Customer Reviews

Calphalon Professional Nonstick II Limited Edition 10-Inch Omelet Pan

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Since my earlier review, my Professional Nonstick II surface has started to wear out, with an increasingly sticky center (arggh!). I will probably have to take advantage of that Lifetime Warranty. However, I now have bought the Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 12" pan, which is also on special ... for about the same price. The Commercial Nonstick line ... has the superior LRS3 nonstick coating compared to the cheaper LRS coating on the Professional line. Believe me, it makes a difference!

So, go commercial, you won't be disappointed.

Let's face it, there is probably no pan that is perfect. This pan, while coming close, may fail you on occasion. That's where the quality company comes in. I bought a set of Calphalon Professional Nonstick Cookwear 5 years ago. I use my 10" omelette pan maybe 4-5 times a week. Two times I had problems with the nonstick surface. Two times I sent the pan back to Calphalon and two times they replaced it with a brand new pan free of charge, no questions asked. I could have bought a cheap $10 Wal-mart pan, but would probably have to replace it myself every year. This way I spent more money to begin with, but with the service Calphalon provides, I will never regret that decision.

I purchased this pan after doing a lot of research and I love it. I have a professional gas range and most pans leave an unevenly browned bottom with a normally charred gas ring imprint. This pan does not. It is amazing. The pan heats slowly and evenly. Heat is retained well and the bottom is evenly browned. It is perfect for a 3-6 egg omelette and can be finished under the broiler if so desired. I noticed in my research that a purported disadvantage to the non-stick surface is that sauces do not brown, that is not the case in my hands. I have made sauces of all kinds and have been very satisfied with the results. Caramelized onions and garlic are as lovely in this Calphalon non-stick pan as they are in my stainless steel All-Clad pans.

Since my initial review of this product, I've used it extensively. FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE BUY THE CALPHALON 10" COMMERCIAL NONSTICK OMELET PAN!! The aluminum part of the pan is impressive--heats fast and evenly. You can even brown meats and poultry in it on only moderate heat settings. The nonstick coating is, regretfully, inferior. Other reviews have remarked on this pan's "two-layer" nonstick coating and its lack of durability and early failure in use compared to the "three-layer" nonstick Calphalon uses on its Commercial line. The difference in the quality of the two nonsticks is even plainly visible upon sight: the three-layer is much less porous and more dense. Indeed, I am already having problems with foods sticking on this two-layer nonstick coating after only a few months in use. GO WITH THE THREE-LAYER COMMERICAL LINE!! It's only $3 or $4 dollars more than this one, and worth every cent! On the plus side, this item arrived two days in advance of the Amazon estimated delivery date. On the down side, it was not what I expected. It's packaged in a plain, brown cardboard box with no Calphalon brand identifying marks on it. There was no warranty or other literature packed with it. And, it was made in China--rather than Ohio as I thought it would be. Fortunately, I have other Calphalon products so I know the temperature, utensil and cleaning limitations. To the uninitiated--given the lack of warranty or use and care info--they might stick it in a dishwasher or use abrasive cleaners or non-synthetic utensils and void the supposed lifetime warranty ("supposed" as the Amazon description says this, though nothing packed with the product does). It seems a good quality product for the $14.99 Amazon price. However, I really wish Amazon would be more conscientious about showing a product's country of origin or manufacture. That way, purchasers can decide beforehand whether they wish to buy items "outsourced" by U.S. companies to be made in foreign countries where labor is cheaper. Or, if they want to keep their money in the USA by only purchasing products from U.S. manufacturers who actually make their items here.

This is a high-end nonstick pan that performs extremely well. It heats up quickly and evenly with its thick aluminum bottom, and has a handle that stays cool, unlike regular Calphalon pans. The nonstick performance has been adequate in the 2 years that I have had the pan, and I am secure in the knowledge that Calphalon offers a Lifetime Warranty and has a good reputation for sticking by it. The only drawback is that you can not put it in the dishwasher, but that is not a big deal because the pan is usually easy to clean. Food only sticks when I impatiently use too high of a heat. Now I stick to the directions, which say you should never go beyond medium-high, and preferably medium.

I use the pan most often for sauteing and carmelizing onions and garlic, and it does an excellent job at both. I also have the nonstick grill pan, which is also a fine pan, for meat. All in all, this makes a fine addition to a standard Calphalon set. The nonstick surface is most valuable when pan-frying, and I prefer the standard hard-anodized surface (which can take metal utensils, unlike the nonstick) for most other cooking tasks.

Not sure if this is just my experience, but this is not a normal Calphalon Pan. We have over a dozen of Calphalon Pans and Pots, both Commercial or Professional, they all made in Toledo, Ohio. This one is made in China. All of them came in Calphalon Boxes, this one in plane brown box with a sticker: Violator Label. All of mine came with inserts describing warranty, this one has just the pan inside that brown box. I did not get a chance to use it, this does not look like Calphalon Professional Nonstick II Limited Edition 10-Inch Omelet Pan I've seen in BB&B. I called Amazon to check, and was told that I got the correct item. For 12.99, it is hard to complain, but beware, this one is not so good as a gift.

We had this frying pan and the bigger one and had to return both because the surface ceased to be non-stick after a few months of use. Given everyone else's stellar ratings, there is a possibility that this was our fault, but we have the pots also and they are great.
After four frying pans that were unsatisfactory we returned them and did not purchase a third set. We replaced them with Tramontina Commercial Grade (thirty dollars for three at Sam's Club) and the difference is absolutely unbelievable.

I would highly recommend the Calphalon pots, but cannot recommend the frying pans.

This pan is fantastic. I had fried up some bacon the day before in my old iron skillet and had lots of splattering using only medium heat plus the bacon did not cook evenly. (Boarshead bacon is not what it used to be. It consisted mostly of fat.) I did exactly the same thing with this pan with absolutely NO splattering and the bacon cooked very evenly. The fat was gone and only the crunchy bits of meat remained. Very impressive performance. I also made an omelet with sauteed onions and peppers and, of course, it came out great.

Clean up was a snap.

I can't speak to its durability but I am reasonably certain that with proper handling it will retain its non stick properties for many years. Plus there is a lifetime guarantee. Note that this particular pan is made in China but the quality doesn't seem any different from all the pans that I recently purchased made in Toledo, Ohio.

You can't go wrong. I have been adding to my collection of cookware as Calphalon items show up on special. Now that the H/A line is being closed out, the steep discounts are impossible to resist. I now understand why people rave about these pans. The only problem is that I keep buying more pans . It has gotten so bad that my newly engaged daughter has ordered me to cease and desist from buying her any more. (She doesn't have my cooking genes obviously.) We should all have such problems.

Buy this pan. You will love it. And the price can't be beat. (Well, yes it can. I paid only $13. Absolutely amazing. Thank you Amazon.)

The nonstick coating is gone. Just gone. I bought this pan in Sept of 03 and the nonstick coating is gone.

(06/05 update): At $11.99 as a 'Friday Sale' item, I couldn't resist buying two more. I guess I am a little astonished at the grousing that goes on about this very inexpensive skillet only lasting from 6-mos. to a year before the non-stick coating fails. These seem like the perfect omelet pans to use when cooking for a group without having to worry about cleanup after. Is that worth $12 to me? You bet!

(Original): Here was a real oddity. The pan was not stamped with the country of origin. Only the plain, white box the pan was shipped in said 'Made in China'. My guess is Calphalon was catching so much flack about its outsourcing, it directed the Chinese factory not to include the country of origin. I thought that was illegal, but am no expert.

Anyway, the pan is quite heavy and seems well built. Unless the nonstick lining sheds (a problem raised by other Calphalon reviewers), this pan should provide years of use.