# Copper (tamba) utensils

Source: https://hvmumbai.com/copper-utensils/

Copper is the pure metal, red-brown when polished. It conducts heat about three to four times better than brass, so it heats quickly and evenly.

Water has long been kept in copper overnight, and tin-lined copper is used for cooking in quantity. We supply copper bottles, jugs and glasses for homes, shops and gifts, and copper handis, degs, topes and lagans for kitchens large and small, from Thakurdwar Road, Mumbai.

Tamba (तांबा) or tamra in Hindi: tambe ke bartan (तांबे के बर्तन). Tambyachi bhandi in Marathi, tamba na vasan in Gujarati.

## Water: plain and at room temperature

Fill bottles, jugs and glasses with plain water, and refill them daily. Heat and acid draw more copper into what you drink. So no hot water, lemon water, juice or buttermilk in copper.

## Cook only in tinned copper

Cooking vessels are lined with tin (kalai); bare copper must not hold sour food. Tin melts at about 232 °C, so never heat a tinned pot empty. Re-tin when the red metal shows through.

## Care and checks

Copper darkens with use; that is oxidation, not fake metal. Clean with lemon and salt, or tamarind, rinse and dry. Wipe off any green verdigris before food touches it. Copper is not magnetic, and a scratch shows red, not grey.

## Tambe ke bartan (तांबे के बर्तन)

Tambe ke bartan is Hindi for copper utensils. Copper is the traditional metal for water: the tambe ka lota, jug, gilas and bottle. In the kitchen, tinned copper makes the handi, degchi and patila. Each type below has its own page, with every size and code.

## Questions and answers

### Is tamba pure copper?

Tamba (तांबा) is the Hindi word for copper, the pure metal, and a good copper vessel is nearly pure copper. A reddish colour right through, no pull from a magnet and the same colour under a light scratch show it is copper and not copper-plated steel. Only a laboratory test, such as XRF, measures the purity.

### Can copper serveware be used for acidic dishes or cocktails?

Only if the surface that touches the food or drink is lined. The US FDA Food Code bars unlined copper from contact with foods below pH 6. That includes tomato gravies, lime drinks and most cocktails. Serve these from lined pieces, and keep unlined copper for water and dry food.

### Is it good to drink water from a copper bottle?

Storing drinking water in copper is a long Indian tradition. In a 2012 laboratory study (Sudha et al.), water kept overnight in copper pots lost the bacteria added to it. Copper in that water stayed within World Health Organization limits. Use plain room-temperature water only; this is general information, not medical advice.

### How long should water be kept in a copper bottle?

Overnight: fill it at night and drink the water the next morning. Empty and refill it with fresh water every day rather than topping it up. Clean the inside every week or two with lemon juice and salt.

### Can I put hot water, lemon water or juice in a copper bottle?

No. Heat and acid both increase how much copper dissolves into the drink. The US FDA Food Code bars copper from contact with foods below pH 6, and lemon water is well below that. Keep copper bottles for plain water at room temperature.

### How do I clean copper utensils (tambe ke bartan)?

Wash with mild soap and water, then dry at once. To bring back the shine, rub the outside with lemon and salt, or a vinegar and salt paste. Rinse well and buff dry with a soft cloth. Keep acids off any tin-lined cooking surface.