Comparison
They are not competing for the same job. Your hob decides first, and what you cook decides second.
The physics, briefly
Copper conducts about twenty times better than stainless steel. Stainless on its own is a poor conductor, which is why nobody makes a pan from it alone — multi-ply works by hiding aluminium between two skins of steel, and aluminium conducts about half as well as copper.
So the ladder is copper, then multi-ply stainless, then everything else. What that buys is control, not heat.
Where each one wins
Copper wins on anything you must stop at the right moment: sauces, sugar, reductions, delicate proteins. Multi-ply stainless wins on anything you want to leave alone — boiling, braising, roasting, searing — and on any hob where copper cannot work at all.
Multi-ply also wins on maintenance. Dishwasher, no tarnish, and it does not mind a tomato sauce left overnight.
Cost, over ten years
A copper saucepan costs roughly twice a comparable multi-ply one, and neither wears out. Copper is a tool bought for a particular kind of cooking rather than a general upgrade: if you never make a beurre blanc, you will not notice what you paid for.
If you are buying one pan
On induction, buy multi-ply. On gas, buy a 1.5 mm copper saucepan and find out whether you care. Plenty of excellent cooks do not, and there is no shame in that answer.
Where to go next
Questions people actually ask
Is copper better than stainless steel?
Better at control, not at everything. Copper answers the hob faster; multi-ply is more forgiving, dishwasher-safe and works on induction.
Which is better for a beginner?
Multi-ply stainless. It tolerates mistakes, needs no care and works on every hob.
Can I mix the two?
Most good kitchens do — copper for sauces, stainless for the heavy work.
Made by Mauviel1830 in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy. The Culinary Equipment Co is the appointed distributor for South Africa.