Calphalon Reviews

This is a delightful piece of cookware. The ability to span two burners allows for making enough pancakes to feed a family or to cook and keep warm at the same time! The heat is spread very evenly without any hot spots. There is absolutely no need for oil or butter (I use butter/olive oil for flavor!) as the nonstick works wonderfully. The two corners at one end are "crimped" which allow for the easy pouring off of bacon grease without it running to the underside of the griddle (a really nice touch). Overall, this griddle is as good as I have ever used (in my 40+ years of cooking). This griddle is a real pleasure to use .

I have a ceramic cooktop with a bridge element. The cast iron double griddle/grills made sold at Williams Sonoma / Crate & Barrel are not supposed to be used on this surface. Additionally, a 20" griddle is 1/4" too long for the glass top cooktop.
The 11x18 Calphalon fixes both problems. It is a great size and does not harm the ceramic top.

I knew that with the bridge element, that the griddle would provide even heat across the length, but I was surpised at how well the griddle provided heat in the areas that were beyond the elements. I can cook up a half pound of bacon all at one time perfectly, and the corners are crimped to allow for easy grease pouring.

I highly recommend this pan.

The griddle is perfect for cooking multiple items simultaneously. It fits snug over two burners. Brings me back to the days of when I used to work at McDonalds working both pancakes and eggs at the same time.

I bought this pan a couple weeks ago and I absolutely love it!! Was a little concerned at first that the 6-quart size might be too large, but am finding that it's just perfect for doing all kinds of things. . . .Have made breaded, baked pork chops; roast sausage & peppers, garden vegetable frittata, bacon and eggs... Is terrific for all kinds of things. Like the rest of the Calphalon Commercial nonstick line, the pan is heavy, well made, cooks evenly, and cleans up easily. I have been replacing all my old cookware with Calphalon for the past three years now, and I've yet to buy a piece that I've been disappointed with. The commercial nonstick especially is fantastic, and well worth the extra $. You really do get what you pay for with the Calphalon pans, this one especially. (Price is great by the way too! Is much higher at other sites I checked.)

This pan is great. It heats evenly, clean up is a breeze and it's a beautiful pan! One of the main reasons I bought this pan was the fact that there is no long handle (like a saute pan). I have an older stove and my burners are a lot closer together than newer stove tops. I'm always having to make sure I keep the handle inside (on the stove top) in case my two year old decides to grab the handle to see whats for dinner. This pan prevents that from happening. Calphalon Commercial Nonstick pans are the best nonstick pans I have ever used. I checked around at many other web sites before buying this and this is the best price I have seen plus Amazon has free shipping! Can't beat that!

After using this pan for a couple of months, it is single-handedly the best piece of cookware i've ever bought. It is a good size (enough to make paella, risotto for a large number of people) and it is extremely easy to clean. Made in the USA, it's a great deal!

I must admit I was skeptical in owning a pot rack, how would it look with pots on it etc. But alas my lack of space and remodeling my kitchen allowed me to try this out. I looked for pot racks for a long time researching on the web. I find this to be a huge space saver, and it holds my heaviest Le Creuset, and cast iron skillets etc with no problems. Just use balancing principals, offset one side heavy pan opposite side heavy pan etc. Very easy. I had to buy extra chain to come down from my high ceiling and had a professional hang it for me so I have no worries of it coming down. He measured it so it would be within my reach. What a joy, and easy to get pots off and put them back on. The hooks hold well, which was another concern of mine. In no way is it an eye sore even with ugly beat up pans.
A purchase well spent. If you love to cook you'll want to buy extra hooks. Highly recommended.

My Aunt was getting married and someone had beat me to the punch in buying her the Calphalon Cookware set she desired. As I looked over her list I did not see a pot rack on it. I could not imagine getting such a lovely set of cookware and putting them in a cabinet. So I bought her one of these babies. She was thrilled. She had wanted a pot rack, but was not buying a house for about a year, so she was going to wait. House is bought and rack is up with lovley Calphalon pots and pans glistening from the ceiling. She loves it. I plan to get one myself, when I have the room. I already have many Calphalon pots and pans. The price is much better than what I have seen at the department stores.

The Calphalon Oval Pot Rack is just perfect for mid-sized, or large, kitchens. The brushed aluminum styling is identical to that of the Calpahalon pots and pans and will complement them nicely. Once installed you will find that it is not only a classy addition to your kitchen, but also very practical. My only complaint about this pot rack is the absence of mounting hooks, which you will need to get at your local hardware store (I got mine at Lowe's Home Improvement.) You DO NOT need to have this rack professionally installed if you are willing to climb on a ladder and feel comfortable drilling holes into your kitchen ceiling. Installing this pot rack is quite easy, and should not take you more than 30 minutes. Assembly of the rack will take you 10 to 15 minutes (the rack comes in 4 or 5 parts.) It took me about 15 minutes to choose a location, find two suitable studs, drill two holes and screw in the two hooks. My recommendation is to get yourself a stud finder, if you don't already own one, and use that to find two studs to drill into. Also, if you buy this rack, make sure you buy additional pot hooks, because once you start hanging your pots, you will want to hang all of them, and this rack does not come with enough hooks!

This is a very good pan for what it is designed for which is cooking eggs/omlettes or anything you don't want to stick. My wife and I have been purchasing any Calphalon pot/pan that show up with a good price. We now have 6 pieces with a minimim investment and maximum usage and enjoyment. Even if all you do is fry eggs this is a tremendous deal. Buy it!!

My original starter set of Calphalon Hard-Anodized cookware did not include any nonstick omelet/fry pans, so when the Calphalon Commercial nonstick cookware came on the market, I bought one of these 10-inch pans for a test pan. I was so pleased with its heavy-duty Commercial nonstick surface that I soon bought the matching 12-inch pan. This 10-inch pan is perfect for making a 2-3 egg omelet or scrambled eggs for two to three people. I also use it for quick frying and sautéing jobs when I want to avoid using a lot of oil or butter. I don't use this pan when I am cooking something with a sauce that will need reduction; for that task, I use my hard-anodized 3-quart sauté pan, which has the same diameter. I use Calphalon nylon cooking utensils or Le Creuset spatulas with this nonstick pan to avoid any scratching, and I wash it by hand. The 'cool-V' handle does stay cool to the touch. This Calphalon 25th Anniversary Special is an excellent buy, and you won't be disappointed.

Can't go wrong with a Caphalon pan. I am a amature cook, but my wife is professionally trained, and I value her opinion on cookware. We won't buy anything else now. It is so worth the money to not have to replace a pan every few years, plus the non-stick finish is the slickest of any I have ever used.

I love this pan. All my other cookware is Calphalon commercial hard-anodized. The only thing I have cooked on it that sticks bad is potatoes. I fried potatoes in this pan the first day I had it and they were great. Great price on Amazon.com too

I have owned many brands of pots and pans over the years and the Calphalon commercial nonstick are my FAVORITE. Foods cook quickly and brown evenly and clean-up is a breeze. HIGHLY reccommended!

This commercial nonstick stuff is the way to go. I won't buy anything else except I did buy a roasting pan that wasn't nonstick (for gravy). I honestly don't mind washing pans now. No problem!!! So, I just cook whatever I want with no worries!

Yes, this pot has a solid feel. However, in design and manufacturing standards, it's not on par with All-Clad, or those Cuisinart and Caphalon products that are made in the USA.

The weight of this utensil (5 lbs empty, about 11 lbs when filled with 3 quarts of water) paired with the relatively short handle make it slightly awkward in some situations. For example, its size make it ideal for cooking pasta for one or two people, but in that case I would have preferred that the pot have a second ("helper") handle or at least a longer single handle.

As others have noted, both interior and exterior finish are brushed, rather than mirror finish, making it slightly more difficult to clean. However, I disagree that all other finishes look the same after several months. Mirror finishes remain so if a good quality paste copper cleaner is used.

On the plus side: The lid of this pot fits well, and the handle of the lid is convenient.

Overall, good value, but not 5 star quality.

I recently purchased this pan, and my kitchen is all the better for it. Its best feature is its weight, which keeps it from being tipped over even when it holds very light ingredients. The handle is also superb, staying cool even on a very hot burner over a long period of time, and being more than sturdy enough to handle the body's considerable weight no matter what it contains.
The price is also quite reasonable for a pan of this quality. (It was so good, in fact, that I had it shipped, indirectly, all the way to Japan so I could use it for cooking local dishes).
I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy another product from the manufacturers.

We have a huge collection of Calphalon hard anodized, but when cooking tomato based dishes, they can discolor. Adding the copper with stainless interior makes it easier to clean up tomato sauce mess! I like the rounded bottom so my spoon can touch all the places with no "corner hiding". As always, the handle is what makes this Calphalon pan as well as the other commercial items stand out! I absolutely love the handle and it stays cool in all of my cooking... BUT remember if you use it in the oven it still gets HOT!!! The size is just right for small to medium families and we love it.

We purchased the Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized Cookware set . We use it daily to prepare meals for a family of five. It does perform admirably, as advertised. No, you can't put it in the dishwasher, but we figured that would be a worthwhile trade-off to get to quality cookware.
PROBLEM: The Anodized coating wore through to the shiny bare aluminum underneath in less than two years. Two other households we know of report similar situations. NOT GOOD! Aside from no longer having the cooking/cleaning benefits of the Anodized coating, aluminum is reactive with acidic foods and researchers are unsure of the health risks. We have, from day one, only cleaned the cookware with the recommended ScotchBrite Pads (Calphalon included a sample with our set) and cleansers. Our water supply's pH is neutral and the most acidic foodstuffs to ever occupy a pan was spaghetti sauce. Two years? What's up with that? We can now look forward to a lifetime (warranty) of packaging cookware and returning it for replacement every two years. Calphalon doesn't make it easy, either, folks. Unlike other major cookware manufacturers we've experienced, Calphalon WON'T ship warranty replacements first, allowing you to return your pans in those shipping containers. You have to provide both the shipping containers, AND pay shipping costs, both ways (Many manufacturers ship replacements first, provide return labels, and have UPS pick up returns at your door, prepaid- at these prices, Calphalon should provide this service). ADDED BONUS: the customer service reps we dealt with were not particulary pleasant or courteous. Calphalon is not exactly giving this stuff away, either. Based on the poor durability of the coating, the caliber of the customer service, and the draconian return policy, we recommend investigating the ALL CLAD alternatives. You'll be glad you did!

As another reviewer accurately stated, the regular retail price of any one of these pots is a lot more than the cost of the entire set. And when I saw the same set on sale at a major department store for a lot more money than Amazon was charging, the decision to get them was made. My thanks to that reviewer.

Now, maybe this is a guy thing, but I like good solid hardware and this cookware will last a lifetime and you will want to keep it that long. Just understand that you are getting large pieces and they are going to be relatively heavy (which I consider a plus).

The stainless steel handles in the Calphalon Commercial line (which this is) is a key part of the success of this hardware. They are cast stainless steel. Stainless steel is a relatively poor conductor of heat and so the pot may be hot, but the handles stay cool.

About cooking: a tiny bit of oil helps, as does putting food in the cookware at close to room temperature. If you do that and keep the heat LOW (1) the food will turn out beautifully browned (2) cleaning the pots will require little more than a rinse. (Yes, I do use soap, but there is no need for scrubbing.)

The set I received was made in the US and the quality was first-rate. Be aware that Calphalon is shifting more and more of their production overseas, so the days of getting these pots made in USA may be numbered.

I've used the Professional line for a few years now and liked it much better than the stainless or non-anodized aluminum cookware I had before. But the handle design gets hot pretty quickly so I started thinking about the Commercial line. I'd also lusted after the 5 Qt. saute pan for years -- after patiently collecting several pieces on sale at various places, I'd never seen that pan marked down very much in either line. Obviously many people are buying it at retail. When I saw this fantastic 5 piece set, at a price that was just over half the retail on the 5 Qt. saute, it was one of the most obvious no brainers I've seen. After using the Commercial line for a couple of months now, I'm looking for sales on other pieces to gradually replace all my Professional gear! The "cool-V" handles really do work well; it takes quite a while over fairly high heat before they get too hot to handle. Of course the reknowned Calphalon cooking surface is a given, and it's great.

I chose this pan for the calphalon name (and it was on sale). It was great for the first 2-3 months,...then unfortunately the non-stick surface self destructed, and the pan had to be tossed. This is despite taking very good care to always use plastic cooking utensils, teflon safe sponges etc. I was very dissapointed and expected way more from calphalon.

I have upgraded my rating after using the pan every day for a month. I am giving it five stars because it is a tremendous value. I was too critical in my initial review.

This is my first Calphalon pan. I purchased it primarily to use as an egg and breakfast fare pan. I wanted a good non-stick pan, because most of my other pans are stainless steel.

I consider it a very good buy for the price. It has a very attractive design and the interior non-stick cooking surface appears to be very durable. However, the pan is slightly heavy and slow to reach the proper temperature compared to stainless steel. The manufacturer's enclosed brochure says the slow warm-up is due to the non-stick surface (true of most non-stick pans). Once it arrives at the required temperature, it performs very well. This aluminum pan is the equivalent of a permanently seasoned cast iron griddle. It produces foolproof omelets and the food never sticks. I use it to warmup chicken breasts and make grilled sandwiches too. It is the most used pan in the house, because of my passion for eggs.

This product, like a few other Calphalon products I have examined, slipped past the quality control inspector. On my pan there is an interior area, smaller than a grain of rice, that was not sprayed with the non-stick coating. It is high enough on the pan where no one will ever cook on that spot, but it is there in plain sight. The lack of quality control may have something to do with the Calphalon pans being manufactured in third world countries - no offense intended. This pan is made in China. You would probably not have any trouble forgiving the stray blemish. Especially, when you consider this pan's beauty, functionality, and price.

Here is my list of PROS and CONS for this purchase.

PROS:
- Good price.
- Excellent non-stick surface - appears to be very durable too.
- Excellent stain resistant exterior.
- Cool & comfortable handle.
- Attractive appearance.
- Lifetime warranty.

CONS:
- Slow to warm up, because of the non-stick surface.
- Fairly heavy pan - you won't flip anything without a spatula - think griddle.
- Quality control at Calphalon could be better.
- The handle is beautiful, but the finish on the handle and rivets are not as refined as some of the more expensive cookware brands. However, it has no impact on the cooking.

Conclusion: Excellent pan for the price.

My 2 older teenagers, always hungry, cook with this pan daily and, although it's not looking new anymore, it is still an excellent, very useful pan. They use it to fry an egg, saute some sausage, whip up a single serving of hash browns, or grill a cheese sandwich. It's also made preparing crepes a pleasure--the crepes slide right out. The pan is quick to clean, and still retains it's non-stick qualities after constant use for more than 2 years. I am just about to order a second pan for my daughter to take with her to college.

Yes it works great, and you can fit lots of food on it. BUT - it didn't work so great on my ceramic cooktop, because of the way mine is configured. I could only fit the griddle on the biggest heating element and the smallest. Still, although it took a long time to heat up before I could pour the batter, it did a good job with the only fault being that it never did heat up the outer edges of the griddle where the small element didn't reach. Otherwise I would give it 5 stars.

This griddle is truly amazing. You can cook 12 small or 6 large pancakes at a time, or scramble 18 eggs. The deep edges keep everything where it should be, and the little gully around the side contains any butter while you're cooking your pancakes. We have a solid surface cooktop, and it works just fine, but I think it would do much better on a gas stove. The bottom is somewhat concave, which means it doesn't have continuous contact with the surface and takes a bit longer to heat up. But once it gets going, watch out! Cleans up like a dream. I could even see cooking burgers or fried ham on it.

This is the perfect fit for my dacor gas cooktop. The raised handles and pouring lip allow you to easily discard accumulated grease.

I have tried other brands of cookware and these are the best at any price I've seen. I own both a set of the Tri-ply stainless and the nonstick Contemporary cookware from Calphalon (bought one and won the other) and both are fantastic. As far as any discoloration on the stainless, try some Bon-Ami or Bartender's Friend powder. Works great and keeps everyting very shiny and clean. All-Clad is fine but for the money you can't beat Calphalon. Calpahlon is owned by Rubbermaid so maybe that explains why it is so good.

My fiance and I chose to add the Tri Ply series to our registry based on look and feel alone. We couldn't be happier that we did. They look beautiful and feel wonderful. FOOD ACTUALLY COOKS DIFFERENT IN THESE. I would recommend using lower heat than you would with a cheaper set.

I too experienced a discoloration after using one of the pots for the first time... had a heart attack! As per one of the earlier reviews: a little distilled vinegar... poof, back to normal!

FYI - We chose this set over an All-Clad set based on looks and price... but we have some friends who got the All-Clad set... ours seems better when it comes to quality...

I believe that both All-clad and Calphalon are now made in China. Go and compare both side-by-side. Check the lids for flatness (see if they "rock" back and forth or are level). Turn all of the pots and pans upside down and check for tightness of fit at the handle. Some of the more expensive All-clad have a space between the handle and the pan that you could slip a dime into. Really, go look for yourself. Calphalon has better quality control, the lids rock less (still a little every once in awhile), and the handles fit snug (less chance of food becoming trapped). They just seem to be a surperior product. Thanks for the tip on cleaning the inside with a tbs of distilled vinegar. Brand new and the insides picked up some rainbow color. A little distilled vinegar on the inside, rub with your fingers and rinse. Like new again. As for cooking these are great pots n pans. If you are not a serious cook get the commercial hard anodized or commercial nonstick. These are unbelievably easy to clean. A real pleasure to wash by hand, and they "brown" foods with no real difference if you are an average cook. If I were buying these again I would start with all the deep discount sale pieces and build my own set. Your food will tase better, the colors are much richer (carrots are orange and greens are really "green") I always thought that was just a lot of hype. My wife is a great cook. I am an "eater" and love quality products. Non of the handles get hot. Just use a normal light weight dish cloth. Happy eating