"Nexis" wrote:
> I received a copper "braising pan" as a gift. It has a tinned interior. I am
> wondering what is the best way to clean the outside, which is all copper, so
> that it will maintain it's beauty. I know there are alot of home remedies,
> so to speak, but I've also read that some can shorten the life of the
> copper. Any ideas?

You need to make a decision, do you want to cook with it or display
that pan. If you decide to cook with it you will have to accept that
it will tarnish, the tarnish will act as a protective coat, it will
tarnish just so much and no more... the darkened copper is much better
for cooking than a shiny reflective surface. If you insist on
polishing off the tarnish each time you cook with that pan you will
soon polish your way through the copper. If you choose to display
that pan then polish it up as brightly as you can (there are many good
copper polishes on the market) and then spray it with a laquer clear
coat and put it on a shelf just to look at.

Those are your options.

If it's truly a tinned interior (not stainless steel) then if you cook
with it the tin will wear and you will need to periodically have that
pan retinned, an expensive operation. I would use that pan for
display purposes only... there are plenty of very nice inexpnsive and
utilitarian stainless steel braising pans.