On Food and Cooking

Tin was probably first used in combination
with copper to make the mechanically tougher
alloy called bronze. Today tin is generally
found only as a nontoxic, unreactive lining in
copper utensils. This limited role is the result
of two inconvenient properties: a low melting
point, 450ºF/230ºC, that can be reached in
some cooking procedures, and a softness that
makes the metal very susceptible to wear. The
tin alloy called pewter, which used to contain
some lead and now is made with 7% antimony
and 2% copper, is not much used today.