Calphalon D812 Commercial Hard Anodized 12-Quart Stockpot with Lid
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Calphalon D812 Commercial Hard Anodized 12-Quart Stockpot with Lid
Customer Review: Excellent bang for the buck, well made
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I had been made a bit nervous by the user-supplied image of the leaking handles, I bought the pot, and am completely satisfied by it. I got it to use as a stockpot (using a stockpot to make stock - what an idea...) because my 8 quart stockpot is just a bit too small much of the time, and also because it was just the right size to fit a commercial steamer insert I already had. There are a lot of commercial aluminum pots which also fit that insert (and which are less expensive, in fact), but they are all raw aluminum, and I don't like the idea of cooking with wine in uncoated aluminum. The first thing I checked was the water-tightness of the handle rivets; they are just fine.
By the way, the pot is hard-anodized, which is a term with a very specific meaning. The process results in the deposition of an aluminum oxide layer on the raw metallic aluminum, and there is not a great range in the film thickness possible with the process. Aluminum oxide is very hard, and is used in the manufacture of abrasives, for instance. Although I can't claim that those people who report that the coating was scraped through by light contact with other pots are incorrect, I've much more often seen "smears" of stainless steel and aluminum from the other pots being laid over the anodized surface. Metallic aluminum is much softer than steel, but aluminum oxide is harder than normal stainless or mild steel; in fact, it takes pretty tough tool steel to go through it. (It is a brittle material, so you can fracture it and penetrate it in a cooking pot with the tines of a meat fork, for instance; bad idea.)
I have a dozen inherited Ohio-made Calphalon hard-anodized pots and pans, mostly more than 30 years old, and well-used by my mom as her daily cookware before she passed away. Some of them are well past their pretty stages of life, and have suffered huge insults from fork points and collapsing pot racks dumping them on to a range top or her tile floor, but none of them has lost its finish; that stuff is tough. It's also reasonably stable in acidic environment. It's basic, not acidic environments which will louse them up. Don't use bleach solutions, ammonia, or automatic dishwashers or their soap on them. Cooking with wine, vinegar, or tomatoes has been OK, in my experience. Since this stuff is no longer fashionable (the line has been discontinued), the pricing is great on the remaining pieces. There are differences between my old Calphalon stuff and this pot, but it's not clear to me that the Asian-made pot is inferior in sum; for instance, the handles on the new pot are better than the old style, in my opinion.
Customer Review: Bad Quality Control, Thin Layer of "Spray Paint"
Summary: 2 Stars
I ordered this about three weeks ago when it was on sale. Since then, Amazon has sent me three stock pots, each as replacements.
The problem is a quality control issue, seemingly with Calphalon. But Calphalon cannot directly help me. I called them, but because these pots are made in China, Amazon has to replace them. Calphalon cannot issue replacements as they do not have access to them here in the United States.
Each of the three stock pots arrive scratched, or with very small holes in the coating from the manufacturing process. It looks like the entire silver aluminum base has been spray painted with the lightest, thinnest possible coating of the dark material that you see, that material which you think is so indestructible.
Well, it is not indestructible. It is incredibly thin. Every pan I've received has scratches showing the silver underneath, dots where when it was "spray painted" or however they apply this coating in the factory, the coating did not stick to the silver in some places.
Who wants a brand new pot that arrives and already has compromises to the anodized coating?
This is a very poorly made stock pot. It looks GORGEOUS except for the issues with the coating. It sits on my stovetop and if you do not see the areas where it is scratched, it looks indestructible. It looks like a sturdy pot and has the most marvelous handles. It has a very pleasing shape. It looks like something you can't wait to cook in. It looks wonderful sitting on my stove top, but I am sending it back to Amazon.
If they can ever get their quality control issues resolved, so that I can receive one where the coating is not compromised, I will gladly try to cook in it.
Until then, I will wait.
EDITED TO ADD: Also, I tried to store this in my cabinet. Just the briefest contact with another pot, and I do mean the briefest; it barely touched it -- scratched the exterior so that the silver aluminum underneath shows through. So if I ever did end up with one and used it for cooking, I would be using kid gloves to do so. These are not hardy, sturdy pots as they initially appear.
Customer Review: I use this a lot more than I thought I would! It's GREAT!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was lusting for this stock pot because I had bought three other Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized pieces earlier in the year and just love them. This line of cookware is so tough, Calphalon actually recommends cleaning it with Comet! I was afraid Calphalon would discontinue this pot before I could afford to buy it...and then it went on sale. What joy!
I didn't think I'd use this pot very much because I'm not much of a cook; that it would just sit around looking pretty as part of my set except during rare canning adventures. But the day it came, I tried using it to cook a whole meal (see below) using a stainless steel steamer insert from a cheap stock-pot/steamer set that fit well enough to get the job done. I've used it every other day or so ever since!
My first meal: I put some beans I'd soaked overnight in the bottom of the pot and brought them to a slow boil. After the beans had cooked a bit, I set two cups of rice (prepared as follows) in a Pyrex glass 7-cup storage bowl (sans lid) and set it into the stock pot. (Fabulous rice-cooking technique: Put twice-rinsed rice into a heat-proof bowl, pour HOT water over it so the water level is roughly 3/4" higher than the rice, then steam approximately 20-25 minutes. It will hold longer without overcooking, hot and ready to serve.) When it was almost time for dinner, I went out to my garden, picked some summer squash, and cut it in half lengthwise; there was plenty of room to stick the squash around the edges of the rice bowl in the steamer. We had beans & rice and lovely steamed squash for dinner and it was marvelous!
The only thing that could make this stock pot better is if I could get my hands on a steamer basket that truly fits it. I've been trying to locate one made specifically for this pot but so far have not been successful. If somebody finds a good one, please let me know!
Customer Review: Glad I got it!
Summary: 5 Stars
As regards the price, I have purchased two of these 12Qt. pots, each on different Amazon Friday Sales, and each for a penny less than FIFTY DOLLARS. On a subsequent Friday Sale it was offered for a penny less than FORTY DOLLARS.
First, the only two negatives: 1) It does seem to scratch more easily than my Circulon Hard-Anodized Non-Stick Hi-Low System pots -- a casual encounter with a faucet will disclose a fine, thin streak of aluminum; 2) I used the pot two or three times before obtaining Calphalon's Dormond cleaner and wound up with black-on-black watermark type stains on the inside of the bottom and the inside of the lid. Subsequently, a half-dozen scrubbings with Dormond removed all the stains.
Now, the good part. I wanted a 12 qt stock pot and I like using this one. It seems to distribute heat well. The cover handle works well for me and never seems to get to warm for my bare hand. The side handles feel sturdy, well positioned, and enable me to heft the pot without strain. Even full, I feel I have good, adequate control when moving it about. The lid fits simply and well.
I favor it, now, over my clad, triple-ply 8 qt. stainless steel stockpot.
Lastly, I had occasion to telephone Calphalon customer service. My call was answered swiftly and the service was delivered pleasantly -- something increasingly rare these days.
Customer Review: This can't be genuine Calphalon!
Summary: 1 Stars
I know that genuine Calphalon hard anodized cookware is as good as cookware can be and is likely to last forever with a minimum of simple care. But this made in China 12 quart stockpot is of such poor quality I can only assume that it is a fake/knock-off. It is so thin that it flexs, something that NONE of my other pieces of Calphalon can do (even their lids!). The surface finish is rough, almost raw, barely smooth enough to touch without getting a metal splinter. The anodizing appears very thin, even incomplete. My USA made hard anodized pieces (I have almost 30 Calphalon pieces, not counting their lids) have a glassy smooth surface texture and deep gray homogenous anodizing. The quality of the anaodized surface is what makes Calphalon such a great cooking surface and gives it the non-reactive properties that lets it accomodate any type of acidic foods safely. This Chinese produced pot damages Calphalons reputation from my point of view. If this is really a Calphalon product, shame on the executives and quality control managers responsible for risking the company's legendary reputation by allowing that name to be used on junk. Yes, junk. I would not have purchased this inferior pot at any price upon examination. I will continue to buy Caphalon cookware only if it continues to deliver that quality and performance the company is known for.