Page 41 - JOA-July-22

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Hello - Another reason is if you look under the lid of your steamer; the top is
I was at a tag sale at an older home and came across this copper pan. made of two pieces that are soldered together. What kind of solder
When I asked the woman of the house to tell me what it was, she said it was used? If it is lead, which was used on some cookware in the 1800s,
was a fish steamer. Because my husband fishes and cooks his own fish, I don’t think you would want to eat from it. Another reason is that
I picked it up. some antique copper has been coated with lacquer or other substances
Inside the pan is a grate of some sort to put the fish on (?) and then the to keep it from tarnishing that you may or may not see. You do not
bottom inside of the pan has these “nubs” that stick up that I guess would want any bad substance coating the fish you are planning to eat. This
hold the grate out of the water for steaming. I have no idea if it is particular piece appears to have had the tin worn off of most of the
homemade or not. I also have no idea as to its age, but it looks like it has inside and grated steaming tray. If you do decide that you want to use
been used quite a bit. it; take it to a cookware professional to have it checked, cleaned, and tin
Should I clean it? Is the inside of the cover copper? Can I use it as is? replated if needed for use.
Does it have any value? Enjoy and display this wonderful copper fish steamer and reminisce
Hope you can help us out - about sitting on an island in the middle of a lake around a campfire
Christine and Matthew with Walleye steaming, small potatoes, and onions boiling, and smells
of a great shore lunch!
Hello Christine & Matthew and thank you for submitting this great David L Moore
utilitarian antique culinary tool. Hungry and a Certified Professional Antiques Appraiser
What you have is an early 20th Century fish steamer. I further
believe it could be hand-made by a professional tinsmith. I would have
to inspect it in hand to know for sure. It is entirely made of copper with
the entire inside, the copper perforated steaming tray insert and under
the lid being tin-plated. The copper perforated steaming pan has a
rim around the side that the fish fits into and fits snuggly into the solid
copper body resting on nubs protruding at the bottom. Copper surfaces
were tin-plated to keep the copper from leaching into the food. I have
seen several similarly constructed copper pieces that have come out of
Virginia. I do not know the maker. I do not know the size, but I am
guessing it is 15 to 20 inches in length. It looks intact and solid.
The pan would have been filled with water to the top of the nubs,
not to cover the nubs or the fish in the grated steaming pan. The fish
was placed within the rim around the top of the grate and then inside
the pan with the bottom of the pan resting on the nubs. For a shore
lunch, the lid was placed on the pan and placed on a grate with a fire
underneath. Man; I can taste it as I am writing it!
If I were to see a like tin-plated copper fish steamer at a primitives
or antique kitchenware auction or antique shop, I would expect to pay
$125/$175 for it.
In regards to cleaning copper; the vote is not in yet as to whether or
not to clean antique copper. With most antiques, I say do not disturb
the age on them, but with copper, it seems to be 50/50 as to clean or
not. I do know that there is nothing prettier in a kitchen than a shiny
polished copper piece on the shelf or hanging from the wall.
I personally have several antique copper ladles cleaned and bright
hanging on my fireplace. When you step into the room, you are
immediately drawn to them.
As far as using it, I would use caution. I say this because you do not
have first-hand knowledge as to what has been cooked on it in the past.
An example of what I am talking about is that one of my ladles hanging
from the fireplace is very ornate with a hand-forged handle and started
life as a prize kitchen tool in a log cabin. I purchased it from a muzzle-
loading rifle shooter who was using it to melt lead for his bullets. No
amount of cleaning would make me use this again around food.

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