Guided selling
Three questions decide it. The first one eliminates half the range in a single answer.
1. What do you cook on?
This is the question that disqualifies, so answer it first. An induction hob needs a magnetic base. Copper is not magnetic. For two decades that meant an induction kitchen simply could not have copper in it.
Mauviel solved it by drawing six plies into a single body — stainless inside, three layers of aluminium, a layer of steel the coil can read, and copper on the outside. That collection is M’6 S, and it is the only copper here that will work on induction.
| Your hob | What is open to you |
|---|---|
| Induction | M’Cook, M’Cook B, M’Elite, M’Steel — and M’6 S if you want copper. Everything else needs an interface disc. |
| Gas | Everything. Gas is the most forgiving hob there is and copper was designed for it. |
| Ceramic or halogen | Everything, but keep the pan base no smaller than the ring, and never past two thirds power. |
| Solid electric plate | Everything. Copper is wasted on it — the plate responds too slowly to exploit copper’s speed. |
2. What kind of cook are you?
Not how good — how you actually work. Someone who reduces sauces and watches a pan wants copper, because copper answers the dial in seconds. Someone who puts a braise in the oven for three hours and walks away is paying for a responsiveness they will never use, and would be better served by five-ply stainless.
- AYou cook by watchingSauces, reductions, fish, anything where thirty seconds matters. Copper. M’150 for everyday, M’200 if you work fast over high heat.
- BYou cook by timeBraises, stocks, roasts, big batches. Five-ply stainless. M’Cook or M’Elite. Indifferent to acid, dishwasher-tolerant, induction-ready.
- CYou cook hot and fastSteak, stir-fry, anything that wants a hard sear. Carbon steel. M’Steel takes heat no coated pan survives, and costs a fraction.
- DYou bakeUnlined copper sets a jam and stiffens egg whites in a way nothing else does. M’Passion for sugar work, M’Passion Tôle black steel for pastry.
3. How thick, and held by what?
Within copper, thickness is the only real decision. 1.5 mm (M’150) heats faster and weighs less when full. 2 mm (M’200) has a third more metal, so it holds its temperature when cold stock goes in instead of dropping and having to climb back. That is what professionals pay for, and at 24 cm and above you will feel the extra weight.
The handle is a preference, not a performance question. B is cast bronze — warm, traditional, and it stays cooler than steel over a long braise. S is cast stainless steel — modern, quieter against a contemporary kitchen, and consistently a little cheaper.
The whole range, on one page
| Collection | Material | Thickness | Induction | Saucepan from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M’150 S | 90% copper / 10% 18/10 stainless | 1.5 mm | No | R3,750 | The everyday copper, modern handles |
| M’150 B | 90% copper / 10% 18/10 stainless | 1.5 mm | No | R3,950 | The same pan in cast bronze |
| M’200 B | 90% copper / 10% 18/10 stainless | 2 mm | No | R5,480 | Professional gauge, holds temperature |
| M’6 S | 6-ply, copper exterior | 2.6 mm | Yes | R6,430 | Copper on an induction hob |
| M’Tradition | Solid copper, hand-tinned | 2.6 mm | No | R7,130 | Collectors, and shapes nobody else makes |
| M’Elite | 5-ply 18/10 stainless | 2.6 mm | Yes | R1,670 | Best value into multi-ply, non-drip edge |
| M’Cook | 5-ply 18/10 stainless | 2.6 mm | Yes | R2,610 | The default. Broadest range, lowest upkeep |
| M’Cook B | 5-ply 18/10 stainless | 2.6 mm | Yes | R3,590 | M’Cook with cast bronze, for open kitchens |
| M’Steel | Black carbon steel | 2–2.5 mm | Yes | R840 | Searing. The professional answer, cheaply |
| M’Passion | Unlined copper | 1.5 mm | No | R910 | Jam, caramel, meringue. Sweet work only |
| M’Passion Tôle | Black steel, non-stick | 1 mm | Oven | R190 | Tarts, cakes, charlottes, pandoro |
Prices are the lowest current price in that collection for the shape named, including VAT.
If you only buy one thing
Buy a 20 cm saucepan in the collection you have chosen, and cook with it for a month. It is the most-used shape in any kitchen, it is the cheapest way to find out whether the metal suits you, and if it does, everything you buy afterwards will match it.
If you already know, a set is cheaper per piece and every item shares a handle, a finish and a lid.
Still not sure? Tell us your hob and the two dishes you cook most often, and we will tell you which three pieces to start with. Every collection here is made by Mauviel1830 in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy.