Calphalon Contemporary Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set Review
Calphalon Contemporary Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set Feature
- Includes 8- and 10-inch omelet pans; 1-1/2-quart and 3-1/2-quart saucepans with lids; 3-quart sauté pan with lid; 8-quart stockpot with lid
- Brushed stainless-steel exteriors and interiors help hide wear
- Tri-ply construction; aluminum core for superb conductivity and heating
- Stay-cool handles for comfort through hours of stovetop cooking
- Oven- and dishwasher-safe; covers oven-safe to 450 F; lifetime warranty
I would rate this 4.6; reasons to follow:
To start off, I spent around 5 months of looking into cookware before I made a decision on these. Some of the “Honorable mentions” would be All Clad, Emeril Ware, Simply Calphalon, Calphalon One, Calphalon NonStick, and the Calphalon Anodized. After much debate, handling, and “weighing of pros and cons”, I settled on this set.
The BreakDown:
I LOVE this set and would definitely purchase these lil’ gems again. I plan on getting married soon and I’m the more of the cook in the relationship; hence, I was looking for something long-term and that both of us would feel comfortable using.
THE SELLING POINTS:
Stylish, brushed stainless steel coating. Looks good now, should still be in style later on. Traditional look with a contemporary style.
See-through lids (although it fogs up and you can’t see anything anyway, it’s a splashy idea nonetheless)
Smooth handle with “Y” connected handle – This is GREAT since the heat transfer area is slight and really keeps the handle safe to the touch. The other thing with the handle is that it’s easy to hold even with the heavier pan (3-quart sauté pan). When I checked out All Clad’s cookware, their handles hurt my hand. Theirs is in the shape of a sharp edged trough – I could barely hold the thing without pain; and this was before food was in it.
Weight: These don’t really weigh all that much compared to some of the other brands. By no means is it lightweight; but it provides a “solid” feel to it. My Fiance, who has small hands (ring size 3) doesn’t have a problem handling these. She used All Clad and hated the handle design and the weight of them.
Even Heating: it’s been mentioned before, but these really do heat up evenly. Some (Emerilware) have this little copper/metal base on the bottom of the pan. Pretty much only the food above the base gets cooked and the outsides don’t. I’ve never had a problem with uneven cooking, even with a largely stuffed pan. Don’t misunderstand this, you still do have to rotate food while cooking; but this isn’t a serious concern.
Non-stick: Although this set is NOT non-stick. It sure has some of it’s properties. I can make a fried egg with no problem and saute stuff with no sticking. IF food does start to stick, see Tip 1 below.
THE BLAHHH:
Heating: It IS true…these will heat up quickly. DO NOT put these past HIGH! Even Med-High is pushing it. In my experience, I can saute onions, peppers, chicken ect at low-med heat with no problem. I can not tell you how many times I’ve burned olive oil in these things; and it’s a $***& to get off. If you do happen to burn stuff in these, get BarKeeper’s Friend. It takes off most of what you had on there.
Tip 1: I found out that after cooking a particularly “dirty” dish (or if food starts to stick to it), I’d have to use BK Friend to get it back to where food (eggs in particular wouldn’t stick to it).
Edges: You’ll notice that there’s an edge for where the lid fits comfortably in place. The problem here is that if you burn something in the pan, you’ll need a knife/razor blade to scrape this stuff off. Even BKF won’t get off some of this stuff if you burn it on good enough. I like the edges, but the fact that there’s no way to really clean this is a con.
Scratching: Ok, here’s the deal with this. Calphalon DOES say that you CAN use metal utensils with this set. Using metal utensils doesn’t hurt the cookware; but it WILL scratch them. I use wood or plastic with these and have had great luck with it. In the case that I do need to scrape stuff off the bottom. I have no problem with using metal. If I’m somewhat careful, I might inflict a minute scratch.
Washing: This really isn’t a Con per se, but it can be a turn-off to some people. You WILL have to hand wash these and DRY them when you’re done cooking. No air-drying here. It’ll leave water marks and food will stick.
Tip 2: always use hot soapy water when washing this stuff and never put cold water in these when they’re hot in order to get the “bits” off. You’ll ruin it and void the warranty.
Conclusion:
From talking to other people, this set seems to be a bit more finicky about it’s care and use than some of the other brands. For me, this has been a “Smooth” set to work with and it seems to be a great tool. Something that I’ll be using for a rather long time. It is one of the more expensive of Calphalon’s line, and you can’t always find this line. Get the stuff early, and get all the matching stuff that you’d want – it might not be here forever.
wonderful set of cookware! – Carma – Southwest USA
I have had this set for over two years and I love it! And I have to say, in response to the other reviews, I don’t buy Barkeeper’s Friend (or anything similar), but I have no problem cleaning these pans – EVEN FOR EGGS. As long as you preheat correctly there is little sticking or cleanup, and a little soaking takes care of the times when the preheating wasn’t done correctly (like, by my husband!). Just remember: “hot pan, cold oil, food won’t stick!”
These pans heat quickly and wonderfully evenly every time – I never have to turn my burner above medium. Not to mention, they are beautiful and ergonomically easy to handle. I have carpal tunnel syndrome but the construction of the handle and the way it joins to the pan makes it easy to lift and carry. Also, the way the handle joins to the pan (with a Y construction) ensures that it is a very solid join but conducts little heat, so the handle remains cool.
Yes, the handle on top of the lid gets hot since it is directly over the heat, but that seems kind of obvious; just use a hot pad to lift the lid. Also, I have had none of the discoloration problems mentioned here; I’m not sure what might cause that, but whatever it is I apparently don’t do it. I have also had NO problems with the pans denting and I do sometimes use metal spoons, though I prefer wooden.
No, they don’t look brand new any more, but really, who cares? They are extremely well-constructed and in two years of hard use (family of six) none of the joins or screws have loosened even a smidge, and no glass lids have broken. Plus, they are by far the most attractive pots and pans I’ve even seen, with lovely elegant lines. I like having them in my kitchen to look at as well as to use.
Stainless Calphalon – K. Bryson – Palmdale, CA USA
I am a Calphalon user since 1984. Lately, the older Calphalon model became too heavy for me to use; these stainless ones are lighter and cook like a dream. Little heat required and they clean up like a charm. I LOVE them.
My thoughts on Calphalon Contemporary Stainless – C. Conn – Bellevue, Wa
I bought the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless cookware 13 pieces set three months ago and wanted to give my thoughts. First of all I am a beginner cook and have only done simple things with the pans.
I did my homework; I read various web sites on stainless cookware and how to care for it. I read all of the instructions that came with the pans. I checked out Calphalons web page as well.
I have had no issues with sticking, none. First I warm up the pan slowly, and then I put a light layer of heart friendly oil in the pan.
Clean up is a breeze, the trick BAR KEEPERS FRIEND.
The pans still look as good as new. Use plastic and wood utensils with the pans, no metal. Mine came with a set of utensils, which I use every time.
One reviewer damaged the pans by hitting a ladle against the rim, I have been careful not to “BANG” the ladle against the rim.
And yes, the lid handles do get hot.
Nothing negative to say, buy these. Did I mention BAR KEEPERS FRIEND?
Britax Seats Silicone Bakeware Set Calphalon Copper
