copper boilers arrived

[prairie dog]

I ordered these from Bob at Backwoods Tin and Copper back at the first of September.  They arrived this evening.  Very nice boilers and just the right size.  These two nest and they will both store inside my gallon size kettle.  


The corn boiler on the left will hold 6 cups, the small boiler on the right 3 1/2 cups or one can of beans.  


Bob's web site says orders will take eight weeks.  Mine took twelve.  Bob does nice work but he must be swamped with orders.  Be aware and plan ahead if you are thinking of getting something.

[TallTexan]

Yep, my kettle, plate, basin and coffee pot took an extra week but was well worth it.  One thing I've learned is that since copper is such a good conductor, you'll want to cook over a slightly lower heat than you're used to when using modern pots or pans.  It's easy to overheat the bottom on your stew and then you get to spend some extra time cleaning the burnt stuff out of the bottom of the pot.  

Here's another tip that I learned while a Boy Scout. Rub a thin film of liquid dish soap on the outside of your pot before putting it on a fire.  That way the soot from the fire just wipes right off with just a little water.

[Loyalist Dave]

Be sure you have a cloth bag to put your kettle in if you do the soap covering thing... otherwise before you can wash it, the soot will get on anything else it touches.  

LD

[Dewey]

VERY nice set ya got there !!!

 

[prairie dog]

thanks.

I used the small boiler at the rendezvous this past weekend to heat a can of black eye peas.  (To go with the fired venison backstrap, biscuits, gravy, fried taters and onions we cooked for dinner.)  It worked perfectly!

Yes, I did make cotton bags to put each boiler into before nesting them.  Keeps everything nice and neat.

[Bison Horn]

Got mine in time for Christmas.

[prairie dog]

Good Deal!  Merry Christmas.  

Looking forward to Frozen Foot.

[Loyalist Dave]

The only other thing to watch... just never let them cook close to dry or dry...the solder will come off the insides... yes personal experience, but it was almost dry, but still needed some fixin'.   :lol:

LD

[prairie dog]

Good advice.  One also has to clean them carefully to avoid removing the tin lining.
They are not as difficult to maintain as it may sound.  But you can't treat them the same way you would stainless steel cookware.  

I have two nice copper pots I bought used.  They need re-tinning and I thought it would be a simple thing to do.  I was wrong.

[sse]

They need re-tinning and I thought it would be a simple thing to do. I was wrong.

Is this a DIY project?  I think I've heard of a having it done...

[prairie dog]

Originally I was going to have it done then found out what that cost.  I looked into doing it my self but decided I would need a lot of practice before I would be happy with the results.  So I decided to save myself some money and frustrations and just purchase some boilers.

These are the two pots.  They are in good condition other than having some tin scrubbed off in an overzealous cleaning by a previous owner.

I would be interested in trading them if anyone knows how to re-tin or has a use for them as is.

[Loyalist Dave]

[size=150]USE THEM![/size]

Copper pots and brass pots are tinned these days for marketing to modern buyers...it is not necessary.

Perhaps you've heard, "Cooking in copper that is untinned will make you sick."  Perhaps you've heard it this way, "Cooking acid-foods in copper will make you sick."   A lot of people have heard either or both, and so the copper smiths have to tin their copper or brass kettles.  

BUT...Apple Butter is highly acidic, and it is ALWAYS made in untinned copper kettles, so why doesn't that kill all those people who buy apple butter at the craft fair?  Beer is brewed in copper vessels....then there's distillation in copper stills, and when you get rid of the methanol from the distilling, folks aren't still poisoned by the use of the copper...

The truth is...it's not the copper that is toxic.  When copper tarnishes it forms verdigris, a green colored tarnish, that is made up of one or more these: copper carbonate, copper chloride, or copper (II) acetate.  Those compounds are what make you sick, not the copper coming into contact with the food.  So you will find that copper kettles for beer, or for apple butter, or for distilling, are very clean and bright...no verdigris = no worries.  So don't leave coffee, tea, lemonade, pickled anything (vinegar is very quick to form verdigris), tomato sauce, or apple butter , in contact with the copper overnight and you won't get verdigris forming, and you won't get sick.  

 

LD

[Three Hawks]

My Grandma  had some copper pots and boilers that were older than dirt, she used Dutch Cleanser on 'em and if that didn't do the job, lemon juice or distilled vinegar would.   Then she'd polish the copper with Bon Ami powder.  None of those pots and things were tinned and none of us got sick.  

If you get something burned on or in a pot or pan, try wiping it off with acetone or coleman fuel.

Three Hawks

[Loyalist Dave]

NO KIDDING?   :hey-hey

LD