Firstly, when buying copper pans it is essential to have the correct lining for the cooking task you wish to undertake.
For instance, a good plain copper pan should be used for all jam, jelly, chocolate or beer making also whisking egg whites and a lined pan for all other cooking.
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Put simply, if you want the best heat conductivity then go for a tin lining, if you want good longevity in your linings then go for stainless steel or nickel lining. **
Be aware most modern linings are not non-stick but a good tin lining can be a very good and toxic free substitute. A tin lined copper pot takes a little more care and consideration when cooking but the rewards are definitely worth the extra care.
When you first cook with new tin linings, they will change colour almost immediately sometimes darken considerably especially when cooking eggs for example. Be aware that high heat and dry frying can cause bubbling and tin flow – this is not ideal but not necessarily terminal for your lining either – as long as your tin is covering all of the surface, you are good to go. Using sharp or grating implements can cause losses too – it is a good idea to use wooden or copper utensils when cooking with copper treat as you would non-stick and you won’t go far wrong.
A fish pan that got slightly too hot and the tin has bubbled – the surface is still covered with tin so it is good to go.
If you burn anything on a tin lining, do not scrape it off, use abrasive green scourers or hefty wire wool. The result will be disastrous. The compromised tin will come off and leave you with a tinning bill. Gently soak overnight and it should lift off.
Tin linings can be very easy to damage and very expensive to maintain if you are not careful – if you are observant, conscientious and wary of high temperatures, however, they can last a lifetime.
If you are looking to purchase a pan with dark tin, then be prepared for a repair bill unless the interior has been cleaned by the seller. After cleaning using preferably the galvanic* method, if there problems they will show up as patches of ‘loose tin’, voids in the tin or very dark patches. That will give you an idea of what could be wrong with your linings. In my opinion – no cleaning then no sale. If of course, they are extremely cheap, desirable or something that you facture the cost of total renovation in, then go for it!
There are hundreds of pans that we have bought over the years that seem like a bargain but turn out to be a financial headache when after the first use the lining starts to peel off or disintegrate. What seemed like a bargain is just another tinning bill and they end up at the back of your cupboard.
This can be caused not just by age, poor storage or misuse but also copper cleaner. If the pans have been used for decorative purposes, then cleaner can be dripped accidentally onto the insides of the pan and set hard like concrete, not a problem if they are to be hung in a kitchen but they make a set of pans totally unusable for culinary purposes. This shows as shiny dark patches, usually around the rim and across the base, example below. This can be removed mechanically by a tinner when re-tinning takes place. Look out for it.
Above is a photo of a copper pan with cleaning residue around the insides of the pans, shows shiny
There is a difference between dark useable tin and dark oxidised tin that needs cleaning and more than likely, replacing. Below is a pot with lid. The pan itself has been used extensively, cleaned regularly and is dark but in tact. The lid however, has not been cleaned as often and has a layer of oxidised tin – which can be quite powdery and comes off when food is cooked in them, not good at all.
A good rule is if you have a pan that should have a good coating of tin and if it has copper showing through it needs re-tinning, if they are like the lid and pot above then they may need to be re-tinned too.
When pans are re-tinned they need to be done by a professional or at least, experienced ‘Etameur’ for good even spread and guaranteed and certified 99% pure food grade tin linings. Look at the photos, they should be fairly flat with swirls showing the hand wiped method. Some tinners or tinkers are very expert and leave very little ‘evidence’ of hand wiping but look very carefully, it will be there! Look out for a good polish on the copper too!
New hand wiped tin lining of a set of five sauté pans
Poor tinning can make a good pan difficult to use as the lumpiness interferes with stirring and heat distribution. It can take away from the look of the pan and can depending on the job, reduce the value of the pan overall.
Lumpy tin melted on top of old tin on a set of Villedieu les Poeles 2mm saucepans
The tin used needs to be in its purest food grade form and bought from a reputable retailer. There are some disreputable sellers that, to ‘tidy up’ a mediocre pan will use a tin paste, pastes can be used for soldering but not culinary uses as they contain a good amount of lead.
So how can you tell how good your tin lining is? Personally, the one way I use apart from the look of the pan is the price charged for the pan.
This can be reflected in the prices charged – a good re-tinning job from a specialist re-tinner using certified pure tin costs upwards of 2.50€ or $2.75 per cm so a 20 cm pan will cost between 50€ or $55 to re-tin, if a re-tinned pan is wonderfully cheap then it is possibly not as good a deal as you think!
** silver lined pans have the best heat conductivity
©NormandyKitchenCopper 2025 first published 2019