Customer Reviews

Calphalon Tri-Ply Collector's Edition 3-Quart Chef's Pan with Lid

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Slowly but surely, I'm accumulating all the pieces to my Tri-Ply collection. This pot has some redundancy, as it's very similar to my 3-1/2-Quart Saucepan, but the main difference is that the sides are a bit sloped. Thus, I can use it for other applications, such as stir-frying and casseroles. Moreover, this size is a very handy size to have.

One further note- there is a feature I like about the Tri-ply line, in that the lids collect the moisture during cooking, accumulates this on the lid, and deposits back into my food. This really helps to re-moisturize my food, and in general, make everything taste better!

What I can't believe is someone down below comparing the Tri-Ply line to Simply Stainless. That's like comparing BMW to Chevrolet. SS does not come with a lifetime warranty, and is NOT tri ply all around, it just has an aluminum core. Pay more for quality cookware.

A note about cleaning- after extended use, there will be tarnishing and brown blemishes (at least on my gas range). To get rid of these, do NOT use Bon Ami because it's too gentle- doesn't get rid of stains. Best way to go is Barkeeper's Friend, about $2.50 at your local supermarket, or Cameo Stainless Steel Cleaner. However, Cameo is more abrasive than Barkeeper's Friend, and WILL reduce the mirror polish of these pans. Barkeeper's is the way to go- remember to ALWAYS rub in a circular manner- back and forth will scratch the surfaces.

** 2nd EDIT **
I've had these pots and pans for 1.5 years now, and have steadily added to my tri ply collection. I'm still very pleased with them.

- They have still retained their mirror finish on the exterior.
- Cleanup is a breeze- just rub a bit of barkeeper's friend (I'd like to shake the hand of whoever invented that- best thing since sliced bread).
- The moisture channeling from the lids is very much appreciated- everything I cook is definitely juicier.
- I was amazed at the quality of material- I boiled some eggs in a pot one day, and 14 hours later, I kid you not, the water was still warm, not lukewarm, but warm!

The biggest complaint I have about the pots, and the sole complaint that I can think of, is that the handles on the lids do get a bit hot when cooking. Just do yourself a favor and grab a pot-holder when cooking.

Otherwise, I'm still very satisfied with them!

I have this pan and love it so much I just ordered the 4-1/2 quart version. I use my Calphalon Tri-Ply pots and pans daily and love them as much if not more than my All Clad stainless. The lids fit snugly and that is terribly important when I make rice and steam veggies. My All Clad can't make the same claim and they cost a bunch more as we all know. They don't stick and clean up in a cinch, their weight, balance and design is superb as well.
Give this line a try, start with one of their "try me" collector's pans, you won't regret it!

Compared with the prices of other pieces in the collection, this pot is a steal! It cooks evenly,and cleans easily. What more can you ask for? I traded in my old Revere copper bottom set for Tri-ply and love it. Even the more expensive pieces are definately worth the price.

I have an "everyday" pan from this line and like it very much. So I ordered this and it is bigger and better than I expected. Bigger is the operative word. It seems much bigger than a straight sided 3qt sauce pan. It heats up wonderfully and stays hot with medium heat. Is easy to clean, comes with directions and says can clean with "Bon Ami" or "Bar Keepers Friend" if food sticks. I really like the rim too, it is smooth and easy to pour from it. I will keep my straight sided sauce pan for fixing malt-o-meal as the bubbling up tends to splatter up out of the sides. All in all a great bargain.

This isn't a 5 star saucier, but it's a great 4 star tool at 1/3 of the 5 star cost. I consider the AllClad version the 5 star saucier.

The design features I like least are the handle and the lid.

The handle is narrow and creates an odd balance point. The oddness is more pronounced when the vessel is full. The pan feels very tippy and an accident is sure to happen eventually. The handle is simply too skinny and mounted too low in respect to the pan's center of gravity to be effective.

The lid is glass and I knew this before I purchased so I'm not grading too harshly on this aspect alone. The glass lid must be babied or minor scratches may result in temperature fracturing (like all glass under heat). A good hearty metal lid would really be nice, however this is a saucier and the lid isn't something I need very often when the pan is used in it's intended role. The lid will slide onto the handle so that the pan and lid will stay connected if you hang your cookware from a ceiling rack.

There was 1 minor annoyance that really anyone can solve once they own the pan. The interior finish is matte and this creates slight sticking when working on delicate creations. Polish the interior of the pan with Barkeeper's Friend until it gleams, your resulting sauce and cleanup will both benefit.

That's it for the negative, everything else is very positive.

The pan has a pleasant heft to it and this has a positive effect on the evenness of heating. I've had very good results with this pan especially in dealing with the somewhat uneven heating effects that most electric cooktops create vs gas.

The angle of the pan walls is different than higher end sauciers but I can't find any practical reason to dislike the slight difference. There's plenty of radius for my largest balloon whisk to fit into the radiused corners.

The handle is solidly riveted to the pan. I've only had 2 months to put the pan through it's paces but my gut feeling is the connection will remain solid for the life of the vessel.

This is a great saucier for the budget minded kitchen gearhead. The Calphalon Tri-Ply line and the Cuisinart MultiClad line have been perfect substitutes for the topdog AllClad cookware.

I just left this pot to boiling with potatoes in it and forgot about it for too long. Boiled it dry - burnt, black and nasty two thirds the way up the sides of the pot. First off - the potatoes actually were OK Second, the pot looked like a goner.

It wasn't at all! I let it cool down, scrubbed it will a nylon bristle brush, then a "dobie" pad and then finally a thick paste of BarKeepers Friend. No damage, no sign of previous despair. It took a lot less than 5 minutes more than normal cleaning time and it looks like it did when I bought it 3 years ago.

Great Pan!

This is a spectacularly useful pan. I use it as much as all my other pans combined. It works great for stir-fry, spaghetti sauce, chilli, browning meat, etc. It's my go-to pan for just about everything. We've had it for about a year.

I do not find it difficult to clean. It works fine in the dishwasher, though sometimes it appears to have a dull finish after the dishwasher. This is not permanent, after the next wash it's usually shiny again. We don't have scratching issues either, perhaps because we don't have any metal utensils.

A couple of downsides I haven't seen mentioned in other reviews.
1. The handles are narrow and rounded on the bottom which means it takes a lot of grip strength to hold it securely. A wider larger-diameter grip would make this series so much nicer to hold, carry, tilt, etc.
2. The flat portion of the bottom of this particular pan is an odd size. It is too small for my medium-size burner and too large for the small burner. Other chef's pans I have used had a larger diameter bottom for better mating to common burner sizes, and for browning meat the larger flat portion is also missed with this pan.

Aside from these two minor issues I love the pan. It gets a lot of use at our house.

2-YEAR UPDATE:

After some time using this pan I still love it as much as ever. One trick I've learned is that when the pan surface getts foggy-looking, cooking a batch of tomato-based sauce shines it up again. It must be the acid in the tomato juice.

Also, we have since purchased the rest of the matching set of Tri-Ply pots & pans. We absolutely love it. The one thing I just can't figure out how to do in a stainless pan is cook eggs. Unless you literally poach them in a pool of oil, there seems to be no way to keep the egg from welding itself to the pan surface. Our solution was to buy the matching non-stick pan which also works great.

I purchased this piece of cookware, after I had previously purchased a Try Me Calphalon Tri-Ply stainless omelette pan. This line of cookware has a layer of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel. This is not flimsy cookware, but is very well constructed.

The lid is glass and fits snugly. I rarely experience boil-over when using this cookware. Recommend pre-heating pan until edge is warm to touch. Food at room temp, add a little oil if necessary. Your food shouldn't stick.

Clean up is a breeze, with hot soapy water, after pan has cooled off a little. To retain beauty, I occasionally use Bar Keepers Friend. I never wash my cookware in the dishwasher, but these are dishwasher safe. Sometimes, my husband will slip these in the dishwasher, so I tend to wash these as soon as I finish cooking with them.

I also own a few pieces of All-Clad LTD, which are better looking than these. But, these perform as well as the All-Clad. I am totally satisfied. An excellent value and worth the investment. They will last a lifetime if properly taken care of.

This is a great must have pan for making gravies and sauces. A comparable saucier costs over 150.00 save yourself some money and get this. If you are into cooking you would know the differnce between the Tri-Ply and Simply stainless, the guy down below does not. The Tri-Ply line is the best value for the money period. I don't like glass lids, but these are ok. The fit and finish are very good. There are no hot spots and this pan is GREAT for rissotos and anything that needs to be stired constantly as the sloped sides let you use a whisk to get everything. I use this pan the most out of 10 pieces of tri-ply cookware I own.

Oftentimes, I am in no mood to lug out the stockpot but this pan is big enough to cook up a pound box of pasta.