Calphalon D1382PB Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Calphalon D1382PB Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
Customer Review: What's the avg. life of a good pan?
Summary: 4 Stars
I own this pot for at least 6 years now since I was a student. Bought it after reading several reviews recommended by Taiwanese ladies for pan to use to cook Chinese food in US. I eventually bought it for it's functionality and durability.
I use this pan for EVERYTHING. From stir-fry, to saute, to pan-sears fish, to soup, it literally does it all. To substitute a chinese wok, which translate to "Does it all" too. Most of apt we lived in uses electric stove, which limit the use of wok. That's why I needed a flat bottom, fair size, with good functionality. And since I was a fairly busy student, that says I didn't have much chance to abuse this pan compared to a stayed-home-mom with 3 kids. Overall, it's a good pan. Actually it's still serving today; it's one of my very few EVERYDAY pan.
Right about 2-3 years ago, I started to notice it began bulging on the bottom. This doesn't bother me at all since all the electric stove I used so far all had an uneven hot coil. That means bulging or not, it doesn't make a difference to me, until a year ago. My father in-law loves to cook started complaining of this pan spinning while he cooks. It's almost like this pan has its mind of its own. The problem came with our glass top stove at our new house. When bulging bottom meets slippery glass top stove, it starts to spin like Michelle Kuan on ice. Trust me, this is not that funny seeing a crazy pan spinning while you trying to manage the food material in the pan.
I do admit that in Chinese cooking, we do tend to use high heat A LOT. But I don't think this should be an excuse for an bulging pan.
I paid $34 on Amazon 6 years ago. (It was my very first Online/Amazon experience)
Other than that, it's a good pan. It heats up fast and sears well. If I can make any suggestion, it will be to loose it's two ears (handles), and give me a long bar handle. You know, so I can stop it's spinning.
Now seeing it's price dropped down to $19.99, it's kinda tempted to get a new one. (I know my husband is frowning at me) BUT BUT...it's really a GOOD PAN!!! (I know I'll have to deal with bulging part AGAIN sooner or later)
Customer Review: Simple rules to avoid excessive sticking with Hard Anodized
Summary: 4 Stars
I) Use lower heat setting! Solid aluminum with hard anodized surface is the most efficient for heat transfer. It heats faster and cooks faster than clad, stainless or plastic coated non-stick (Teflon). Modify your cooking habits-try medium low setting first. Prove this to yourself by putting your pan on a cold burner with your hand in the pot. Turn on the burner and see how fast it heats. You'll be saving energy too.
II) Allow food to warm up a few minutes on the counter before cooking.
III) Keep pan clean. Check for uneven color on cooking surface. This is grease build up. It's easily removed with scouring powder which won't harm the h-anod. surface.
IV) Soak cooled pan prior to cleaning.
I've been using these pans for five years with great results. I have both stick-resistent hard anodized and Calph's LRS-3 non-stick coated pans. I only use the LRS-3 for eggs, Chinese pot stickers and re-heating leftovers. Everything else goes in the h-anodized which I love because I can use metal utensils and for carmelization/deglazing. Cooking in a Teflon pot causes food to steam cook. If you don't mind rubber chicken, it's great. Cooking with h-anodized requires new skills but can be rewarding. Try browning some turkey giblets and neck in the h-anodized pan then deglazing with water. Scape up the brown bits and cover/braise in hot liquid until cooked through (domed lid is very efficient at preventing liqiud loss on lower heat). What a wonderful gravey with little effort! When cooking skinless poultry try rubbing a bit of olive oil on meat first.
I regularly wash my hard anodized with a long handle bristled brush and Ajax powder cleanser, using circular motion. Rinse well to remove powder residue from the ajax or towel dry. I have never seen the coating flake off, however shaking the pan on a hot electric burner can scratch it. My earlier pans were stamped with "commercial-Toledo,OH" inset in a shield. The surface on the older pans was smoother but they cost more and didn't have the stay cool v-handles like the currrent line. I haven't had a problem with the newer ones and would highly recommend them at the $20-$30 price point
Customer Review: Good Starting Piece
Summary: 5 Stars
This pan is well named because it can do almost anything. You can make an omelet, roast a chicken, steam some asparagus, fry some chobs, even make pot roast thanks to the cover. It's also just a beautiful serving piece.
Given the very reasonable price and that it's a great size for making meals for one or two people, this would make a great introduction to the world of professional cookware for the recent graduate or newlywed. It will serve him or her well and basically last forever.
Actually, since Calphalon has essentially stopped marketing the commercial hard-anodized line in favor of its newer Calphalon One series, there are a number of very reasonably priced pieces on Amazon so it is a good time to build that collection. I also happen to feel it performs just as well.
The next pieces I would recommend are the 8-1/2 quart saucier... great for soup, stew, pasta and the occasional lobster...and the 2-1/2 quart sauce pan. Basically you now have a great, professional quality cookare set for about $100.
And ignore the reviews that say everything sticks. These people have been spoiled by teflon and do not know how to use proper cookware. The trick is to let the pan preheat dry, then when hot add your oil and ingredients.
Also, ff you are grilling meat, do not play with it. Just let the steaks, chops, or burgers brown. When carmelized, the meat will release from the pan very easily. If it sticks, it is just not ready.
And to clean, add hot water to the hot pan, scrape with a brush, and the residue will dissolve. Better yet, substitute a wood spoon for the brush; use wine, stock, or broth instead of water; and let it reduce to a slightly syrupy consistency. Add some butter or cream if you want and "Eureka!" gravy in five minutes.
Another tip is to not wash it with too much soap. Anodized aluminum, like cast iron, does season over time and gets more and more non-stick. But unlike cast iron, if you do happen to need to give it a good cleaning, you do not have to make an effort re-season it.
Customer Review: what CAN'T you do with this pan?
Summary: 5 Stars
The Calphalon Commercial line is ideal for those who want quality cookware that's guaranteed for life and pretty much indestructible. My absent-minded-bachelor kitchen contains nothing that cannot withstand all manner of accidents, falls, and spills. The Calphalon Commercial line enables me to cook like a pro without endangering my cookware--and to clean like a fiend when I've cooked like a pyro by accident. You can clean these pans with abrasive cleansers like Comet. I used to sell them in a boutiquey store where they'd have come back in droves if we'd misinformed people on this point. Another reviewer expresses appropriate caution regarding putting them in the dishwasher--it's for dishes, silly, not knives of pots--but I do this on occasion and it would take regular dishwashing with powdered (sandblasted in there) detergent and lotsa stuff to bang the pans to really do a number on them. Discoloration is not the stuff of diminished utility.
Aside from the line being the most practical stove top option bar none, the pan is a dream. Not so shallow as an omelette pan, nor so deep as a wok, it does the range from stir-fry to saute, to bake and roast. I'd recommend this pan to anyone who maybe wants to start a cookware collection--it's so many pans in one. I used to sell this stuff (not on commission, mind you) to students with their first apartment. Moms and dads would express concern that the kids would ruin it--au contraire: you get a ten dollar pan and it'll be beaten to bits in a matter of weeks by the likes of careless ol' me, but you get a heavy, solid pan like this, they'd have to be trying to break it.
Cautions:
-Lower the heat if you're used to inferior pans. If you get this pan and find yourself saying, "It burns everything," you're conveniently forgetting who chose the heat on that burner.
-It's not non stick--and they *do* sell the best non stick--but it is highly stick resistant, especially if you LOWER THE HEAT.
-The handles can get HOT so be sure you're armed with a potholder of any sort.
Customer Review: not the best pan...not even close
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't know why the others loved this pan so much. I am actualy quite disappointed about this pan. I bought mine about 2 years ago becuase of the good reviews but for the last year or so it has been sitting in the cupboard collecting dust. Here are the issues:
summary:
1. sticks like crazy
2. even though anodized al is hard, the underneath substrate is soft, resulting in a 'soft' pan
3. discolors despite seasoning
1. The pan sticks like crazy, especially anything with protein. I followed the instructions: using low heat setting,etc, but to no avail. My trilayer pans (stainless with alum insert) work much much better because of their mirror like finish. I eventually only used this pan to stir-fry vegetables. Even with vegetables it is not great: I can feel the food catches on the pan as I try to move it around. On the other hand, in a trylayer pan, the vegetable would glide easily.
2. It is true that hard anodized Al is harder than steel. But this pan only has a very thin layer of it on the surface. The rest is still soft Al. I once placed this pan upside down in the dish drainer (yes I only handwash it)on top of another lid, then placed an anolon pan on top of it. The next day, there was a DENT in the pan that broke through the anodized Al layer. This dent was caused by the inside of the pan pressing against the knob on the lid underneath it with the anolon pan on the top. This would never have happened to my stainless steel and trilayer pans.
3. the pan started to discolor after just a few weeks of usage. It looks like rust (kind of yellowish/whitish). This happened before I created that dent and I followed the cleaning instruction. I tried seasoning the pan with oil, but the color didn't go away. I take really good care of my trilayer and nonstick pans and people always say that they look like new depite heavy usages. So it is rather disappointing the hard-anodized pans are so hard to keep them look nice.