non-stick technology. I absolutely love these pans. Good luck in your search Braindoc! Paul

We are quickly approaching hunting season here in North America. For those of you who hunt whitetail deer, how do you cook venison on the KK? Any recipes, tips, tricks, etc. would be much appreciated.

Never say never @tony b. The fermenting hole is deep and rewarding. @Syzygies, I have been meaning to ask you about vinegars. Do you have any go-to recipes for the vinegars that you make? I have tried to make some fruit vinegars and the jury is out on whether I have made a nice vinegar or something that leads you to screw up your face and say that tastes vinegary in a way that is not complimentary. I have seen the "mother" floating on vinegars but I produced a weird gel like substance when I made a cider vinegar based shrub recently. Have you ever seen anything that looks like the creature in the picture below?

Ok, here's some serious trivia for the really old timers here: I gave away my copper cookware to "Kim" of "David and Kim", whom I met at a 2003 Kamado cookoff in Sacramento. My french cooking teacher had many copper pots. I mainly winced at the hours spent polishing, but hey, he was in the trade and cooking is part theater. He died a year ago but his web site lives on; yes that's Anthony Edwards the actor in the classes photo. He sold all his copper to help fund his retirement; I visited him regularly in rural PA for good food and conversations: La Cuisine Sans Peur In my experience copper does conduct better but the properties of the cooking surface dominate. My favorite pans are actually carbon steel with the heft of cast iron: Spring USA Blackline pans though this is a burgeoning category since I bought three, and other brands have a more practical shape now. After falling in love with Dominique Crenn through her memoir, I noticed that her restaurant is brimming with Mauviel stainless steel pans. A practical choice, easier to care for than copper but functionally rather similar in use. I now have a few Mauviel pans which I love. My favorite is a 6.3" curved splayed saute pan with lid (for making sauces or any equivalent activity such as the tempering step in Indian cooking) that doesn't show anymore on the US web site: M'COOK Curved Splayed Sautepan 7.9 In