Old Tinned Copper Cookware?

So far as tinning, you might want to contact Shay Lelegren, of Hot Dip Tin. Among other things, he's the tinsmith at historic Fort Boonesborough State Park. You can reach him at info@hotdiptin.com. I'm sure he can provide some insights.

HistoricFoodie wrote: So far as tinning, you might want to contact Shay Lelegren, of Hot Dip Tin. Among other things, he's the tinsmith at historic Fort Boonesborough State Park. You can reach him at info@hotdiptin.com. I'm sure he can provide some insights.   I do take exception to your statement that cast iron magically appeared in the 1600s. That's merely when the British learned how to do it. And they learned it from the Chinese, who were making cast-iron implements in the 1200s.   The golden age of cast iron cookware was, of course, the 18th century. But even then, many items were still made of copper, brass, tinplate, and clay.   Generally speaking, anything that should be prepared or stored in a nonreactive container should not be cooked in unlined copper. Mostly that means acidic foods, in terms of reacting (perhaps unsafely) with the copper. But other foods, such as eggs, react in other ways; discoloring for example.   Overall, I just feel better if any copperware used for food is tinned.

I am impressed with your field kitchen!  I hope that you do not mind me stealing an idea or two from it. 

The problem with cast iron cooking pots is documenting them: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=139098&sid=bd269da4f23c5f120c72ad3aefb189b6  Apparently even the English were casting iron cannon balls and even cannons almost two hundred years earlier than the Jamestown cauldron.  I would love to find even a shard of a cast iron pot in the HRE that can be dated earlier. 

Due to high shipping costs I am looking for an experienced local person to tin some of these copper pots that need it.  I might have talked a local blacksmith into trying a wrought iron cauldron for me.  We'll see. 

I have heard that egg whites whip up better in copper.  Please tell me more about discoloring. 

Thanks for all the positive comments, historical cooking is a huge passion of mine.  In case anyone is interested, here is more pictures of my kitchen, I use everything so it is not always picture perfect.

Right now I am using the copper couldrons both big and small for demo or for boiling water for cleaning.  I don't have the skill to tin the large one myself and professionally tinning it would be cost prohibitive at this time.  The small one is going to the tinners in a couple weeks along with a couple other copper pots not pictured.

Oh the kitchen fills up a suv and 5x8 trailer to haul it from event to event.  It ends up only being used 2 or 3 times a year because of fire restrictions.  Each time though, it is very special.

A "viking age" brass(?) pot on display in the Sunnmore Museum, Alesund, Norway. 

   WOW, great thread Karl!  Thanks for bringing this one back up!

    This stuff is just beautiful!  I would love to get a few pieces, but I don't have the property to do it right now.  Hopefully, when we move we may find something better suited for this. 

  Nice stuff guys!

toomuch wrote:  looking at the fire box, really neat idea.

Those clever Russians.  Yes, a raised firebox would be much easier on the back and knees.  A kitchen like this would not hurt my back, knees, or feelings much either:

Looks like a good time!