Revere Ware Skillet – Copper Bottom Cookware
Our classic Revere Ware skillet has been an American kitchen staple since 1939. The signature copper bottom delivers fast, even heating across the entire cooking surface, while the 18/8 stainless steel interior resists staining and never imparts metallic taste to your food.
The copper disc laminated to the bottom of every Revere Ware skillet is the reason this cookware earned its reputation in American kitchens. Copper conducts heat five times faster than stainless steel alone, which means the pan reaches temperature quickly and distributes that heat uniformly from edge to center.
Handle design and ergonomics
We chose Bakelite for our skillet handles because it insulates better than wood and lasts longer than rubber. The phenolic resin stays cool enough to grip barehanded even when the pan has been on high heat for ten minutes.
The handle attaches to the pan body with two solid copper rivets that pass through both the handle and the steel sidewall. This rivet-through design creates a mechanical bond that won’t loosen with repeated heating and cooling cycles. The handle angle slopes upward slightly from the pan rim, which shifts the balance point closer to your wrist and reduces fatigue when you’re holding a full skillet.
Cooking surface and maintenance
The 18/8 stainless steel interior — 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel — gives you a cooking surface that resists rust, corrosion, and pitting. Stainless steel is non-reactive, so you can simmer tomato sauce or deglaze with wine without worrying about metallic off-flavors.
Unlike nonstick coatings, stainless steel develops fond — those browned bits stuck to the pan after searing meat. That’s flavor you want to capture in a pan sauce, and our skillets and frying pans are built to take the heat and scraping needed for proper deglazing.
What makes this skillet unique
More Revere Ware copper bottom cookware
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Common questions about Revere Ware skillets
Yes, the stainless steel cooking surface is durable enough for metal spatulas, whisks, and spoons. Unlike nonstick coatings that scratch easily, our 18/8 stainless steel stands up to everyday metal utensil use without damage.
We still recommend using wooden or silicone tools when possible to preserve the polished finish longer, but occasional contact with metal utensils won’t harm the pan’s performance or safety.
Preheat the skillet over medium heat for two to three minutes before adding oil or butter. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles and rolls across the surface in a ball.
Add enough fat to coat the cooking surface, let it heat until it shimmers, then add your ingredients. Protein releases naturally from stainless steel once it develops a proper sear — if it’s sticking, it usually needs another minute before you try to flip it.
Copper develops a natural patina when exposed to air and heat — that’s oxidation, not damage. The darkened copper still conducts heat just as efficiently as polished copper.
If you prefer the bright copper look, polish the bottom with a copper cleaner or a paste made from equal parts lemon juice, salt, and flour. Apply with a soft cloth, rub in circles for a minute, then rinse and dry the pan thoroughly before storing.
The skillet is dishwasher safe, but we recommend hand washing to extend the life of both the stainless interior and the copper bottom. Dishwasher detergent can dull the copper finish faster than hand washing with regular dish soap.
If you do use the dishwasher, place the skillet on the top rack and skip the heated dry cycle. Remove it promptly after the wash cycle ends and dry it by hand to prevent water spots.
Match the burner size to the copper bottom diameter as closely as possible — usually a medium or large burner on most ranges. The copper disc extends about eight inches across, so a burner that size or slightly smaller provides even heating without wasting energy.
If you use a burner that’s significantly smaller than the pan bottom, you’ll get a hot spot in the center. A burner larger than the pan wastes heat and can damage the Bakelite handle if flames or electric coils extend past the pan edge.
The copper rivets that attach the handle pass completely through both the handle and the pan body, creating a mechanical bond that won’t loosen under normal use. This rivet-through design has proven reliable for over eighty years in Revere Ware cookware.
Our lifetime warranty covers handle failure due to defects in materials or workmanship. If your handle ever loosens or the rivets fail, contact our customer service team and we’ll replace the skillet.
Revere Ware skillets with copper bottoms are not induction compatible on their own because copper and stainless steel are not magnetic materials. Induction cooktops require a magnetic base to generate heat.
You can use a separate induction adapter disc — a flat magnetic plate that sits between the cooktop and the skillet. The adapter heats up via induction and transfers that heat to the copper bottom, though this setup is less efficient than using induction-ready cookware.