SHAPES OF THE POTS
The cylinder shape became the most popular due to its practical shape for stirring and due to the excellent content/space ratio in addition to facilitating easy cleaning.
The convex shape, in addition to its appealing look, gives its best performance during long cooking procedures such as braising. This kind of pot allows a small amount of liquid to be used as the cooking-steam condensates to form cooking juices.
In addition, there are many other alternative shapes that show excellent results for special cooking methods: oven, bain marie... This is explained in detail on the following pages..

HEIGHT OF THE POT
It is not only linked to the amount of food it can contain, but also to the cooking method.
The best example to explain the above is the reduction cooking method obtained with a conical casserole

CURVATURE
It should not be too evident in the case of a pot and/or casserole to improve the heat absorption. On the contrary, it is fundamental in the case of frying pans. The curvature of a
sautè pan should be particularly rounded (quarter of a circle), the curvature of a frying pan should be slightly smaller.
The handle does not affect the cooking procedure.
The professional cook tends to prefer one long single handle, with an eventual additional
support in the case of heavy pieces, since in a professional environment it is much more comfortable and handy. For private use, customers tend to prefer 2 handle pots as they can be stored more easily..

THICKNESS
Must be appropriate according to the use of the item. The pot should be solid but not too heavy; the casserole with 2 handles should be resistant; the frying pan should be lighter weight and handy in order to keep temperature under constant control while cooking.

COPPER POT
The copper pot can be considered the “Queen of Pots” thanks to its natural and excellent heat conductivity, which allows for a perfect temperature regulation. It is essential for dishes requiring long cooking procedures, for delicate dishes and for confectionary creations.
A good copper pot needs to respect the following attributes:
- It must be made of pure copper, first fusion, and should have an adequate thickness. It can vary from 1.5 mm for frying pan up to 2 or 3 mm. in case of a large casserole
- Particular attention should be paid to the tin lining procedure: the durability of the tin lining depends substantially on a correct lining process.
- The tin lining should be performed manually by using the traditional flame/blotter method. The material for lining should be 100% pure certified tin.
- A good riveting is essential to guarantee the durability of the item. Copper cookware can be riveted with copper rivets with flat top (they are easy to clean but they do not always ensure adequate hygiene), or copper rivets with rounded top (due to the round shape they do not maintain the tin lining as long and therefore they make it necessary to re-tin the pot more frequently). I can therefore affirm that the best solution is to use stainless steel rivets with round shape.
- Each pot must be sold with an instruction manual to inform the final customer on how to correctly use this noble material.
In the last analysis, I can affirm that a copper pot which does not respect those attributes is and can only be a nice decorating item.