Customer Reviews

Calphalon Tri-Ply Copper 10-Inch Omelet Pan

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

 

 

Most of my copper pots are made by Cuisinart, but they didn't have the so very useful 10" sized skillet that I was looking for this time around. Since I have had great service from other Calphalon products (knives, roasting pan, some non-stick pans), I thought I'd give this one a try.

Here is how it worked out. The shape of the pan is perfect for omelette making. I used to use non stick for omelettes, but most non stick pans just diddn't have the right shape for the job, and non stick is just not as user friendly as a proper stainless cooking surface. This pan is shaped just right. It also has the right size. Anything smaller is too cramped for comfort. Anything bigger is too awkward to flip. The handle is also very well made. It is a nice stainless casting with a thin "V" section at the pan that reduces heat transfer to the working end. Very well done.

My only gripes are pretty minor, and mostly personal preference. The nice handle is held in place with three rivets. I know that three sounds better than two, but the truth is that I have never had a quality two rivet pan loosen at the handle. Even my huge 5.5 qt. Cuisinart pan has two rivets, and never has shown a hint of deformation or working loose. Besides, they are all guaranteed for life. The reason I point this out is that rivets are a real pain to clean. It usually takes less time to clean the cooking surface of a pan than to clean around the rivets. Three rivets only make the job take half again as long to do.

The Calphalon pans are also finished with a satin/matte look. This is said to be easier to keep print free, but I think it is just a cost saving step for them. Cleaning takes the same amount of time. While the handle is polished to a beautiful shine, the copper and stainless pan surfaces look dull and lifeless compared to the mirror finish of my Cuisinart pans. This is not a functional issue though, as the cooking surface performs as well as any of it's more polished neighbors on the rack.

The last nit pick is that although these pans are priced about the same as the other brand, it appears that the tri metal sheet it is stamped from has a somewhat thinner layer of copper. Aside from looking good, the copper provides the fantastic heat conductivity that prevents hot spots like no other cooking material. It probably means little in practice, but more copper is a very good thing.

Anyway, if the look bothers me that much, I'll probably take it to the shop and polish it myself. Meanwhile, it is an overall outstanding omelette pan, and you should have one in your kitchen.

I bought this thinking that I would make omelettes every weekend, yet I find myself cooking with it almost nightly. I see that the heat is well distributed throughout the suface and that cooking is very consistent with this pan. I expected it to be built sturdy, perform well, endure rough handling and basically not let me down in the kitchen. All of my expectations were met or exceeded, so don't think that this pan is just for omelettes. I use it to sear and braise tenderloins all the time, and it handles liquids when de-glazing better than any other pan I own. My only regrets are not buying some copper cleaner, as this pan tarnished and stained after my first use. If you are a purist who likes your equipment to look good all the time, you might not like this pan as it will immediately acquire a patina of age, yet if you want something that can perform and dont mind and can handle the discoloration, then by all means, look into getting yourself a copper omelette pan...

This is an excellent pan, a little effort is required to keep the copper looking naturally beautiful but that is to be expected. It's heavy which is another indicator of the quality. Although vinegar and salt will clean the copper, they won't shine it so be prepared to use metal polish to have it looking it's best.

I have a mix of Calphalon pans: Commercial Stainless, Commercial Nonstick and Tri-Ply stainless. I love them. Great performance and easy to care for. When looking to fill a hole in my set, I discovered Amazon carries the Tri-Ply Copper and immedaitely ordered one. It was beautiful out of the box, but doesn't stay that way. I don't like stained, grubby-looking pans so I clean mine thoroughly, inside and out. The stainless interior is a breeze to clean, but the copper exterior is a bear. I have scrubbed it until it shines and then hand dried. To my chagrin, I have found you must hand dry it at least two times because any miniscule sheen of moisture will stain the copper.

Of course it performs like any of the excellent Calphalon products. It is just that my Tri-Ply Stainless pans are easy to clean AND look good, too. I know a lot of people are not compulsive about how their cookware looks and Tri-Ply Copper will be fine for them. But if you like your cookware to gleam, avoid the copper exterior.

My favorite is actually Commerical Stainless which has a hard-anodized exterior around a stainless interior. However, Calphalon no longer makes it and existing supplies are very hard to find.