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Can the copper layer on the bottom of Revere Ware cookware be repaired?

By on February 7, 2016 in Care, Ebay

A customer wrote us with the following question:

Can my 62 year old Revere Ware “pasta-pot” be copper re-coated ?  I had boiled water dry.

The short answer is no, not that we know of.  We have never heard of a service (or a process) that does this.  There is something somewhat similar for copper cookware, called re-tinning, but that is a very different process and doesn’t apply here.

We have done tests specifically where we heated a dry pan to see what would happen.  And indeed, some of the copper came off.  However, the older, well-made cookware (and 62 years old fits squarely in that category) has a pretty thick copper layer:

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In our experiment, the amount of copper that came off was minimal given the overall thickness of the layer.

Having said that, if you are seeing stainless steel through the copper layer, I would thank your pan for many years of good service, and find yourself a vintage replacement.  You can find a robust market for used Revere Ware cookware on eBay, and using our helper site, can likely find a replacement for just about anything.

 

9

Cleaning a Revere Ware tea kettle whistle

By on July 7, 2010 in Care, Tips

I recently came across an article on eHow on how to fix a Revere Ware tea kettle whistle when it stops working.  While overall I would say eHow articles tend to be fairly low quality, this one does offer some good tips.

How to Fix or Replace Revere Ware Tea Kettle Whistles

Revere ware kettles are durable, but broken whistles are hard to replace.

Repairing a Revere ware tea kettle whistle can be a challenge. Spare parts for these sturdy kettles aren’t easily found. If your kettle’s whistle has gone silent, something may be blocking the steam from escaping the small hole in a pressurized stream, or a crack in the plastic top is creating a hole too large for the steam to build up enough pressure to make sound. Either way, you’ll have to fix it or tolerate a quiet kettle from now on.

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

  • Revere ware tea kettle
  • Kitchen scrubbing sponge
  • Thin-gauge wire
  • Scissors or wire cutters
  • Vinegar
  • Water
  1. Step 1

    Examine the plastic cap with the metal center that retracts from the spout. Look for cracks and make sure the cap is making proper contact with the metal spout. If the plastic cap is cracked, it can’t be fixed because glues and adhesive patches won’t last under high temperatures. Continue using the kettle because it will still boil water for tea; it just won’t whistle. Buy another kettle if you miss the sound.

  2. Step 2

    Scrub the inside edges of the cap if it is intact and not cracked. Scrub the metal edges of the spout with the rough side of a wet kitchen sponge to remove mineral deposits that may prevent it from closing tightly.

  3. Step 3

    Cut a 6-inch length of thin-gauge wire with scissors or wire cutters. Poke it through the hole in the metal portion of the tea kettle whistle. Wiggle it back and forth to loosen any mineral deposits from hard water that may be blocking it. Fill the tea kettle with a few cups of water and boil to see if the whistle works.

  4. Step 4

    Listen for the whistle. If you don’t hear it, empty the tea kettle and refill with a 50 percent solution of water and white vinegar. Set on simmer for 15 minutes. The acid in the vinegar will dissolve mineral deposits inside the kettle that you can’t reach or see.

  5. Step 5

    Clean the tea kettle every month or so with the vinegar-and-water solution to prevent future buildup that can block the tea kettle whistle.

19

Testing our Parts/Treating Your Cookware Nicely

By on March 25, 2010 in Care, Tips

We try to test our parts as well as we can to make sure they work well and are durable. For instance, we recently tested our handles along with original Revere Ware ones with exposure to direct and indirect flame, so see how they compared. The bad news is that with either of the handles, when the flame from a gas stove is in direct contact with it or comes close to it, the Bakelite will start to bubble and give off an acrid odor. The good news is that our handles performed the same as the originals. We recommend that you insure the gas flame doesn’t get too close to the handles. Incidentally, we don’t recommend putting Bakelite in the oven, because above a critical temperature, it will melt.  We haven’t tried determining that temperature just yet and there is no reference to it in the vintage Revere Ware materials we have.

The latest testing we have been doing is testing our Bakelite handles for dishwasher endurance. After 5 months of continuous daily washing, they don’t look horrible, but they are noticeably less shiny than they originally were. We have also noticed that with older handles, ones that show slight dulling on the Bakelite already, washing in a dishwasher tends to make them look dull and dry after only a hand full of washings. We suspect it is the detergent that is causing the dulling on the Bakelite but it could also be the heat of the wash water or the drying cycle.

The best idea is to keep anything with Bakelite out of your dishwasher, especially items you can’t get replacement Bakelite for. Wash them by hand with a mild detergent.

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Extreme Revere Ware Repair

By on January 30, 2010 in Care, Tips

I’ve never seen a Revere Ware pot damaged as badly as the one in this YouTube video:

The pot in question is a newer pot, with a thinner copper layer; I am shocked that he didn’t go through the copper layer into the stainless steel with all his grinding.

He goes further to demonstrate cleaning Revere Ware with Cameo copper cleaner and Cameo stainless steel cleaner.

I haven’t tried Cameo cleaners but I sure am going to.

3

Proper Cooking Temperature

By on December 15, 2009 in Care, Tips

While scrubbing the inside of my Revere Ware skillets with a green scrubbing pad doesn’t worry me too much, it can be a pain. The best way to avoid this is to find the best temperature for cooking food without it sticking to the pan, handily outlined in this pan preheating tutorial.

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