Okay to use this pot, do you think?

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peachstone

Member
Jun 12, 2016
12
0
Oxfordshire
Hi all, I bought this pot the other day from a second hand shop (£12). After looking it up, I think it's Turkish, early C20th. It's copper with tin plating and though much of the tin has worn off from the outside, it seems okay inside. Think it's okay to use for cooking over a fire?

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Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,807
2,893
62
~Hemel Hempstead~
Should be fine to use, nice to see a pot with character used once more :)

If you're really worried you could always get the inside re-tinned which isn't too expensive to do by all accounts
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
54
Rossendale, Lancashire
Either keep the insides perfectly clean or get it retinned. Verdigris is highly toxic. Its not a real problem with say cold water through copper pipes but if your cooking food, especially anything acidic then it will get into your system and the results are not nice. I quick google will put you right off.

ATB

Tom
 

peachstone

Member
Jun 12, 2016
12
0
Oxfordshire
Either keep the insides perfectly clean or get it retinned. Verdigris is highly toxic. Its not a real problem with say cold water through copper pipes but if your cooking food, especially anything acidic then it will get into your system and the results are not nice. I quick google will put you right off.

ATB

Tom

I did look it up and there's a lot to think about. With this pot, the tinning looks okay, or it did to me, but I thought it best to ask for opinions.

I'll give it a good clean inside and see how it looks. It would be great to use this in the woods over the winter.
 

peachstone

Member
Jun 12, 2016
12
0
Oxfordshire
Should be fine to use, nice to see a pot with character used once more :)

If you're really worried you could always get the inside re-tinned which isn't too expensive to do by all accounts

It certainly does have character! I'll look into the re-tinning and check out the prices.
 

Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,366
268
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
SWMBO once put a little spoon into a pot of mint sauce I had made (chopped mint leaves, sugar and vinegar).

I decided to put a slightly bigger spoon in the pot. I took out the little spoon and licked it clean, not knowing it was made of copper. Just that little bit made me ill and it took a long time to get the taste out of my mouth. I threw out the sauce.
 

IC_Rafe

Forager
Feb 15, 2016
247
2
EU
I would really not suggest actually using it. It has character, but so do old x-ray machines. This pot is about as safe as those. It's a nice decorative piece, but from any health perspective, do -NOT- use it.
 

didicoy

Full Member
Mar 7, 2013
541
12
fens
I agree with the last poster. It's highly unlikely that it's anything more than a reproduction piece made for the tourist industry. Chances are first exposure to high heat and any weak seams will fail.
The tinning is questionable to say the least.
Do yourself a favour. Keep it to look at, buy a cheap cast iron/stainless steel or aluminium cooking pot and don't take the risk.
 

Herbalist1

Settler
Jun 24, 2011
585
1
North Yorks
If you have the inside re-tinned, then there is absolutely no reason why it wouldn't be safe to use. I've got an old Mongolian hotspot made of brass which is tinned inside. Lots of the best chefs pans are tinned copper. You just need to ensure the tinning is complete and have it re-tinned as necessary (the tinning does wear over time). Doesn't matter about the outside as that isn't going to come into contact with food.
Have fun with your pot.
 

didicoy

Full Member
Mar 7, 2013
541
12
fens
If it is a tourist reproduction, there's no saying if the solder and tinning is food grade. Previous use of the copper could also be in question. It's come to light that China bought in scrap metal from all over the world reciently and without keeping records of previous scrap metal history. Rumours are that radioactive contaminated metals have found a new life in the form of some cast iron cooking pots.

The main worry regarding the OP's pot, would be its integrity of seams to remain in tact, when heated upto 450 degrees.. this low temperature means certain foods would be unsuitable due to their higher cooking temperature requirements.

Regarding the indentations, these are often used with a cloth to control tipping of contents from the pot. Round bottom pots are difficult to get a purchase on and the dints make using a damp or scrunched up cloth Easier.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Good info about indentations. 450 Fahrenheit is what, 240 Celsius?
Unless placing straight onto coals and heaping them up on the sides it will not reach that?
Water inside keeps the outside close to 100 Celsius.

I would still not use it, it is better to use it as a flower pot or something. Decorative.

But I do not understand why the outside is tinned too. Looks weird.

China is the largest buyer of scrap metals. The largest producer of finished alloys. It is well proven that the Chinese made alloys are not allways as declared and specified.
Radioactive? Well, the low grade radioactive metals from decommissioned powerplants do end up somewhere.

Sadly we do not know where manufacturers source the raw materials from, so maybe the Swedish cast iron pans are made using this. Who knows?
 

didicoy

Full Member
Mar 7, 2013
541
12
fens
450 Fahrenheit is what, 240 Celsius?
Unless placing straight onto coals and heaping them up on the sides it will not reach that?
Water inside keeps the outside close to 100 Celsius.

No sautéed onions then. I, like most folk have allowed kettles and pans to boil dry whilst cooking on conventional appliances and on open fires. This is probably the most risky thing to happen with the pot in question.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
No sautéed onions then. I, like most folk have allowed kettles and pans to boil dry whilst cooking on conventional appliances and on open fires. This is probably the most risky thing to happen with the pot in question.

Depends on how you sautee them? But the lower part of the pan seems to be made from one piece. Hammered into shape.

The only dishes I have managed to boil dry are my Sugnature Haute cuisine :) dish Hungarian Pörkölt.
( people call it wrongly Goulash outside Hungary).

You get a carbon layer a centimeter thick, diamond like. The smoke detecors sing arias.
 

peachstone

Member
Jun 12, 2016
12
0
Oxfordshire
Looking at it, it doesn't have any seams and appears to be hammered out of a single piece.

Interesting about the indentations, that makes sense, thank you!

Anyway, I've sent it off to a tinning company to ask for their advice. I'm not planning to sautee, just re-heat.
 

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