Calphalon D1382PB Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
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Our Price: $199.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Calphalon D1382PB Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
Customer Review: Hard-Anodized does NOT mean non-stick!
Summary: 4 Stars
Does anyone who purchased this pan have any cooking skills whatsoever??!!
Apparently not.
First, Hard-Anodized does NOT mean *non-stick*! Get it? No? I'll try again:
a) Teflon is the material used with "non-stick" cookware.
b) This pan does NOT contain Teflon.
c) Consequently---this is NOT a non-stick pan!
Got it now?
Second, if you got that then you must be wondering what is meant by "hard-anodized"? Well, focus on the anodized part, as "hard" in this context is just a superfluous adjective.
Anodizing (in this context) is an electro-chemical process by which Aluminum is made *hardER*. Aluminum by its nature is a *soft* metal, easily bent, dented and nicked. For example, note how easily a soda can is crushed--by your bare hands. A steel or iron can cannot be so easily crushed.
So, if cookware is made of aluminum, if it is to be used in a commercial or quality cooking situation--which means it must be durable, then it needs to be hardened---in otherwise "anodized"! Anodizing also resists corrosion, note the **instructions** state not to use the pan with acidic foods, such as tomatoes, etc. I would imagine that means lemon juice as well. Doing so will cause the pan to *begin* to corrode. Over time the situation will worsen and worsen.
Second, I presume your next question is, well if the pan isn't non-stick, then what's the point of using a "hard-anodized" aluminum pan when the foods will stick?
Well, the use of such a pan and Calphalon cookware in specific is to replace **Cast-Iron** cookware. Cast-Iron has excellent cooking features, such as its ability to absorb and retain heat; to conduct and transfer heat in an even fashion. One major drawback is that it is HEAVY and requires special maintenance care; another is the retention of flavors, as well as others.
Calphalon "hard-anodized" aluminum cookware provides much (though not all) of the benefits of cast-iron w/o certain of its drawbacks. Calphalon being aluminum is relatively lightweight compared to cast-iron. Yet, it retains and distributes heat in a fashion similar to cast-iron. Cast-iron will retain heat much longer, but Calphalon retains heat long enough for a good cook or chef's use. Cast-iron takes a LONG time to reach cooking temperature. Calphalon reaches cooking temperature MUCH quicker.
There are other comparisons, positive and negative with regard to cast-iron vs anodized aluminum. I won't continue, as you all s/b getting the drift.
So, if one wants an alternative to cast-iron and/or want to replace their *high-quality* stainless steel pans with something akin to cast-iron W/O many of the negatives of cast-iron---THEN Calphalon is a VERY GOOD choice.
One thing *both* cast-iron AND Calphalon's anodized aluminum both share is the *need* to be ****seasoned****!!!!!!
Food using both cast-iron and Calphalon WILL stick UNTIL the pans are fully seasoned. Cast-Iron takes quite some time to become *seasoned*. Calphalon takes less time, but still **some** time. You MUST use the pans heavily for the first 1 to 2 months in order for the pan to become seasoned. Here is a link to instructions for seasoning a cast-iron pan, the principles are the same for your Calphalon Everyday pan. Note, a well-seasoned cast-iron or Calphalon pan cook with similar non-stick properties of a 'Teflon coated non-stick' pan, but with none of the negatives of Teflon; but with many superior cooking properties.
JFYI, another negative of cast-iron is that it will rust if left wet. Your anodized aluminum pan will not.
So, in a nutshell Calphalon is intended for people who previously KNOW their way around a kitchen, and are familiar with cast-iron and quality cookware in general; and/or for those whose habit is to READ the freaking instructions!!!
Unfortunately, for many, the popularity and resultant high volume sales and *model* changeovers allows much of Calphalon's wares to be heavily discounted. Normally, quality cookware is rather expensive which precludes such wares from falling into the hands of those less knowledgeable and skillful.
If you bought this pan to cook Hamburber Helper you've wasted your money. It's like buying a Corvette for someone who doesn't have a drivers license, doesn't know how to drive and can't read a map!
Customer Review: GREAT POT at a FABULOUS PRICE
Summary: 5 Stars
Having used Calphalon pots and pans in our kitchen 20 years or so, and my wife and I both being avid cooks, and having raised four children in the process, I feel I can give some pretty good advice here. This particular Amazon offer is how I like to buy Calphalon, at least after my initial set purchase. Everynow then you see something really useful for your collection at a GREAT GREAT price. I've got this very pan among the 15 pots and pans in my Calphalon collection, and use it quite a bit.
Some reviewers contend that you can't wash these pots in the dishwasher, you can't use brillo, or that the anodized coating will wear off, or that the handles get hot.
Yep, all true, But, errr, so what?
I have purchased Calphalon for my family many times, and most recently for my recently wedded son in law and his bride.
What I figure about Calphalon is this:
You got two choices with it:
A. You can use brillo, toss it in the dishwasher and don't worry about it, OR
B. Take very good care of it, meaning don't put it in the dishwasher and don't use brillo.
Now in comparison, All Clad Stainless steel can be put in the dishwasher, but you're now using a stainless steel pot around an aluminum core, and I think Calphalon on a gas burner is the cat's meow as far as I'm concerned cooking. Copper pots are pretty, super expensive, but they are a REAL pain to keep pretty. (My wife snorts reading this...you DON'T know, she says. I guess she does clean our copper pots and I don't.)
What I like about Calphalon is that you CAN toss them in the dishwasher over and over. (By the way it's the harsh dishwasher detergent that causes the problem of metal discoloration.) And I do use brillo. YES, eventually some of the anodized coating wears off (on the inside) and this way of cleaning them results in metal discolorations over a period of months or years.
So what, I ask? They're just POTS, for gosh sakes. We don't need to mystify them. I still use the original pots I bought 20 years ago, and like the ONE RING, I don't think you can destroy these pots. I've dropped them on concrete floors, left them on burners and in the oven.
And yes the handles get a bit hot. Use a hot pad. With metal handles you can toss the whole thing in the oven at any time.
And I like the metal lids over the glass. They don't break. I can take off a lid to look inside the pot if I need to.
I'm not trying to be smart alecky, it just seems to me that if you want eternal pots and don't EXPECT them to look brand new ten years down the road, you can clean these pots anyway you want to and they'll remain completely functional for YOUR lifetime, at least.
If you're THAT picky about looks, you can get copper and work yourself to death using copper polisher, and alternatively brillo will still scratch All Clad in stainless steel (even though you CAN toss those in the dishwasher without discoloring the finish). So since no pots are PERFECT, then the PERFECT, but expensive solution will be to buy pretty copper pots to hang up and display above your stove (but don't actually use THEM), and buy the Calphalon to use, take shortcuts, be lazy, abuse the heck out of them and store them in the cabinet...<G>
But I just buy the Calphalon (and a couple of copper pots and cast iron items for other things), and the copper pots aren't looking so swift either cause we (errr...she) got tired or cleaning them meticulously years ago.
Pax,
Chris
Customer Review: Great purchase for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I have bought this pan just recently after reading the many reviews on this site, as well as doing some research on the Commercial Hard-Anodized line of Calphalon products.This was really worth the money and I can see how people would pay full price for it was well, since so far I haven't found a drawback to this pan.
It cleans up as easily as nonstick pans do, and that includes the inside of the lid that gets splattered when stewing stuff covered in the oven.
It heats VERY evenly, there are really no hot spots at all, and very quickly.
It may not be nonstick, but when preheated properly and with a bit of oil/butter/rendered fat, even tender meats such as lamb don't become burned onto the pan.
The meat browning is excellent, yielding wonderful deglacage, and it also allows you to brown the meat, add other ingredients, and put the entire thing into the oven. More importantly, the meat cooks so that it is browned on the outside and tender inside, as opposed to nonstick skillets that make even the better meat cuts really tough on the inside and do not give a nice brown crust at all. The hard-anodized surface of this pan seals in the juices, making even stew beef more tender than you could ever cook it after you browned it in a nonstick pan. In fact, I haven't used my nonstick pan at all since I got this one--I don't need it.
The handles don't get too hot on stovetop, but they do get rather warm with prolonged cooking. However, that is to be expected, and I haven't had a problem using them with a pair of thin potholders. They obviously do get hot in the oven, but that is to be expected as well.
Overall, a great pan. It's been sitting on my stovetop since I received it, and I have been using it quite a bit.
I will recommend it to anyone starting a new kitchen, or just choosing a first skillet to buy. The size is nice, it is large enough to make stew or other dish enough for 4-6 servings easily, likely more but I haven't tried to fill it up further than just the bottom.
Another important point--if you plan to fry eggs, I would recommend a nonstick pan instead of this one. I like my eggs beaten with milk, and that sticks really easy, so I would not trust that to any surface other than nonstick. This hard-anodized pan beats nonstick hands-down for anything and everything else, however.
If you haven't tried this Calphalon line yet, definitely buy this pan--it's well worth the money, and it is likely to become your favorite kitchen toy!
UPDATE:
I have been using this for about about half a year longer now and I am still as pleased with it as I was before. The surface has not become damaged even after extensive use (although I have not cooked many acidic foods in it, I have used it for making wurst&kraut in the oven), it has not warped, and the clean-up continues to be a breeze.
Recently I have used it to sear some sesame-oil coated scallops for a Thai curry dish, then deglazed it with coconut milk (a pretty thick liquid), and it all came together rather beautifully, with no burned-on spots or off flavors.
Another huge advantage I have noticed over time is the fact that the handles are small, and do not get in the way of cooking something else next to the pan when using it on stovetop.
I have before, and I still recommend this to everyone and anyone. In fact, I have recently purchased a second one, because I use the one I have literally all the time.
Customer Review: The best pan for browning meats, and great for a lot of other things too!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't usually write reviews, but I saw that there have been a number of negative reviews for this everyday pan, and I felt compelled to speak up.
I bought this pan almost 6 months ago and have been happily using it 3-4 times a week.
I am in no way affiliated to Calphalon, but I have to say that this is really an excellent pan, especially for searing meat - when you want to achieve that beautiful "golden brown and delicious" look.
I preheat the pan, then pour a bit of oil and let that heat up for a minute. Yes, the meat does stick in the beginning, but it really and truly does release when it's ready ... allow the meat to sit undisturbed at least 3 minutes on medium heat - don't turn it over or try to peek underneath to see what's going on!
Also, I have found that it is the perfect pan to use when you want to make a dish that involves a pan sauce. After you have browned the meat, if you pour a bit of broth, wine, or water, the pan deglazes beautifully and - along with your choice of flavourings like onions, shallots, garlic, etc. - produces a very flavourful sauce with all the brown bits that resulted from searing the meat.
My pan of choice used to be a stainless steel, but I have discovered that this hard-anodized everyday pan does a better job. I have used this new pan for beef, pork, chicken, and fish steaks (I would still use a nonstick frypan for fish fillets, which are really very delicate), and all turned out much better. Because the material (aluminum) conducts heat so efficiently, you get a beautiful brown in less time than you would with a stainless steel pan, and definitely much less time than with a nonstick. This means that you won't end up overcooking your meat - so your result will be something that looks AND tastes good.
I have also used this pan to make rice dishes (paella-style), with the same amazing results. The cover allows steam to go back into the pan, so you can use a bit less liquid and all the flavour of your dish stays in there.
That this pan is also oven-proof is a great feature. On top of that, I think it looks nice and it is very sturdy too.
Cleaning it is very easy. I use a Dobie pad with some liquid dish cleaner, and wash in warm water. When I make a dish that doesn't require a pan sauce, right after cooking I pour about a cup of hot water into the hot pan, just to deglaze it and get rid of anything that might end up sticking or drying up in the bottom. This way I don't need to waste time scrubbing the pan after dinner.
I haven't tried using this pan for eggs, so I can't say if eggs would stick to it. I have a couple of nonstick omelette pans, and I use those when I want to make crepes, frittatas, omelettes, fried eggs, etc.
All in all, I have been really happy with this pan. It was very well priced, but I wouldn't have regretted paying even double for it. And like I said in the beginning, I am absolutely in no way affiliated with Calphalon. To tell you the truth this was even my first Calphalon pan. Because of my great experience with this one, I have bought others from the same maker.
Very highly recommended.
Customer Review: Truly Everyday
Summary: 5 Stars
Here is my story:
This is actually the third "Everyday" pan by Calphalon that I have purchased. The first one was Non-stick. After I had the non-stick pan for a couple of years the non-stick was losing the "Non". After reading on Consumer reports that this inevitably happens to all Non-stick cookware, I decided to quit Non-stick entirely, as I think an $80 pan ought to last a lifetime. I had already purchased one of the hard anodized everyday pans by that time, mostly because it was a good price, and had a lid that would fit my non-stick pan (which had come without a lid). I only used it occasionaly, mostly when I had two dishes to cook at once that required a pan of larger size. After I trashed my non-stick pan (which was difficult to part with, but pretty much useless for cooking by that time), I realized I desperately needed a second everyday pan for those times when I had two dishes to cook. So I purchased everyday pan #3. I LOVE them.
My recommendations:
1. Buy the 12 inch size. 10 inches is TOO SMALL. Even if you are just cooking for yourself.
2. Never add oil/butter to the pan before pre-heating it. I don't mean get the pan so hot it will burn the oil or butter when you toss it in, but for some reason, food sticks less if you heat the pan first, then add your oil (or melt your butter) and then add the food. In the same respect, never put your food into this pan when the pan is cold. Let it warm up first, or it will stick like crazy.
3. Never use that spray on cooking oil in an aerosol can. That stuff creates the stickiest gooey sludge which never comes off. This pan does require some oil to cook with, so if you want only a little, put some oil on a paper towel and wipe the interior of the pan with it.
4. If you are picky about this sort of thing, don't use metal spatulas roughly with this pan as it can ding the surface, but it does not seem to affect cooking performance. I usually use plastic spatulas or a bamboo spatula, and occasionally use a metal one.
5. I have found that the Mr Clean magic eraser will get off discoloration that seems to occur on the bottom (and that gooey sludge from cooking spray)
What I like about this pan:
1. Two handles - easy to pick up, I NEVER want a one handled skillet again!
2. Can go in the oven - which I have never done, but can if I want to.
3. Sears meat nicely to create that golden brown color and carmelization you just can't get with non-stick.
4. Big enough to hold my spaghetti sauce recipe, which involves 2 jars of Bertolli and one pound of lean ground beef.
5. Perfect for stirfry - PERFECT.
Summary - I love to cook and this pan is my most-used cooking tool.