Calphalon D1382PB Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
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List Price: Our Price: $125.99 You Save: $42.01 (25%) 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: King of the Oven
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this pan 5 years ago. It has "D1382 made in Toledo, Ohio" stamped on the bottom. I was excited about the potential for a large quick heating aluminum pan with short handles. It can be used as a substitute for a number of pans, but it performs none of those tasks superbly. Using this pan for various purposes, I struggled to find its true niche in life. I tried it as a fry pan, a stir-fry pan, and a casserole dish. It is a jack of all trades and a master of none. I eventually discovered this pan's true purpose and declared it King of the Oven. I use this pan for broiling steaks and other messy oven chores that require high heat. It is a job this pan performs very well and saves my gleaming stainless steel pans from that ugly baked on grease.
I have come to the conclusion that cooks fall in one of two camps, they either prefer stainless steel or aluminum pans. An aluminum pan performs very differently from a multi-clad stainless steel pan. I confess to have a preference for multi-clad stainless steel. I have a variety of pans from different manufacturers in my collection. I have Cuisinart Multi-Clad, All-Clad, Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel, and Calphalon Commercial. Each pan in my kitchen has a specific purpose. If price was not a factor, I would have a kitchen full of Al-Clad. Nothing cooks like All-Clad, but it is very expensive. My second choice is Cuisinart Multi-Clad which is very good cookware and on sale periodically. The Calphalon Commercial pans I own are the Omlette pan and a Everyday (oven) pan.
Every pan has a specific purpose. This pan does not show the abuse it is subjected to in the oven.
** CLARIFICATION OF PRODUCT DESCRIPTION.
The product description can be easily misinterpreted. The statement "durable hard-anodized finish is stick- and scratch-resistant" should not be interpreted as a non-stick surface. The pan will release meat once it has seared, but it will not release egg and starchy foods.
Customer Review: Calphalon's Everyday Pan is a great workhorse of a pan
Summary: 5 Stars
Let's get real - at this price, you've got to get this pan! ;-)I've loved this pan from the very first time I used it. I approached it with a bit of trepidation - it isn't non-stick, and I hadn't used anodized aluminum before. I very quickly learned that none of these concerns outweighs the pan's simple ease of use.
Stir fry some veggies? No problem, crank the heat up as high as you want - no non-stick coating to mess up. Same thing with meat, as long as you use a little oil to keep it from sticking. If you get taken by a sudden inspiration and want to change that stir fry into stew, no problem, the pan's deep enough to accomodate you. Or, say, you want to casserole the meat and veggies with a sauce in the oven. No problem, the pan's good to 450F. You can serve in it, unless you're really being fancy, and if you have leftovers you can pop the pan, covered, right in the fridge - and reheat in the same pan. This pan says "no problem!" to so much I seldom use anything else.
Cleaning is usually quick and easy - since the anodized aluminum is stick-resistant, stuff usually comes off with a plastic scrubbee. Anything that doesn't usually will yield after a short soak in hot water. Every so often I'll scrub the inside of the pan with BonAmi cleanser to get any residue off - this also keeps things from sticking.
A couple of caveats. Yes, the handles do get hot, they're metal, so use pot holders unless you have asbestos hands like I do. The pan is stick-resistant, but there are some things that will bond instantly to the surface of the pan - frozen hash browns was a memorable example of this. After that, I reserved my non-stick pan for hash browns, pancakes, and the like, and did all my vegetables and meat (that includes tofu and tempeh) in the everyday pan.
To summarize - Calphalon's Everyday Pan is a workhorse of a pan, that accomodates a wide range of cooking techniques with ease. At the price Amazon's offering it right now, it's a steal.
Customer Review: Brilliant Product -- "I'm a fan of this pan"
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a working chef, and have a set of an unnamed competitor's fancy tri-ply stainless steel cookware that I use at home. I love it, but for some searing and sautéeing applications, nothing beats anodized aluminum. At twice the price, this pan would be a terrific purchase. I got it on one of Amazon's one-day sales, so it was a ridiculously good price. It's sturdy, nice medium-to-heavy weight, has a fantastic lid, and the handles are very well-designed and attractive. For home cooks and aspiring chefs alike, Calphalon includes a very detailed and informative guide to cooking with different types of pans (anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and nonstick). It covers all the basics on how to cook properly in the pans, and also includes great information on deglazing the pan, reducing liquids to create delicious sauces, simple tricks to determine when meats are "done," and even plenty of information on cleaning the cookware. It's a brilliant guide, very informative, and presented very well. As for the pan itself, I couldn't be happier with it. If you preheat it on medium for a minute or so before adding the food to it, and don't add COLD food right out of the fridge, there's no appreciable sticking at all. Clean-up is not difficult at all, and it's no great hardship to wash this pan in the sink. I don't even put my stainless steel cookware in the dishwasher, so I don't mind at all. Usually just some hot soapy water and a ScotchBrite pad does the trick, and occasionally I'll use some Barkeeper's Friend cleaning powder (no kitchen should be without it). Brings the pan back to "like new" appearance. Bottom line: This is quality cookware, and you'll not find a better pan for anywhere near the price for something this size. You'll also look and feel like quite the accomplished chef when you use this cookware. It can go effortlessly from stovetop to oven to table. I wouldn't hesitate serving from this pan. It's that attractive.Customer Review: A decent pan, but not Calphalon's best!
Summary: 3 Stars
Calphalon is my favorite cookware ever since I bought a special, oval pan from them on Amazon. I prefer their commercial grade to their professional grades, and I generally choose the non-stick variety. Non-stick has its drawbacks though, you must be careful with the coating, and it heats slower, than non-coated pans. Among the fastest heating pans, is Calphalon's hard-anodized aluminum. I have a couple of saucepans of that variety. I use them for cooking things I want to cook very fast, or have very fine control over the heat. Hot cereals, soups, boiled eggs; all seem to be perfect for these pans.I thought for browning meat, and making things like home fried potatoes, that this everyday pan would be great. Unfortunately, this pan is not up to the usual Calphalon quality standard. My sauce pan is very thick, which is apparent just to look at it. This pan is thin, much like most simple retail pans. I don't think anyone would believe it's commercial grade. Had the price been closer to its listed full retail, I'd have sent it back. I have a Calphalon non-stick pan that I used for frying, and making things like Hamburger Helper dishes. It's twice as heavy as this pan, and much better quality. I notice it's also currently listed, at more than six times the price I paid for this one, even with a small Amazon discount. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.
You have to know how to use aluminum properly, to keep things from sticking. I have to disagree with the term, "everyday" in naming this pan. Aluminum pans have their uses for cooking, and do the best job of browning, of the different Celphalon pan types. They should not to be considered non-stick pans! You must use oils, or proper seasoning, to keep things from sticking. You shouldn't take this pan out, and start cracking eggs into it. If you do, you better break out the scouring pads.
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Customer Review: A GREAT pan at an even greater price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used Calphalon pans for years, and I agree with other reviewers that their hard anodized pans are far superior to other pans on the market. Unlike stainless, they do not scorch. Unlike copper, they do not require laborious cleaning and polishing to keep looking nice. I find that when I read the reviews of people who have been disappointed with Calphalon's hard anodized pans, they typically did not understand what they were purchasing or how to use them. Hard anodized cookware is not non-stick. It is because the food INITIALLY sticks to the pan that you get such great browning. They are stick resistant, meaning that after the food has cooked properly, it releases, leaving a wonderful crust on the food and great browned bits in the bottom of the pan.And what's all this about "ruining" the pans by putting them in the dishwasher? They may discolor, but they are not ruined. Nor do you need any special cleaners to clean them. If there is anything stuck that you didn't deglaze, a brief soak takes everything off. I've had my pans for over 10 years, and none of them have stuck on food, places where the anodation has come off, or any of the other problems of which some other reviewers have complained.
The everday pan is no exception. It conducts heat wonderfully, and works great on top or inside of the oven. It works for almost any job you can throw at it, from scrambled eggs to roasted pork loan to braised lamb shanks. Its size makes it perfect for family meals, yet it is not so big that you wouldn't pull it out for a meal for just one or two people. It is nonreactive, which makes it great for acidic foods like pasta sauce. The domed lid really seals in steam and promotes self-basting. And the dual handles make it easy to carry from oven to table. This pan really can handle it all. And at this price, it deserves to be in every kitchen.