Customer Reviews

Calphalon Professional Hard-Anodized 10-Inch Omelet Pan

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This pan will last FOREVER if you treat it with respect and care, which means, don't put it through the dishwasher. I've owned mine for 10 years and it's still going strong. I use it for EVERYTHING. It's superb for going from stovetop to oven for fritatas and German apple pancakes. Yes, it weighs a ton, but it's heavy for a reason. Its heat-conducting capability is unsurpassed. Don't settle for any of the other Calphalon lines, particularly the nonstick ones, unless you're too impatient to heat the pan properly and you're willing to pay the price of a new pan every few or several years to compensate for your impatience. Sticking can be avoided by following simple directions: heat the pan first, then add oil or butter, and allow the oil or butter to heat to the proper temperature before adding food (which should also be at or near room temperature, or at least slightly warmed--not fresh from the 'fridge).

If you follow the heating directions correctly, thereby avoiding sticking, cleanup is not difficult either. Because the pan is hard-anodized, not nonstick, you can be a little tougher on it should you need to remove any baked-on grease. Sometimes a little Ajax or Comet comes in handy.

The lid of the 5-quart Dutch oven fits this pan perfectly as well. Next to this pan, all you really need is a good saucepan (I own the 2-quart one), a smaller one (such as the 1-quart), and a good, large pot such as the 5-quart Dutch oven. Because the pan is hard-anodized, metal utensils won't damage the surface.

I strongly recommend purchasing the Calphalon Suede Pan Handler accessory to accompany this pan. The handle DOES get VERY hot, and the suede pan handler is much easier to use than a cumbersome and not-as-effective potholder.

This is a pan to carefully set down on a heatproof surface after use. And there will be lots of those moments; this pan is one of the stable of three or four that really get the most use in my kitchen.

Calphalon is great; anodized aluminium is the way to go if you're serious about cooking. Yes, the lack of a nonstick coating means you need to watch the temperature carefully (these pans are excellent conductors) and follow the use and care instructions (that said, I have abused my Calphalon for years with trips through the dishwasher, and I haven't had a problem yet - it causes a bit of discoloration - perhaps customers with children could consider having *them* scrub the pans...but I digress).

You'll find that this pan is great for more than omelettes; you'll find it's nice to make rouxs for gravy, saute a steak or two, poach or bake fish, or make french toast. It's of a controllable size, so it's not so unwieldy as even a pan an inch larger can be. For normal stovetop use, the handle will remain cool; with extended use or the oven, you'll need one of their leather sleeves for maximum comfort and safety.

In short, even if you're not buying an entire cupboardload of Calphalon, this is the piece to have. Imagine a thick, juicy ribeye steak, delicately crusted on the outside, pink and juicy in the middle, covered with a red wine pan sauce. Now realize that a) you can't do that in a Teflon skillet, b) it would be a shame to ruin a $8 hunk of meat with cheap cookware and c) you're hungry. Click yourself one, and then get something to eat.

This pan is the perfect size for a nice tasty 3-egg omlette. Because it's pure aluminum, it heats up quickly and evenly (and the handle really does stay cool!) This was my first pan that's not "nonstick" and I was surprised at how the egg did not stick to the pan. I was even able to take the pan off the stove and flip my omlettes in the air! (My cats were very impressed, let me tell you!) The only drawback to this pan is its weight, my arm gets tired from picking it up after a while. However, the pan looks great and works great too.

Sorry, but I don't like it. Everything sticks. I've read the instructions over and over. I know the food should be warm but even then it sticks. When you try to cook cornbread with bacon on the bottom of the pan and oil and it still sticks? Not good. Maybe if you got it with the nonstick surface but I never have much luck with nonstick, it always wears off. I guess I use my cookware more than most (2xdaily). In my opinion it is over priced and I've paid way too much to just toss it so it sits in my oven bin.