46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I absolutely love it, August 24, 2004
This review is from: Simply Calphalon Nonstick Aluminum 10-Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)
I saw this Calphalon set touted by Consumer Reports on the Oprah show. I had been shopping for affordable cookware and the selection was dismal to say the least. When I received my order I was pleased by the quality and even more impressed when I actually used it. The heat distribution was great. The care and cleanup was a snap. Forget any other cookware in this price range. This set will last you a lifetime if you take care of it.
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41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful for 2 years, then they need to be thrown out., February 8, 2007
This review is from: Simply Calphalon Nonstick Aluminum 10-Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)
I've owned this set for almost two years now. They were absolutely perfect for the first 18 months. They cook beautifully - excellent heat distribution, superb non-stick, easy to clean, solid weight, etc. I took good care of them - never in the dishwasher, no metal utensils, etc.
At around the 18-month mark, the most often-used pan (~2x per week) started to become sticky while cooking. Examination of the inside base of the pan showed that shiny metal was beginning to show through the coating. The pan pretty soon became the worst of all worlds (sticky, ugly, and very difficult to clean) and I had to throw it out.
These pans are superb if the non-stick feature is critical to you. For most people, non-stick is only critical for one skillet or frying pan (which you use to cook bacon, eggs, grilled-cheese sandwiches, etc.). The rest of your pans (for sauces, stews, soups, pasta, braising, stir-frys, etc) don't need to be non-stick, and they'll wear out much sooner if they are. I strongly recommend not buying an entire set of coated non-stick pans from any manufacturer (the jury is still out some non-coating-based non-stick technologies, such as infused anodized aluminum). Just get a non-stick frying pan, plan on replacing it every couple of years, and get a nice set of stainless steel for your saucepots, dutch ovens, and stockpots. Decent stainless steel will take a lot of abuse and still last decades.
All in all, I loved these pots, but their non-stick coating isn't ready to be a full-time cookware feature.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love these pots and pans, January 3, 2005
This review is from: Simply Calphalon Nonstick Aluminum 10-Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)
I absolutly hate doing dishes and even more then doing dishes, I hate scrubbing pots and pans. This set makes cooking and cleaning up a real pleasure. Nothing sticks to these at all. First off, sauces NEVER burn and stick to the bottom. Soups, fried stuff, cheese - nothing sticks, even in the bottom of the pan, right where it curves up to the top. That small area has always been a pain to clean but NOT with these pans.
Secondly, there is a perfect pot/pan for anything that I'd like to cook.
Third, these cook very evenly.
Forth, these pots and pans kinda make me appear to be a pro. That is kind of fun.
I have really enjoyed using these and even more, love that "pot and pan duty" is no big thing.
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