Copper in the Kitchen: This Metal Shines When It Comes to Cooking, ...
[2008-12-23 17:03:34]
Copper in the Kitchen: This Metal Shines When It Comes to Cooking, ...
"I used a lot of copper during my training in France," saidEisenberg, now executive chef at the Swedish Medical Center inSeattle, WA. "And we used a lot of copper cookware at the differentrestaurants I worked at, including Michel Rostang in Paris andChateau D'Artigny in the Loire Valley. I later bought a huge set ofcopper cookware for my own restaurant." That establishment, Relais,was a French restaurant with a Northwest flair in Bothell, WA.
While many American cooks and kitchens have copper cookware , it is often hung on the wall and used for display rather than forcooking. Eisenberg's training taught him a valuable lesson aboutthis cookware's unique attributes beyond its elegance anddurability. The copper cookware he used played an important role inhow meals were prepared.
"Those pots were pretty old but they held up very well," Eisenbergrecalled. "They didn't warp or bend and they kept a nice, flat evenbottom. What's more, the copper conducted heat well and distributedit evenly throughout the pot."
Copper's superior heat-conducting ability is a vital component of high-quality food preparation. Used as anexterior base for pots and pans, copper is preferred byprofessional and knowledgeable amateur chefs alike who understandand value its thermal performance. Quick, uniform heat diffusionacross the bottom and sides of a pot or pan can mean the differencebetween a heavenly sauce and a lumpy paste.
Copper pots are excellent for sautéing and stir-frying, aswell as for preparing difficult dishes such as crepes, and formaking delicate sauces like Béarnaise and hollandaise, whichrequire even heat distribution. With many sauces, if some parts ofthe pot are hot, other parts cool, continual stirring is needed tospread the heat evenly, otherwise the sauces separate or loseflavor. Because of copper's thermal conductivity, chefs can beconfident that this won't happen.
Damon Wise, executive chef of Craft restaurant in Manhattan, saidcopper cookware is a signature concept of his and other Craftrestaurants located throughout the United States.
"We use all-copper cookware for the meat because it heats up fastand offers even heat distribution," Wise explained. "You get abetter sear on the meat and it cooks faster."
Wise added that, aside from being a great conductor of heat, copperproducts are also beneficial as serving dishes. "We use plattersfor large meats, and covered pots for sides and smaller dishes.They keep things warm and are attractive on the table."
Chefs also prefer copper products because of their durability andlongevity. Cookware manufacturers typically use copper for theexterior, where heat is applied, then line the interiors with tinand use non-rusting brass for handles.
Copper cookware is so highly valued that it is frequentlyreconditioned rather than scrapped or recycled. One manufacturer, Hammersmith Corporation of Brooklyn, NY, still hand-makes copper cooking utensils frommolten metal. The company will reline the tin surface of itscookware when it wears down, typically in about 15 years.
Copper is usually lined with another metal -- often tin orstainless steel -- because copper reacts with acidic foods such astomato-based "red" sauces and citrus juice, which can discolor foodand cause intestinal discomfort. Tin is a better heat conductorthan stainless steel, but tin wears out over time and will actuallymelt away when subjected to high temperatures.
On the other hand, unlined copper is perfect for whipping up creamand egg whites and for the candy and confectionary industries thatuse sugary, nonacidic ingredients. Chocolate, caramels, jams andjellies that need to be cooked at precisely controlled temperaturesare traditionally made in copper kettles.
Some copper manufacturers apply a genuine silver lining for"preferential chefs" who insist on the highest quality materialsfor mixing bowls used to make delicate desserts like Italianpastries and zabaglione.
One of the best known, and highest quality, U.S. cookwaremanufacturers is All-Clad Metal Crafters, which offers two versionsof copper cookware. The Cop-R-Chef line of pots, pans and skilletsis clad with a copper exterior, lined with aluminum and has astainless steel heating surface. A second version, Copper-Core,sandwiches a solid copper insert between interior and exteriorlayers of stainless steel to improve heat dispersion.
Today, high-volume cooking operations such as those found in hotelsand institutional cafeterias, along with many budget-conscioushomeowners, may choose aluminum or stainless steel cookware becauseit is less costly and easy to maintain. But copper has an evengreater value that other cookware can't match -- it is naturallyantimicrobial. Research has demonstrated that microbes -- bacteriaor germs -- that come into direct contact with uncoated copper orcertain copper alloys quickly die, often within hours.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)formally acknowledged that copper and some 275 brass and bronzealloys are capable of killing potentially deadly bacteria , including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- theso-called "superbug" MRSA.
Although these antimicrobial properties have less to do withcooking itself, they matter enormously when it comes to foodpreparation and kitchen cleanliness. Studies are underway todetermine just how effective copper surfaces can be in reducingbacteria, and their findings could determine how kitchenenvironments are designed in the future. Companies like FrigoDesign already offer germ-repelling copper facades forrefrigerators, dishwashers and other appliances, as well as coppersheeting for countertops and sink backsplashes.
Modern science may have only rediscovered what people have longknown. In primitive cultures dating back to the ancient Egyptians,copper was reputed to have healing qualities. Even today, copper isused to ward off sickness. Villagers in rural India treat variousailments by drinking water from copper vessels. And many people inmodern societies believe copper amulets and bracelets are anantidote to arthritis and joint discomfort.
So it is not inconceivable that cooks and kitchens everywhere maysomeday go "back to the future" -- and return to using copper inthe kitchen for health as well as culinary benefits.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=865814
http://ca.us.biz.yahoo.com/iw/081103/0448351.html [2008-11-4]
Tag : copper"I used a lot of copper during my training in France," saidEisenberg, now executive chef at the Swedish Medical Center inSeattle, WA. "And we used a lot of copper cookware at the differentrestaurants I worked at, including Michel Rostang in Paris andChateau D'Artigny in the Loire Valley. I later bought a huge set ofcopper cookware for my own restaurant." That establishment, Relais,was a French restaurant with a Northwest flair in Bothell, WA.
While many American cooks and kitchens have copper cookware , it is often hung on the wall and used for display rather than forcooking. Eisenberg's training taught him a valuable lesson aboutthis cookware's unique attributes beyond its elegance anddurability. The copper cookware he used played an important role inhow meals were prepared.
"Those pots were pretty old but they held up very well," Eisenbergrecalled. "They didn't warp or bend and they kept a nice, flat evenbottom. What's more, the copper conducted heat well and distributedit evenly throughout the pot."
Copper's superior heat-conducting ability is a vital component of high-quality food preparation. Used as anexterior base for pots and pans, copper is preferred byprofessional and knowledgeable amateur chefs alike who understandand value its thermal performance. Quick, uniform heat diffusionacross the bottom and sides of a pot or pan can mean the differencebetween a heavenly sauce and a lumpy paste.
Copper pots are excellent for sautéing and stir-frying, aswell as for preparing difficult dishes such as crepes, and formaking delicate sauces like Béarnaise and hollandaise, whichrequire even heat distribution. With many sauces, if some parts ofthe pot are hot, other parts cool, continual stirring is needed tospread the heat evenly, otherwise the sauces separate or loseflavor. Because of copper's thermal conductivity, chefs can beconfident that this won't happen.
Damon Wise, executive chef of Craft restaurant in Manhattan, saidcopper cookware is a signature concept of his and other Craftrestaurants located throughout the United States.
"We use all-copper cookware for the meat because it heats up fastand offers even heat distribution," Wise explained. "You get abetter sear on the meat and it cooks faster."
Wise added that, aside from being a great conductor of heat, copperproducts are also beneficial as serving dishes. "We use plattersfor large meats, and covered pots for sides and smaller dishes.They keep things warm and are attractive on the table."
Chefs also prefer copper products because of their durability andlongevity. Cookware manufacturers typically use copper for theexterior, where heat is applied, then line the interiors with tinand use non-rusting brass for handles.
Copper cookware is so highly valued that it is frequentlyreconditioned rather than scrapped or recycled. One manufacturer, Hammersmith Corporation of Brooklyn, NY, still hand-makes copper cooking utensils frommolten metal. The company will reline the tin surface of itscookware when it wears down, typically in about 15 years.
Copper is usually lined with another metal -- often tin orstainless steel -- because copper reacts with acidic foods such astomato-based "red" sauces and citrus juice, which can discolor foodand cause intestinal discomfort. Tin is a better heat conductorthan stainless steel, but tin wears out over time and will actuallymelt away when subjected to high temperatures.
On the other hand, unlined copper is perfect for whipping up creamand egg whites and for the candy and confectionary industries thatuse sugary, nonacidic ingredients. Chocolate, caramels, jams andjellies that need to be cooked at precisely controlled temperaturesare traditionally made in copper kettles.
Some copper manufacturers apply a genuine silver lining for"preferential chefs" who insist on the highest quality materialsfor mixing bowls used to make delicate desserts like Italianpastries and zabaglione.
One of the best known, and highest quality, U.S. cookwaremanufacturers is All-Clad Metal Crafters, which offers two versionsof copper cookware. The Cop-R-Chef line of pots, pans and skilletsis clad with a copper exterior, lined with aluminum and has astainless steel heating surface. A second version, Copper-Core,sandwiches a solid copper insert between interior and exteriorlayers of stainless steel to improve heat dispersion.
Today, high-volume cooking operations such as those found in hotelsand institutional cafeterias, along with many budget-conscioushomeowners, may choose aluminum or stainless steel cookware becauseit is less costly and easy to maintain. But copper has an evengreater value that other cookware can't match -- it is naturallyantimicrobial. Research has demonstrated that microbes -- bacteriaor germs -- that come into direct contact with uncoated copper orcertain copper alloys quickly die, often within hours.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)formally acknowledged that copper and some 275 brass and bronzealloys are capable of killing potentially deadly bacteria , including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- theso-called "superbug" MRSA.
Although these antimicrobial properties have less to do withcooking itself, they matter enormously when it comes to foodpreparation and kitchen cleanliness. Studies are underway todetermine just how effective copper surfaces can be in reducingbacteria, and their findings could determine how kitchenenvironments are designed in the future. Companies like FrigoDesign already offer germ-repelling copper facades forrefrigerators, dishwashers and other appliances, as well as coppersheeting for countertops and sink backsplashes.
Modern science may have only rediscovered what people have longknown. In primitive cultures dating back to the ancient Egyptians,copper was reputed to have healing qualities. Even today, copper isused to ward off sickness. Villagers in rural India treat variousailments by drinking water from copper vessels. And many people inmodern societies believe copper amulets and bracelets are anantidote to arthritis and joint discomfort.
So it is not inconceivable that cooks and kitchens everywhere maysomeday go "back to the future" -- and return to using copper inthe kitchen for health as well as culinary benefits.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=865814
Source: 沱沱网
Keywords:Industrial Supplies
Related Articles:
