Not difficult at all.
When you know of this secret.
I keep mine handy because I use them everyday but I don't polish them every day.
They are hanging from bicycle hooks.
All you need is CLR (available in every hardware store) Sea Salt, a sponge and gloves.
No need to scrub,
just glide a corner of your CLR soaked sponge over pot, rub on a little salt and let stand for a few minutes.
Wash with soap and water. Dry immediately.
One more pot to go.
Caution: do not let CLR stand on natural stone surfaces.
I use my copper pots every day. Only two days after scrubbing they show scorch marks on the bottom. That is to be expected, especially since I don't have a designated pot scrubber as you might find in a fancy French restaurant kitchen.
Just out of the oven, four loaves of Squash bread.
Have a great remainder of the week dear friends,
Gina
They are hanging from bicycle hooks.
No need to scrub,
just glide a corner of your CLR soaked sponge over pot, rub on a little salt and let stand for a few minutes.
Wash with soap and water. Dry immediately.
Caution: do not let CLR stand on natural stone surfaces.
Have a great remainder of the week dear friends,
Gina
Hi Gina, Love your pot collection. My eyes went immediately to the beautiful canisters on the back of your stove, the red and yellow ones, they are stunning. It's a reaction to one of those beautiful objects that you can feel in your chest when you see them. Are they one of your designs? Here's a tip for you in case you are out of CLR. Vinegar and salt. Yup, that' it. I have a small collection of copper that I've been adding to one at a time over the years. Your kitchen looks cozy and warm in this freezing winter weather. It makes me feel warm just looking at your beautiful pictures. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteHello Darlene, The canisters are from Italy. I purchased them more than forty years ago.
DeleteI have tried many recipes to shine up my copper pots, including vinegar and lemons. I probably wait too long to clean my pots because it takes major scrubbing to get them clean. With CLR it is a breeze.
Your copper pots are shining, your squash breads look delicious and I admire your wonderful tile panel.
ReplyDeleteHello Janneke, Not everyone likes dead birds hanging in their kitchen...it's a European thing. Thank you for your visit.
DeleteDear Gina,
ReplyDeleteyour cooking station is not only very practical, with the oven right next to it, it also looks so very inviting and warm. What a great idea the hooks are! I can smell the wonderful aroma of your warm Squash bread here in Texas, yummy..........
Hugs, Sieglinde
Dear Sieglinde, When checking out at the counter of the hardware store, I noticed the yellow cushioned bicycle hooks. That was 24 years ago, when we built our new house. I thought that those hooks looked much more friendly than those that are especially designed to hold pots.
DeleteThe bread turned out well and is perfect to have handy when friends stop by on these wintry days.
Darlene is so right, your beautiful kitchen is looking so warm and inviting - and I bet smells delicious from the baking. You inspired me to make pumpkin bread and now have 2 loaves in the oven. This will help warm up the cottage too as it's below freezing although mid-afternoon, and tonight will be 16F which is our coldest one this winter!
ReplyDeleteI use Bar Keeper's Friend on the remaining copper-bottomed pans I use - and all my stainless pans and other things. Less caustic than CLR I would think - and I don't like breathing CLR which I was using the tiled walk-in shower which we just had regrouted and sealed. He said to not use CLR - just Palmolive dish soap diluted in a spray bottle to wash down the walls after showering! I'll try it and see if it works.
Stay warm out your way dear.
Mary x
Dear Mary, Oh boy, that is mighty cold for your area. Time to stay inside and enjoy your pretty home. You are right in that CLR is caustic but it does such a quick and thorough job. I clean my pots by an open window and it is over in no time at all. Our water is very heavy with minerals even though we have installed "EasyWater". Some of the milder cleaning liquids just won't do.
DeleteThe wall color behind your stove is wonderful, the copper pots, the tile with a bird that will be prepared, the bread, the canisters, the bike hooks that pick up the yellow in the tile, it's all a visual feast. I don't know anyone who has the aesthetic you have and it's such a gift to just admire it.
ReplyDeleteDear Janet, Oh my goodness. What accolades! I am so pleased that you like my little cooking corner. It is so practical to have everything at hand. My pots never hang there long enough to collect dust. They are used every day.
DeleteDear Gina - what a wonderful collection of copper pots and pans of all descriptions. I have a hankering for a copper bowl to use when beating egg whites etc, I am on the look out for an antique one, but if found will remember your tips.
ReplyDeleteDear Rosemary, Cooking with copper pots is easy. No wonder chefs everywhere prefer using them. I have heard that a copper bowl is preferred for beating eggs. I hope that you find your antique bowl. If I had only one piece of copper I would probably go back to just using a half of lemon and sea salt. It is less caustic but takes a little more elbow grease. The results are the same. Happy hunting.
DeleteGina, this post is filled with both beautiful images and helpful information! What a lovely kitchen you have...and clearly, you also enjoy using all that fine equipment. The bicycle hooks are a brilliant idea, in a harmonious color for your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteNo copper pans here, but perhaps one of these days.... I'll remember the polishing tips I've learned here. I do have some some loaf pans like yours, that I once used way, way back in my bread baking years, and now occasionally used to bake pound cakes. Maybe these vintage "friends" will find some more usage in 2016.
Thank you for planting some inspiring seeds. xo
Dear Frances, I have had my copper pans for a very long time. They are better than anything you can buy. They never burn the food. I like those which are steel lined. Every once in a while you will find a good copper pan at a flea market or a second hand store. It's fun to have a goal when shopping. Once you start looking for them they seem to appear everywhere.
DeletePound cake is one of my favorite deserts.
Thanks again Gina, for sharing this additional inspiration. My eyes will be open! xo
DeleteGood luck in your search.
DeleteDear Gina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tip — I inherited a copper casserole from my mother, and it's languishing in a cupboard, so you've inspired me to treat it to a bath. The bicycle hooks are inspired — they look great! And I hope it's not too late to wish you a happy, new year. — Mark
Hello, Hello, Hello dear Mark. It is never too late to wish us a Happy New Year. I am so pleased to hear from you. We truly miss you. I'm hoping and wishing that you are having a good beginning of 2016.
DeleteWhat I really like about the bicycle hooks is that they are coated with a soft plastic.They do not look nearly so sinister as the metal hooks.
Take care and have a very happy and prosperous New Year.
Thanks so much for tipping me off to CLR. I need to find it now. I usually use Barkeepers' Friend, but of course, you can't use any of that stuff on the inside of a hand-tinned pot. One of mine is going to have to be redone, and I have been looking for somewhere closer to Alabama than New England to get it done. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteHello Scribbler, My pots are lined with steel. I used to have a couple of very expensive soup pots, made in Italy, that lost most of their tin lining and in a very short time. I decided not to ever use them so I am sorry, but I do not know where one would go to have them re-lined.
DeleteWhat great tips! I am in love with our beautiful pots, they look stunning just hanging above the stove. Thanks so much for linking up at the Table It Link party and I hope you got some good traffic from it and found some new friends too.
ReplyDeleteXo,
Christine
Hello Christine, Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. I am pleased that you liked my post. The copper pots get lots of use in my kitchen and having them hanging nearby makes it all very practical.
DeleteAmazing! Thanks for the information. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteHello Valerie, It really works, give it a go. Thank you for your visit.
Delete