Calphalon Simply Stainless 12 Piece Cookware Set

by Calphalon

Product Features

• Stainless steel interior and exterior surfaces. Aluminum core bottom for even heating.
• Domed tempered glass covers make it easy to monitor foods while they cook. Lids are oven safe to 450 degrees F.
• 100% dishwasher safe
• Low heat transfer handle

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 26.9 x 15.8 x 11.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 37 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001EJMSHE
• Item model number: 1751923
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,803 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Stainless Steel Set includes 8 inch skillet, 10 inch skillet, 12 inch skillet with lid, 1 quart saucepan with lid, 2 quart saucepan with lid, 6 quart stockpot with lid, 3 quart saute pan with lid

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Affordable, heavy, relatively high-maintenance, complete, December 26, 2008

By 

A. Dent "Aragorn" (Minas Anor, GD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calphalon Simply Stainless 12 Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)

This is a simple, unsophisticated but complete and useful set. You get exactly what you see in the images attached to this item. My wife finds this set ideal for most of the daily cooking and, if she is happy, I am happy.

- Packaging: excellent
The box that I received had in it another box which, in turn had the box holding the cookware and each piece was carefully wrapped to avoid any scratching.

- Looks: very good
If you like the looks of stainless steel, then this set is for you. All metal pieces are polished to near-perfection and the finish for the aluminum bottom is hardly distinguishable from the body's.

- Maintenance: somewhat demanding
The Amazon blurb says that the set is 100% dishwasher safe. It may be so, but Calphalon RECOMMENDS hand washing so, if you want to preserve the looks, it's probably better to avoid the dishwasher. Calphalon also warns against the use of any abrasive cleansers or cleaning pads, oven cleaners or other caustic cleaning solutions, baking soda, bleach and so on.

The use of sharp metal utensils to cut, chop or whip foods in the pan is discouraged while the pans are hot.

- Oven and broiler use: yes
Both the pans AND the glass covers can be used in the oven and under the broiler for as long as the temperature does not exceed 450F.

- Ergonomics: hot, heavy
I have no major complains except for the steel handles that tend to get hot as the pan gets hot. Anyone used to those Teflon or rubbery handles should be careful.

These pots are HEAVY. Stainless STEEL is just that.

- Overall rating: excellent, for the price
So far, we are pleased with this purchase. With a little care (see maintenance note above) we should have this as our main cookware solution for quite a while. This is a very good set and it very much lives up to our expectations. It's not perfect but it should be an easy five-star within its price range.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, works as expected, January 21, 2009

By 

No Rules, Just Right (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calphalon Simply Stainless 12 Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)

Very nice quality, no manufacturing defects and all the lids fit like they should. I think the set looks a lot nicer in person than the photo on the Amazon page. I especially like that the handles are solid, not hollow underneath; they are also connected to the pots with a "y" design, like the more expensive sets.

I do wash mine in the dishwasher and they still look nice, although I've noticed minor etching (like scratches, but shorter -- could these be pits??). The only utensils I've used with them so far have been nylon, I've only scrubbed them with a microfiber dish cloth as needed, and I use gel in the dishwasher; so I'm not sure how the etching is happening. But this doesn't seem to impact performance, and maybe I'm being too picky. There is no way I am going to wash these by hand -- I don't have room for most of them in my sink, and being able to wash them in the dishwasher was the #1 reason I bought them.

Eggs do stick - I'm still trying to refine my technique because the literature says if I get the temp (both pan and raw food) just right, they shouldn't. I'm glad I got the set on sale -- I think it is worth what I paid. I love the cookware more and more each time I use it. I guess that nagging voice in my head worrying about the non-stick pans I had been using was affecting me more than I thought. It's such a relief not to worry about that any more.

I haven't had any issues with the handle on the glass lids or on the pans themselves getting too hot -- I haven't even needed to use a potholder to handle them on the stove yet. However they do get very hot in the dishwasher, so hot they can burn my fingers if I don't let them sit for a while before putting them away.

I was worried the set might be damaged during shipment, but there was so much packaging, so many boxes within boxes, there was little chance of that!

UPDATE DECEMBER 20, 2011: This set still works well for us. The only negative is that the largest saucepan (2 quart) is too small for many things so we have to resort to using the stock pot, although that is larger than we would have needed. This set would have benefited from a 3 quart saucepan instead of or in addition to the 2 quart. Our set has endured moderate use, always cleaned in the dishwasher, and still looks very nice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looks Beautiful!!, April 9, 2009

By 

Kook (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calphalon Simply Stainless 12 Piece Cookware Set (Kitchen)

Wow, I just ordered it with free shipping and it arrived the next day! Great Value, The pans are all very usable sizes and I supplemented the collection with a 3 quart tri-ply saucier, a 5 1/4 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven, and a 10" Lodge cast iron skillet. I did check the stock pot for a leak, after boiling for 30 minutes I noticed a little bit of moisture at one of the rivets, just enough for it to start to drip. This is covered under the 10 year warranty, but I am not sure if it is worth messing with it. I really did not buy the set for the stock pot, and any stews, soups, chili etc will be done in the dutch oven. This pot will be fine for boiling pasta etc. anything not on the stove for more than an hour.