Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy · since 1830
Copper cooks
differently.
It carries heat about twenty-five times better than stainless steel, so the base warms evenly and the pan reacts the moment you move it. That is the whole reason French kitchens have used it for two hundred years.
- 1830The year the workshop opened
- 195Years in one Normandy town
- 2.5 mmCopper on the M’200 B
- 271Pieces available here
Start here
What do you cook on?
Worth answering first, because it rules pieces out.
- InductionPlain copper will not work on induction. These will.M’6 S, M’Cook, M’Elite, M’Steel
- GasEverything in the range works on gas, and copper is at its best here.The whole range
- Electric & ceramicSlower to change temperature, so a heavier pan helps.M’Héritage, M’Cook
- Oven & grillBronze handles to 250 °C, cast stainless to 300 °C.Roasters, cocottes, gratins
Why copper
The metal does half the work
A sauce splits when one part of the pan is hotter than another. A steak steams when the base loses its heat the moment cold meat lands on it. Both are conductivity problems, and copper is very good at conductivity.
Copper carries 401 watts per metre kelvin; stainless steel carries 16. In practice that means the base comes up to temperature evenly, with no hot spot over the burner, and it cools almost as fast when you take it off. An encapsulated steel base does not do the same thing.
- EvenNo hot ring in the middle, no cold rim at the edge
- ResponsiveOff the heat means off the heat, within seconds
- LinedStainless steel inside, so nothing reacts with the food
- RepairableRivets and linings can be replaced, so the pan lasts
Thermal conductivity, watts per metre kelvin. Silver is better; nobody makes a stockpot out of it.
The range
Six collections, and what each is for
The classicM’Héritage 150 B1.5 mm copper with bronze handles. The set most French kitchens are built around.28 pieces- The heavy oneM’Héritage 200 B2 mm copper. Holds its heat longer, which makes it easier to cook on.16 pieces
- For inductionM’6 SCopper with a magnetic base, so it works on an induction hob.16 pieces
- Five-ply steelM’CookFor pans that get hard use and go in the dishwasher.30 pieces
- Tinned copperM’TraditionHammered and tin-lined, the way it was made in the 1800s.20 pieces
- Jam & sugarM’PassionUnlined copper, for preserves and sugar work.14 pieces
La batterie de cuisine
Buy the kitchen, not the pan
A batterie is the set of shapes that covers what a kitchen actually does. The handles match, the wall thickness matches, and you are not adding odd pieces to it for the next ten years.
- SetM'200 B 16-Piece Copper Cookware Set With Brass HandlesR122 760.00 Inc VAT
- SetM'200 B 12-Piece Copper Cookware Set With Brass HandlesR110 740.00 Inc VAT
- SetM'200 B 14-Piece Copper Cookware Set With Brass HandlesR109 880.00 Inc VAT
- SetM'150 B 12-Piece Copper Cookware Set With Brass HandlesR79 460.00 Inc VAT
La Manufacture
Villedieu-les-Poêles, since 1830
The town has worked copper since the twelfth century. Mauviel opened there in 1830 and has not moved since. Sheet copper arrives flat in four thicknesses and leaves as a pan: rolled, cut, spun over a wooden chuck, planished by hand where the shape asks for it, then tinned or lined with stainless steel.
Bronze handles are cast in sand, filed and riveted rather than welded, because a rivet can be drilled out and the handle replaced. It is the same reason a copper pan is retinned rather than thrown away, and why one bought forty years ago is still worth cooking with.
Inside the workshopLa Maison
Still made in the town it started in
Villedieu-les-Poêles has worked copper since the twelfth century and is named for it. Mauviel opened there in 1830 and has not moved. The sheet is still rolled, cut, spun and lined in the same workshops, and bronze handles are cast, filed and riveted by hand.
It is also why a pan can be retinned rather than replaced, and why one bought forty years ago is still worth cooking with.
Lead times
Most of this is made to order
We do not keep a warehouse of copper batteries in Lanseria. When you order a piece we do not hold, it is made in Normandy and shipped to you, which usually takes six to eight weeks. Holding that stock locally would put its cost into every price, so we would rather be slower and say so.
Accessories, tools and most stainless steel ship within two working days.
- 01You orderPayment is taken and the order goes to Normandy that week.
- 02It is madeRolled, spun, lined and finished. Usually six to eight weeks.
- 03It shipsAir freight to Lanseria, cleared, then insured courier to you.
- 04It lastsRetinnable and repairable, and guaranteed against manufacturing defect for life.
Where people start
If you only buy one
A sauté pan covers more ground than any other shape here. It sears, it braises, it makes the sauce afterwards. If you are testing whether copper is worth it, start with that.
- M’Tradition Potato Steamer 16 cm, Bronze HandleR13 340.00 Inc VAT
- M’Tradition "Pomme - Anna" SaucepanR13 970.00 – R16 000.00 Inc VAT
- M’Passion Copper Jam Pan, Cast Stainless Steel HandlesR5 380.00 – R5 880.00 Inc VAT
- M’Tradition Potato Steamer 16 cm, Stainless Steel HandleR13 450.00 Inc VAT
- M’Passion Hammered Copper Jam panR8 590.00 – R11 650.00 Inc VAT
- M’Tradition Splayed Sauté PanR5 070.00 – R8 730.00 Inc VAT
Before you buy
Read something first
Copper is a considered purchase. We would rather you bought the right piece once.
Not sure which piece?
Tell us what you cook and what you cook it on, and we will tell you what you need, including when the answer is a cheaper pan.