The Health Benefits of Copper Cookware

A Kitchen Tradition Thousands of Years Old

Copper cookware has been an indispensable part of every home in Anatolia for centuries. From soup to pilaf, compote to dessert, countless dishes have been cooked in copper cauldrons and pots. This preference is no coincidence: copper is one of the best natural heat conductors available.

Even Heat Distribution

Copper’s thermal conductivity is significantly higher than that of aluminium or stainless steel. Heat spreads evenly from the base of the pot all the way to the sides, producing more uniform cooking and reducing the risk of scorching on the bottom or undercooking at the edges. In traditional kitchens this characteristic was particularly vital for long-simmering dishes — tarhana soup, keşkek, and yogurt-based stews — where consistent, gentle heat is everything.

Antimicrobial Properties

Both traditional knowledge and modern studies indicate that copper surfaces create an inhospitable environment for many bacteria and pathogens. In rural Anatolian life, where water vessels and kitchen utensils were routinely made from copper, this property offered a meaningful practical advantage. It is one of the concrete reasons behind the age-old preference for copper in Turkish kitchens.

Tinning: The Secret to Safe Cooking

To prevent copper from coming into direct contact with food, interior surfaces are traditionally coated with tin. Known in Turkish as kalaylama (tinning), this process is critical from a food-safety perspective: the tin lining stops copper from reacting with acidic foods such as tomatoes, lemon juice, or vinegar.

Tin coatings wear down over time. When the inner surface of a pot begins to look dull grey and the copper beneath starts to show through, re-tinning is recommended. At Esili Bakır every pot is traditionally tinned, and our craftsmen are available for re-tinning requests whenever needed.

56 Years of Craftsmanship, Guided by Traditional Wisdom

Our unbroken craft in Kahramanmaraş since 1968 pours this accumulated knowledge into every piece we make. Each soup pot, cauldron, and saucepan from Esili Bakır pays equal respect to contemporary aesthetics and the time-tested functionality handed down by our forebears.

That copper cookware is not only beneficial but also extraordinarily long-lived — and can be passed down through generations — makes each piece far more than a kitchen utensil. It is an heirloom.