Use and care for your copper culinary tools.
The pieces are made from actual copper, this means they can tarnish in your environment and through use. Care involves removing the tarnish, use guidelines, cleaning after service, and finish preservation. Part of our process is treating the tool with a food safe barrier film before shipping to minimize tarnishing. This film is fairly robust and should last some time. The tools may have been handled before they came to be with you, and we recommend cleaning before their first service.
Removing the tarnish
Tarnish is when copper molecules react with other molecules in the air. Of course, you are not required to remove the tarnish before service, it is an aesthetic choice. Removing the tarnish is simply getting rid of those affected molecules. We find the best practice is to submerge the tools in vinegar for only a few minutes, this chemically removes the tarnish. Some very stubborn tarnishes make require rubbing with fine steel wool to remove it. Rinse very well in hot water to remove all the vinegar. Then towel and air dry (the hot water heats the tool, accelerating air drying). We suggest then applying a food safe air barrier to help maintain a bright finish. An example of a food safe barrier is beeswax.
Use guidelines
The tools are for serving charcuterie, hors d’oeuvres, cheeses, etc.. They are not intended for mouthing food. As seen above, vinegars and acids affect copper, and they are present in some foods, so limit their exposure to the copper tools (for instance, tomato sauces, deeply pickled items, etc.). Enjoy the hammered and work hardened edges cutting cheeses, and maintain on a stone if needed. As the tools are sharpened, please exercise appropriate care with use. The specific uses for different instruments can be found on our website.
Cleaning after service
After use the tools must be cleaned. DO NOT CLEAN IN THE DISHWASHER. The detergents used in dishwashers can adversely affect the finish. Wash, by hand, with soap and water to remove solids, oils, and residues. Rinse well, towel and air dry, then apply a food safe barrier finish to minimize tarnishing before their next use. Often, you may have a fabulous party, and you, or your staff may not clean up until the next day. There may be more tarnish than usual; simply employ the vinegar cleaning process, perhaps with the use of fine steel wool, to bring your tools back to a bright shine, followed by applying a barrier.
Finish preservation
Maintaining a bright finish is best achieved by applying a food safe barrier film. We suggest polishing with beeswax.
