Cooking Reviews

Cooking is my hobby and fine cookware is a joy to use. I have this pan. It is superb. I buy nothing but the best cookware and this is the best I've ever found. I have other brands and other Calphalon, nothing else is this good. Leave it dirty on the stove a day crusted from frying, put it under a faucet, it will wipe clean with a sponge. You might buy cheaper, but you won't buy better. This is an investment for a lifetime. Don't abuse it and it will last that long. this isn't the only Commercial nonstick I have. I have several others. They all have the same quality. Professional nonstick is not the same.

CALPHALON COMMERCIAL NONSTICK ARE THE ONLY POTS AND PANS I OWN. I WAS AMAZED TO FIND OUT HOW EASILY THEY CLEANED UP. YOU CAN LITTERALLY WIPE THEM CLEAN WITH A PAPER TOWEL. THE 14 INCH PAELLA PAN IS THE PERFECT SIZE FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. I NO LONGER MIND MY TEENAGERS COOKING AND LEAVING ME THE PANS TO CLEAN UP.

I recently purchased a Calphalon 12-Quart Stock Pot from Amazon.com about a month ago. I received the pot and when I opened the box the pot was bent.. I sent it back and a few days later it was here. I took it inside, opened it and this pot was bent worse than the first one. I sent customer service another note telling them this one was bent also. I got an email the next day stating the following

Thank you for writing back to us at Amazon.com.
I apologize for the delay in responding to your e-mail message.
Please be assured that all of us here are working very hard to
provide a thorough, personal answer to each of our customers as
quickly as possible.
I have reviewed our previous correspondence and your order. I
sympathize with your frustration in this matter. However, please understand that the information provided in our last message correctly represents our policy at this time. As per our policy, we are unable to replace the item again. I would
request you to return the defective item. Once we receive your
return, we will issue the full refund and send you an e-mail
confirming the refund amount.

Please use the return mailing label you printed from our web site.

We always appreciate customer input on how we can improve our store,
and I have passed your message along to our shipping department.

The packaging methods we use have been proven to protect a variety
of items effectively. However, the occasional problem is inevitable,

and we take full responsibility for the safe delivery of your order.

Again, please accept our sincere apologies for this inconvenience.

Thank you for your understanding. We hope to see you again at
Amazon.com.

Until this problem came along I had placed Amazon.com a "cut-above" in pleasing the customer. To me that means their whole staff sells by the "value added" concept. Now it's just another company that will just take an order instead of selling the Company's reputation by standing behind an order. It's much easier to avoid the problem rather than finding a suitable solution. I kept the last one delivered and used three huge C-Clamps, towels to keep them from scratching the outer portion and a T-Square to measure the diameters. After 4 days it was round once again. I'm sorry but the only way to get the attenion of a large business is to discontinue purchases from Amazon.com. It's a shame that it came to an end because of a couple of people that didn't want to find a solution because it's easier to just say go away.

I purchased this pot mainly for making soups and chilis. It is undoubtedly the best large pot that I have used. You can simmer foods in this for hours without worrying about anything burning on. Highly recommended.

A stockpot with a nonstick finish will prevent items sticking to the base when cooking soups or pasta. This size is perfect for boiling pasta, potatoes or any large vegetables. The nonstick finish helps to prevent items sticking to the base of the pot and burning. Perfect for a large pot of soup.

This is a fantastic cookware set, and a great bargain!! I love my new pots and pans, and have used so many different brands both commercial and industrial. Nothing has ever come close to these! Clean up is a dream, they heat and cook evenly, and the handles are balanced with the pot/pan so they are not awkward to hold/use. I am 110% pleased with this set. If you're looking to upgrade or just starting out, this is the set for you!!.

I'm a housewife who had back surgy. Heavy Pots and pans are out of the question. I purchased a set of Calphon. They are light weight with a easy to clean non stick surface. I have a ten lb. wieight restriction. The Calhahon are light enough so that when you add what ever food. they are still light enough to pick up.
they have an even heat distrabution. So they cook even,and no matter how messy. They clean up in no time. Got to love em.

Think low fat cooking! This cookware set is wonderful, food cooks evenly and does NOT stick! Perfect for people like me who want easy clean, and the ability to cook with no oil at all if I desire. The Calphalon web site is a good place to start if you are not sure which of their sets is right for you; they have a "quiz" you can take and they recommend cookware based on your cooking preferences.

This is definitely the most heavily used pan in our kitchen. Part wok, part sauce pan, part saute pan - there's so many different things you can do with it. We upgraded from a cheaper pan that was wider and not as deep, and we thought we might not like the depth of this pan, but it's great because food doesn't spill out as easily when you're cooking.

Also, it heats evenly and the nonstick coating is amazing. The only disadvantage we've heard about Calphalon is that the hard anodized outer coating tends to scratch over time. We've only had this pan (and a couple others) for about 3 months, but we have noticed a couple of small scratches. One way to help avoid this is to get a pot rack which we're about to do. We have this pan and 2 other Calphalon nonstick fry pans. If you want nonstick and/or you're buying a set, this Calphalon commercial nonstick stuff is awesome. One other brand to consider though is All-Clad (if you can afford it). We've got a few All-Clad sauce pans and the quality is outstanding (plus they're beautiful). You can find factory seconds of All-Clad and Calphalon occasionally at discount stores like TJ Maxx. Then the prices are generally 50% off retail, but you've got to be real careful that the items aren't damaged.

I was skeptical at first of this heavy cookware, but after asking around decided to purchase 1 piece. Now I'm saving for a whole set!! It's amazing. The food almost cooks itself. It heats up quickly (which is great when your short on time like I am), it cooks evenly, and NONSTICK? . . . they should call it WON'T STICK EVEN IF YOU TRIED!! Clean up is a snap, since NOTHING STICKS!! It should not go into the dishwasher, but as I said cleaning it is easy. I've never owned a pan like this, but I plan to purchase nothing but this from here on in!! It makes cooking fun again. On top of all that, it's beautiful. It's so pretty,I refuse to put it away and hide it. It's at the top of my Christmas list this year (to be given as gifts, and to be received)!

When shopping for cookware, you really should look out for:
1) materials -- what's the pan made of? What's the durability of the surface? Calphalon only rates so-so for me here. It's fairly thick aluminum, but these pans DO warp over time.
2) pan shape -- I use the "pouring" test, which is all about how the pan lip is designed. Calphalon fails big for me here.
3) pan manipulability -- I really don't like the new swoopy Calphalon handles. They're smooth and curvy and narrow, making it very hard to control the pan when lifting or partially lifting it off the fire.

There are plenty of good cookware manufacturers out there. My money definitely goes elsewhere after some considerable experience with a large set of Calphalon.

I got along for many years without this pan. Looking back, I don't know how.

First of all, it's solid. Nice and heavy. The non-stick surface is amazing. Nothing-- I mean nothing can stick to it. It's Calphalon- the Porsche of pans, in my opinion. The sides are nice and high, which means you can have lots of liquid in there and still have room to stir. This is especially important for reductions, where you start out with a lot of liquid.

This is a pan I plan to keep and continue to use for a long, long time.

I have used mine for over a year now. I will never buy anything except this line of cookware in the future. Never sticks, easy to clean, after a year of everyday use (family of 6) it's still in good shape! Note: We only clean it with a dobie pad as directed! Large enough to do four american-toast at the same time. Great heat distribution. Just great, and BIG! Gave it to some friends as a present, they love it too. Glad I found it in this lifetime! Get it - I think You'll love it too! And No, I have no affiliation with calaphon.

Caphalon cookware is considered among the best, and this is a great pan. I do think, however, that there are others just as nice but half the price. My main contention with this pan is weight-- Caphalon cookware is *heavy*! While this is a nice pan to have, there are others that are just as good, easier to handle, and cheaper.

I have over twenty pieces of cookware from Calphalon, both hard-Anodized and nonstick. And I use these cookware daily. They conduct heat quickly and evenly. They are of perfect weight, not too heavy and not too thin as could be easily dented, damaged or unable to conduct and retain heat. They could be easily rinsed clean and after years of heavy use, they still look new and perform wonderfully. Only copper cookware can conduct heat better, but they are usually VERY expensive and VERY heavy thus not practical for household use. If you haven't tried Anodized Aluminum cookware, I strongly urge you to buy a piece from Calphalon and try it. You'll love it and thank me.

12-inch non-stick Cal Comm pan would have done the trick but it arrived (promptly) with a couple defects: 1) An all-too-noticeable machine line at transition to radius (spatula would catch on it), and 2) Three or four raised/marred areas on bottom that made for poor contact on our ceramic top stove. Handle does seem a little more on style and less on ergonomics.
Returned it (Cooking.com - great service people, no problem), but contrary to what was said when we had sent it in, there were no more to exchange. Did get it at significant sale and probably should have kept it, warts and all. Two other C-C pans doing well.

I bought this pan because it was on sale at a great price. I've been buying commercial (restaurant) non-stick aluminum from restaurant supply stores for some time. I own three nard anodized Calphalon pans. This pan arrived in time for me to cook dinner with it two nights ago. When I took it out of the box, I was immediately aware that the handle makes the pan unwieldy. It feels that, if it is the least bit unbalanced to either side, the pan will spin in your grip. The lid from my "chicken fryer" fits this pan, which is a help. I expect my wok lid to also fit, though I haven't tried yet. The non-stick surface worked fine. A broader, more manageable handle and/or a helper handle would make this a great pan.

This is the best nonstick pan in the world, and here's why:

1) The 12-inch size is large enough for almost anything.
2) The handle on the Commercial products stays cooler than on the Professional regular Calphalon line.
3) The nonstick surface is superior to anything else you will ever use, and it's guaranteed forever. The Commercial line has far better nonstick material than the Professional line, by the way. I have both and I can not recommend the Professional line because the surface becomes sticky over time. Calphalon's web site discusses the superiority of the Commercial line if you want more details.
About the only thing this pan is missing is a helper handle.

Addendum: The review which complains about food sticking to the Calphalon clearly should not be for this pan. ... Food glides off of this pan so easily, you will be amazed! Food sticks on regular Calphalon, but that's how you get the excellent browning that the regular Calphalon provides!

Addendum 2: You can not put Calphalon products in the dishwasher, but that is not a big deal because the superior nonstick surface is a breeze to clean.

Enjoy!