I hate to cook but these pans are great
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| Review Date: January 18, 2003 |
| Reviewer: , |
I REALLY hate to cook but using these pans are great. Clean up is easy, just put them in the dishwasher. The see-thru lids are wonderful, too. Just remember the following: 1. You cannot use any spray-on cooking spray, it makes the pots/pans sticky. 2. Use low heat, these pans disburse heat very well. 3. You can use metal spatulas/utensils. 4. If something stuck on the pans, follow the directions.But these pots and pans are great, I really recommend them. |
Satisfied
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| Review Date: January 4, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Stephen Voorhies, Makati, Philippines |
| I have other stainless much more expensive, but this set is every bit the equal. Consider myself very good chef, and have found these pans to be of very high quality, and cook friendly. For price and quality best buy that I have. Note: even though I live in the Philippines I am US citizen and learned how to cook in Louisisna. |
The Best I've Had So Far!
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| Review Date: August 2, 2005 |
| Reviewer: J. Palmer, Seattle, WA |
| I used to have the Calphalon Commercial Non-Stick and I prefer these. The stainless steel pans seem to heat up faster, are easier to handle and you can put them in the dishwasher (although Calphalon prefers you handwash them). No problems yet and I don't forsee any. A great purchase! |
You Know You Want Me
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| Review Date: January 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Backatchatwice, Brooklyn, NY USA |
| This (13-piece) set is so adorable, you'll make up reasons to cook. Excellent weight, not flimsy. Easy to clean stainless is a wonderful thing. I got the set on (Christmas season) sale, and believe it is a good value at the sale price. |
Pam
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| Review Date: February 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: P. Farrant, Kansas |
| I love these pans. They are exactly what we wanted. These pans should last forever. I only wish I would have boughten more, like the bigger skillet. |
5 Years and going strong
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| Review Date: December 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Ronald K. Shy, KY |
Five years ago, I was looking for quality cookware. I researched extensively and even made a spreadsheet for comparisons. After two months I finally settled on the Calphalon Tri-Ply. I bought the same set advertised on Amazon from Bed Bath and Beyond. Price was about the same but I was able to do a side by side comparison with Emerilware and All Clad. I looked at, All Clad, Emerilware, Kitchen Aide, Farberware, and Tramontina.
I am pleased to share that five years ago I made the correct choice and I would buy the same cookware again. In fact, I have continued to add pieces to my set at every chance. Most of the additional pans were purchased from Amazon with a few that I caught on sale from various stores. My wife loves, I love it and it still looks great and performs wonderfully.
Why do we like it?
1. Sturdy, used daily for 5 years
2. Cooks evenly
3. Great glass lids that are interchangeable
4. Comfortable handles that stays cool (if the pan is on the burner evenly)
5. No drip pouring
6. And the kicker.................You can put it in the dishwasher!
Additionally, it cleans easily. Don't get me wrong, it is not non-stick. But with proper heat control and light oil you can fry omelets and eggs without sticking. However, I did buy the matching non-stick tri-ply pan for omelets.
There is not a better cookware on the market at any price. If you think the Calphalon Tri-Ply is too expensive, then keep your old set for another 6 months and save the extra money for the best. I made the mistake of buying what I could afford from Target. (See my previous reviews) I should have just waited and bought the Stainless Tri-Ply.
Five years and it still looks new!
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I bought this set about 4 years ago and LOVE them!
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| Review Date: February 27, 2010 |
| Reviewer: T. Leech, Las Vegas |
| I have had this set of pans for 4+ years and absolutely LOVE them. You must use butter or oil when cooking in them because they are not coated or nonstick at all. It took me a week or two to get the hang of cooking on them. A tip I can give you after trial and error... Let the pan heat up first, add the butter/oil to the heated pan, then add the stuff you are cooking onto the heated 'fat'. I can cook anything, even eggs, on these pans without any sticking at all when done like this. If the pan isn't properly heated and buttered everything will stick but it's a simple step to follow to have outstanding food in the end with a great crispness and color. The handles on the large pot do get very hot but the longer handles on the rest of the pots and pans stay perfectly cool! I highly recommend this set!! |
Superbly functioning pots and pans.
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| Review Date: January 3, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Edward Clarkson, Decatur, GA USA |
We have been extremely pleased with our tri-ply set (we have the 8-pc. set plus a number of extra pieces we've picked up). They heat evenly; are durable; the (long) handles really do stay cool; and clean well.
Our only complaint is that Calphalon doesn't seem to care about minimizing the number of lids necessary for their cookware. We own only one lid that fits more than one pot/pan (the one for the 10 in. pan, 3 qt. saute, 6 qt. stockpot)--and we have 4 other lids which fit only a single pot, some of which are within 1/2 in. of being the same width!
However, we'd still get these pans again in a second, and probably go for the 13-piece set instead of the 8 piece as well. |
Just as good as All-Clad at a better price
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| Review Date: September 17, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mediahound, SF Bay Area, CA United States |
The pots and pans in this set perform just as well as the more expensive All-Clad brand at a much lower price. They even have some features that are not included in the equivalent All-Clad line namely: the rolled lip for easier pouring and the glass lids. It really is nice to be able to see your food cooking without taking the lid off.
Although Calphalon is made in China these are quality made pieces.(All-Clad is made in the USA, but seems to slowly be moving some pieces to China-made so it may just be a matter of time before they too are all made in China)
Cooking and looks wise I feel these Calphalon are every bit as functional and durable as All-Clad and certainly are a better value for the money. |
Too Bad It's No Longer Made-In-USA
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| Review Date: November 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nekobasu, South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA |
I have a set of Calphalon tri-ply cookware that I purchased in 1996 when I got married. It was all made in USA back then, which was the biggest reason I felt I could trust it. For some reason, Calphalon's web site incorrectly states that tri-ply was introduced later. That's not true. The line was later re-engineered to use less metal and for lower quality standards in order for manufacturing to be outsourced to China. Look on the packaging for tri-ply products in your local Macy's, Williams-Sonoma, or other store that carries it. It's now made in China.
One very noticeable difference is that the old lids have thick handles. The thinnest part of the cross-section of the top center of the old lid handles is about 3/8" thick. The same cross-section of the new lid handles is 3/16" thick at most. In addition, the seam at the spot weld where the metal rim is joined to itself is very smooth and unnoticeable unless you specifically look for it. On the new lids, the same spot weld joint is offset about 1/64" and is obvious to the casual observer. You might think 1/64" is small, but when you consider that the same joint on the old lids is aligned to within less than 4/1000" (less than the thickness of an average human hair), it's way off.
Another difference I've noticed is that the pots and pans feel lighter that than the old stuff. This means that there is less metal, which translates into less even heat for cooking, and a greater chance of warping.
For some very stupid reason, when the tri-ply cookware was re-engineered for Chinese manufacturing, someone got the "bright" idea to change the shape of the pan and lid rims. That way, if I buy additional pieces of tri-ply for my kitchen, the pans and lids are incompatible with my existing tri-ply collection. The Chinese are becoming increasingly wealthy. The day will come; maybe in another 10-20 years; when manufacturing will get re-outsourced to Africa. The Chinese are already doing this themselves. At that time, you can trust Calphalon to re-engineer the tri-ply line again for even less metal and lower quality. You can be sure that it won't be compatible with what was made in USA or China either. Caveat emptor.
If I were starting out all over again on purchasing a cookware set I plan for my grandchildren to inherit, I would look for an American or European manufacturer that continues to make products that are compatible with what they manufactured at least 50 years ago and still produce in the original country of origin. You never know when you might wish to add to your collection or replace something that got damaged, was lost during a move, or never got returned by someone who borrowed it.
I was about to spend over $500 on additions to my Calphalon tri-ply set, including a 12" wok with covered lid, stock pot, pasta insert, a 3QT chef's pan, a set of every size of shallow sauce pan, and more. I already have every size of regular sauce pan, skillet, and saute pan, plus a lot more. The in-between size of the shallow sauce pans would have been a perfect addition. Since the lids and pans are incompatible with what I already have, I just bought a 1QT sauce pan (there is no lid in its size) for $30, and called it good. I can live with my existing collection, so that's what I'll do instead.
By the way, I wrote twice to Calphalon regarding the incompatible lids, and all they did was send me automated responses asking me if my issue was resolved. They never did address the issue.
The only reason I gave Calphalon a full three stars is because it's on a par with pretty much everything else getting cranked out of China these days. Let's hope and pray that there is no lead or mercury in the metal. In the USA, lead is commonly used in alloys to enhance machinability, but not for anything that may come into contact with food or would be put on or in a human, like jewelry, surgical tools, and cookware. Outside the USA, mercury could also be used for the same purpose. The Chinese have already demonstrated that they have no problem putting melamine in infant formula and lead-based paint in childrens' toys. Don't put it past them to use a stainless steel alloy that has lead or mercury in it. For those who don't know, stainless steel is an alloy. |
Can't cook eggs?
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| Review Date: September 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: P. Smith, San Antonio, TX |
| Very high quality set of cookware as it transfers heat very efficiently on a glasstop stove. The only problem I've have was cooking bacon or eggs even with pools of butter or oil! Ended up having to buy 2 more nonstick pans to add to the set($150 more!). Otherwise I love 'em! |
Handles not comfortable, high price
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| Review Date: September 9, 2005 |
| Reviewer: N. White, California |
I shopped between the Tri-Ply and the Simply Calphalon Stainless product lines... tried them out in a local store. I recommend the Simply Calphalon set which has a much more comfortable handle. The Tri-Ply is quite a bit heavier; the handles are very uncomfortable with the Tri-Ply especially with the additional weight, even when empty; it might have slightly better heat distribution than the Simply line, however the Simply line does have pretty good heat distribution; the Tri-Ply is quite a bit more expensive.
Go with Simply Calphalon Stainless for better product for the price. (I've owned my Simply set for almost 2 years now -- very satisfied.) |
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