OK. First thing you should do is Google "Cuisinart 10-piece copper set" and study the results. If they are talking about the same set you are then the set is 3-ply copper outside, aluminum core, and stainless inside. Copper/tin such as the Mauviel Cupretam line is the best for heat transfer. This is followed by copper/stainless such as Mauviel Cuprinox (or Falk or Bourgeat or DeBuyer or DeHillerin) which has all the advantages of the Cupretam without the drawbacks of tin (scratches easily, melts if gotten too hot, the piece needs retinning eventually due to normal wear and tear). Next best for heat transfer is straight aluminum which can be found at your local restaurant supply and is as sturdy, light and cheap as copper is near indestructible, heavy and hideously expensive. Stainless-lined aluminum is a good bet but the good stuff such as All-Clad comes at a premium. All-Clad, Emerilware and Kitchen-Aid have an extensive line of cookware and is worth a look. Straight stainless is at the bottom of the heap and does not perform well.

Back to the Cuisinart set. What they mean by "patina" is the schmutz that collects on the copper if you don't regularly polish it. In six months of cooking hearty agita-inducing sauces for your no-doubt extended family you will have much patina, all right. The rub, however, is that there won't be enough copper in the piece to do what aluminum does almost as well. The stainless lining will stay in nice shiny good condition but you'll have to keep it that way by hand since you can't put copper in a dishwasher. Aluminum either. So if you like the idea of hard-earned patina, this may be a good choice. If not, get a piece at a time of somebody's 3 or 5 ply good quality stuff. Or some pro-weight copper once in a while. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and road trips all lend themselves to acquiring what will become an attractive, eclectic collection of cookware that will add texture and warmth to your family's most important room...the Kitchen!

I have owned 15 all-copper, SS lined pans plus their respective lids since the mid to late 70's as my primary set of cookware. I obviously love this cookware or I never would have kept it this long. However, it DOES require a commitment if you want it to remain looking as new. I polish my cookware after each use and it looks beautiful hanging in my kitchen. It is a joy for me each time I reach for one of these pans. I suspect, however, that I am in the minority in that I don't mind polishing them. Even when our kids were little and I was working outside the home full-time, this is the cookware I used. I've used my copper on both electric & gas ranges (currently, on gas) and it has performed excellent on both. If you don't fall in love with this Cuisinart set...pass and look for something more suited to the effort you're willing to put in to maintain it. SS lined copper can go into the dishwasher but it will be more difficult to polish. If you decide to purchase the Cuisinart set...here's a hint...when you are polishing rinse with lukewarm water...too hot of water will right before your eyes retarnish the pan. Also, if you live in an area of high summer hummidity and do not have A/C...expect to polish more frequently. As much as I love my cookware, I'm VERY glad we put in central air.

Copper is a major pain to keep looking nice. Make that, a major, major, major pain to keep looking nice. And from the sounds of what others have posted here, the Cuisinart isn't really a "copper pan", it's just a stainless-steel lined aluminum pan with a bit of copper on the outside for marketing pizzazze.

If I were willing to put up with the hassle of keeping up copper, I'd get real copper cookware, so that I'd be getting some advantage from from it. Cookware that takes all the work, and gives back none of the advantages, seems stupid to me.

As it turns out, I've bought several very nice, and expensive, copper pieces. And they're such a pain to take care of that they've pretty much just become kitchen ornaments.

For actual cooking, I've ended up with Demeyere Atlantis, which has all the advantages of copper (there's 2mm of solid copper in the bottom), but has it wrapped up inside and out with stainless steel that goes into the dishwasher.

Solarpowered, Your post made my decision...Copper is NOT for me...It is just so beautiful in the ad, I would love to own it but with DH, a 13 & 10 year old & 2 dogs I just wouldn't make the effort...The real truth... In my heart though I thought if I owned I would at least try, but I know me better than that....Thanks so much
Tricia & Calvin thank you so much for the education on the copper set...You all have helped my decision against copper for our family...