Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 13-piece Cookware Set

8-inch omelette pan
10-inch omelette pan
12-inch omelette pan
1-1/2-quart sauce pan (with lid)
2-1/2-quart sauce pan (with lid)
3-quart saute pan (with lid)
3-quart chef's pan (with lid)
6-quart stock pot (with lid)

"Excellent quality at a fair price" by customer Kathleen Karsko "47 States"
5 Stars

First, this cookware is excellent but you have to know how to use it. Put the empty pan on the heat at the temperature that you want to cook at. Wait about 2-3 minutes and then add a little oil or butter (but have your food ready or your butter will burn) and heat for about 20 seconds (butter) to 1 minute (oil). Then add your food. Eggs work excellent this way and just slide off the pan. I have also used chicken broth to cook the egg in (just wanted to see if it would stick) and it did not. So as long as your pan is at the correct temperature and you add some kind of liquid you will be ok.

I like that the lids fit a lot of different pans so if you break one you probably have another on hand. I like that you can see through the glass but I do prefer unbreakable lids. They are heavy and have stood up well.

The fry pans have all been used several times and are the right sizes. The sauce pans have been used a lot and I did a chocolate sauce test between the smaller one and a copper pot I have of the same size. Cooking 1 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 tbsp. vanilla in both pans at the same temp ... the copper pot was 40 seconds faster to completion. That was with pre-heating both pans. Starting with a cold pan the copper pot won by 3 minutes 35 seconds. This was very acceptable as I also used one of my old cheap pans and it took much longer and did not cook evenly.

The sauce pan and sauciere have only been used one time each. I poached some chicken in one and made a marinara sauce with sun-dried and fresh tomatoes that I let simmer for 45 minutes. Both cooked exceptionally well.

My complaint is the 6 quart stock pot. No inserts and it is not very big. I used it to brown hamburger and make chili and it works fine for sauteing the meat and then simmering the chili. Replacing this with the 8 quart stock pot (with inserts) would have been ideal. FYI - Calphalon no longer sells the inserts for the 6 quart. You can obtain some that will work online but they don't fit as properly as they should. I purchased the 8 quart pot separately and it is wonderful.

Cleaning is very easy if you do it properly. I never place my pans in the dishwasher although the directions say that you can. Let the pan cool, although you can add a little water to the bottom before it cools completely. Most of the time I just wash with a dishrag and it comes clean. Otherwise I scrub with a little Bar Keepers Friend (inside and outside). I purposely burned some food in a fry pan and then tested clean-up. A 20 minute soak and 1 minute of scrubbing and it was back to normal. Make sure that you clean all of the grease off the pan every time - inside and out!

Storing the set does take some room and Calphalon says not to stack it. I bought some felt dish separators at BB&Beyond and use them to separate the pans. It works well, prevents scratching and I can stack the pans in my limited space.

If you use this set properly it will last many, many years and I like the lifetime warranty.

"The best choice I could have made" by customer Julie.F
5 Stars

I researched the internet for about 3 weeks before deciding to purchase this set to replace my old non-stick cookware. I've been using this new set for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely love it! I've cooked everything from pork chops, chicken, steaks, sauerkraut and sausages, and even homemade soup without any difficulty. If you've never used stainless steel, you will have a small learning curve and need to watch your food closely for the first few attempts. These pans don't require as much heat as my old non-stick cookware. I never need to cook anything above a medium temperature with this new set. It carmelizes foods beautifully and the flavor is amazing. Those little brown bits at the bottom of the pan make the most wonderful sauces and add so much flavor to soups or stews!

Another reason that I chose this set is because you can take it right from the stove top to the oven. I've started cooking a few things on the stovetop and then finished them off in the oven with no problem at all. Even though the handles stay cool on the stovetop, they will get hot in the oven so make sure you are careful. I also love the way the lids are designed. The are made to rest slightly lower than the rim of the pot and are so easy to clean! I did notice that if you leave a lid on a simmering pot, it will get hot enough that you need to use a pot holder or kitchen towel to lift it. A small price to pay for oven friendly lids that are as functional as they are beautiful.

Cleaning these pans has been a breeze! I've never had to 'scrub' anything. Even after being lazy and leaving the dirty pans to sit over night. If something was dried on, I simply let the pan soak for a few minutes in warm soapy water and wiped it clean with a no scratch sponge. Don't be alarmed if you see white patches or odd discolorations on the bottom of your pans after you've washed them. All you have to do is just sprinkle some Bar Keeper's Friend on the bottom of the pan and wipe with a damp sponge and rinse clean and wipe dry. They dissapear almost like magic. While you could put these pans in the dishwasher, it isn't really recommended. I've always handwashed my pans because my dishwasher is small. I think this cookware is beautiful and I want too keep it looking that way so that I can display it on my new hanging pot rack!

"Great cookware!" by customer A. Galdi
5 Stars

I absolutely LOVE this set of cookware. I have an induction burner (which I also LOVE), and it can be hard sometimes finding pans that will work. Not only do these work with any stovetop, but they look and feel great. They're very easy to clean, and I haven't had any problems with things really sticking and I don't have to worry about ingesting chemicals from DuPont. While I really only use the same 3-4 pots/pans most of the time, it's nice to have the variety for when you do need something different. The build quality is really solid and like I said, they're so pretty! Was considering the All-Clad, but I think these are just as good and nearly 1/3 the price. Definitely worth it!!