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My dream set of French copper cooking pots: Matfer 915901 8 Piece Bourgeat Copper Cookware Set

Nothing says French country like a gleaming set of genuine French copper cooking pots. Its a timeless look that sets the tone and adds a true touch of class to your kitchen. If you have a blue and white provencal style kitchen the warm glow of the copper adds a warming touch, but more than just decorative, authentic copper French cookware is meant to be used, ideally over a real flame, it's the all time favorite of gourmet chefs.

Antique Copper Cooking Pots in Monet's Kitchen

While my blue and white kitchen was nearing completion, I began looking for a genuine set of real French copper cookware. the first place I started was at ebay.fr, the French version of eBay. There I found a selection of vintage and used copper sets that would be great if I just wanted them for decoration purposes only - you will find a selection of old used copper pots there if you don''t mind the high shipping charges and using Google Translate to communicate if your French language skills are not up to the task. But know that used vintage copper cooking pots should be considered for decoration purposes only.

Anyway, I wanted to be able to use my copper pots for cooking so when I did a bit more research on the usage of copper pots for cooking I discovered that the old vintage copper sets can be problematic if the lining has grown thin over the years making them unsafe for food use. So if you are considering buying vintage French cooking pots, think of them as decor only. If, like me, you want to use them for cooking then a new set is definitely the way to go.

To my surprise, I actually found my dream set of French copper pots on Amazon:

The Matfer 915901 8 Piece Bourgeat Copper Cookware Set more than fitted my requirements - see picture above. I consider them the ultimate in kitchen luxury not to mention the glowing feedback from other users.

The set consists of:

1. Casserole 9 1/2’’, 5 3/4 qts. #367024
2. Copper lid 9 1/2" #365024
3. Copper sauce pan 7 1/8", 2 5/8 qts. #360018
4. Copper lid 7 1/8" #365018
5. Copper flared saute pan 9 1/2", 2 3/4 qts. #373024
6. Copper lid 9 1/2" #365024
7. Copper Brazier 11", 5 1/4 qts. #374028
8. Copper lid 11" #365028

Features include:

1. 2-1/2mm pure red copper sandwiched to 1/10mm of 18/10 Polished stainless, Bourgeat polishes their copper on both the inside and outside. A polished interior means less sticking.
2. Drip-proof rims to prevent sauce from running down the side of the pan.
3. Drop-in lids that fit well.
4. Counter balanced cast iron handles with extra heavy rivets.
5. Made of copper, with stainless steel lining

I was inspired by the impressive display of copper cooking pots I had seen in Monet's kitchen in Giverny. There were the actual cooking pots used by Monet's own cook. Monet loved the best of locally grown vegetables and foods and he kept a well tended kitchen garden away from the house at the end of the village. Once a week Monet personally chose the vegetables for his stock pot that was kept continually on the go for the rest of the week as the mainstay of meals throughout the week to feed his large blended family. Copper pots and fish kettles and a variety of copper cookware in all sizes are still today lined up along the walls of his kitchen which can be visited as part of the tour of Monet's house and garden in Giverny, France.
There you can see and appreciate the quality and importance of the cooking pots, and can't help but feel that cooking was a central activity of the household. Monet loved to entertain and nothing was spared to make his guests feel welcome at the table.

The copper pots in Monet's house are the typical French copper pot with the black forged iron handle and this is the type I was looking for. The Matfer 915901 8 Piece Bourgeat Copper Cookware Set set I found on Amazon is not cheap, there are alternative Mauviel copper cookware
sets at a range of prices that can be purchased individually to collect over time, or as a set.
Genuine copper cookware needs to be cleaned with care, without abrasives and should not go in the dishwasher, copper will develop a patina over time so unless you like the vintage look, you will be glad to know that it is possible to keep it gleaming brightly, there is a highly regarded product, Mauviel Copperbrill Copper Cleaner that is very handy for cleaning copper pots and pans, it is from the same company that makes Mauviel copper cookware. There are also traditional methods of cleaning copper which I am investigating.

More about Monet's House at http://giverny-impression.com