Can I put copper pans in the dishwasher?

“Can I put copper pans in the dishwasher?” You’ll hear me asking this exact question to my Alexa or Google Home every time I use the dishwasher.  Maybe I’m suffering from early-onset dementia or maybe I’m just paranoid.

In fact,  I find myself asking either Siri or Alexa which items I can put into the dishwasher nearly every time. I’m usually asking specifically the same question about whether I could put my copper pots into the dishwasher. We have quite a few copper pots and pans and it seems to be an ongoing question.

Surprisingly, the answer is actually slightly more complicated than you would think. There are quite a few sources like Good Housekeeping that say you cannot put or should not put copper into the dishwasher. The concern is the hardness of the dishwasher can cause copper services to dull. They recommend, of course, handwashing your copper mugs, pots, and copper pans instead.

Where the story varies is when we use Copper Chef pans. Copper Chef cookware is sold in QVC and other places. I personally picked up Copper Chef at the Christmas Tree Shops. They specifically say they can go in the dishwasher. This is because they’re not made of true copper. Even though the name does say copper, and it is voted product of the year, it turns out that the cookware is made of aluminum with two copper-colored layers that give it a look.

So, even though Copper Chef has copper in the name, Copper Chef can go in the dishwasher. However, if we are talking about pure copper, it cannot.