One of my closest friends loved to use copper utensils and cookware at home. Her response to this liking was that copper made her feel like royalty!
But I’m looking for less pomp and more safety when it comes to getting copper tea sets at home.
So my first question naturally is, is it safe to boil water in a copper kettle? Copper is a good conductor of heat. So it can boil the water fast and easily. However, over-usage of the kettle may cause the protective inner layer of the utensil to chop and mix with the water you drink. So boiling water in copper is safe in the first few months.
Also, for a copper kettle to boil dry you have to be careful while handling it for the high temperature, as well as avoid drinking overboiled water that has hard minerals, stains, and rust in it.
Is It Safe to Boil Water in a Copper Kettle?
It is safe to boil water in a new and relatively new copper tea kettle that hasn’t been used for too long and is not stained either. If you want to buy it for aesthetic purposes, having a copper kettle means that you won’t be able to use it to boil water every day, as these are not so long-lasting. So if you want to safely boil water in it, you have to reduce the frequency of use.
However, if you are using it daily, know that you have to buy a kettle that has a stainless steel lining. This will prevent the burnt copper from overboiling or high heat from entering your stomach. Having tin or nickel for the lining may not be as durable.
What are the Advantages of Boiling Water in Copper?
The advantages are fast boiling, better immunity, helping in digestion, and reducing healing time from sores and wounds.
As you know already, copper has a high heat conduction ability, for which water boils super fast in it, even faster than stainless steel!
When you store the water in a copper kettle before you pour it and make tea for yourself, the stored water is said to have positive energy for the body that increases iron absorption, improves joint and thyroid health, etc.
But all of this only holds true as long as you haven’t overboiled the water, and the inside of your tea kettle is clean, hygienic, and well-constructed so as to not include burnt copper chips in the water.
Are there any Copper Tea Kettle Poisoning Symptoms?
Yes. Antique copperware doesn’t have the modern protective lining of tin, nickel, and stainless steel. While you can always store and drink from them, boiling in such utensils can cause copper poisoning.
The very basic symptoms that you will see are stomach problems, headaches, dizziness, nausea, etc.
To relieve you, there have not been such cases of copper toxicity for tens of years. So you don’t run a very high risk of using modern-day copperware and getting poisoned by it.
Why is it not Good to Reboil Water?
Reboiling water is not a good choice because the hardness of the water becomes more concentrated with heat. You convert the nitrates into nitrosamines and whatnot and make the water literally harder to drink.
So if you have forgotten whether you boiled the water or not, always try to reuse the water and boil a new one afresh.
How will You Clean the Inside of a Copper Kettle?
In order to learn how to clean the inside of a copper kettle, you will need to first have the following items: lemon and vinegar solution, water, scrubbing pad, microfiber cloth, and detergent.
Now, follow these steps:
1. Mix a solution of vinegar and lemon in equal parts and pour it in. Now let this solution sit in the inside of your kettle for a couple of minutes.
2. After a while, drain the solution. Now make the solution one more time, add water to it, and boil the solution in low heat in your kettle.
3. When you hear the whistle, stop boiling and let cool.
4. Now, with the help of a scrubbing pad, scrub the inside of the kettle with your detergent and warm water concoction.
5. Rinse and dry for a clean kettle!
If this doesn’t work for you, polishing with elbow grease is also a good cleaning technique. You can use a toothbrush to do the scrubbing and use Bar Keeper’s friend to scrub it off before or in place of doing the steps above.
Related: How to Clean the Outside of a Burnt Tea Kettle for the Perfect Shine
Is it Safe to Boil Water in Stainless Steel?
Yes. You can boil water in stainless steel pots or kettles. Although these have relatively slower conduction than copper, these will give you optimal heat conduction. You will also not need to worry about any chipped steel coming off if you have a purely stainless steel pot. This is because stainless steel has a high thermal mass and high melting point. So those of us that are guilty of overboiling due to forgetfulness will benefit from it.
However, having a nickel lining will hold an exception for your stainless steel kettles. You see, prolonged use can cause the lining to disappear as well!
What is the Best Material to Boil Water?
Different types of material can be used to boil water such as aluminum, ceramic, glass, stainless steel, copper, cast iron, etc. But of them, borosilicate glass and stainless steel are the best.
If you have a stovetop where you will do the boiling, then stainless steel is the better option. Again for microwave boiling, borosilicate glass is the first choice for even thermal conduction. Just make sure that it is pyrex or treated tempered glass!
Final Words
So, is it safe to boil water in a copper kettle? Yes, when they are new and not used for long and still have a protective lining. They are not safe if the items are antique and have no lining.
Also, if you have overboiled the water, it is never good to drink and neither safe, whether your kettle is new or old. So try to avoid this, and try to pay attention to the kettle whistles the next time!
