Customer Reviews

Calphalon Tri-Ply Copper 3-Quart Chef's Pan with Stainless Lid

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been buying Calphalon cookware for almost a decade now. For serious cooking, I used nothing but their Commercial Hard-Anodized line. When quick cleanup was the bigger concern, their non-stick stuff just can't be beat.

But my wife and I really wanted some copper pots and pans.

Why? Copper looks great and cooks even better, so you get to show off twice with each piece you buy.

The problem is, copper is expensive. We looked at the competitor's line of high-quality copper, but decided it just wasn't worth the money. Then last month we found Calphalon's Tri-Ply Copper for about half the price of the competition.

Since we both love to reduce yummy sauces, this 3-Quart Chef's Pan was the first one we bought. And let me tell you, we may never go back.

The outside is simply gorgeous -- a brushed copper finish that, thankfully, doesn't required as much cleaning as the polished kind. The inside is aluminum, which is almost as fine a heat conductor as the copper. And the inside is coated with a thin layer of polished stainless steel. Why stainless? Because it's almost as stick-proof as a non-stick treatment, but it will never react with your food, and is oven-safe to 450 degrees.

Within a week of buying this one and using it daily, we added two more pieces from Calphalon's copper line. We're so happy with them that we aim to complete the set.

You should, too.

The Cuisinart 2Qt copper saucier pan has become one of my favorite pans over the past year, and when I had a chance to use this larger Calphalon version, I decided to get one for those occasions when it's larger size was more appropriate. As with the rest of this line, it is a well built pan that will survive a few lifetimes of use. I would like to see Calphalon polish the stainless cooking surface to the same shine as Cuisinart (it tends to stick less), but that is a minor issue compared to having the right size and shape pan for the job at hand.

The copper exterior of the Calphalon line is more of a brushed finish than Cuisinart or All Clad pans, as one reviewer noted, but after several Months of use, it makes no real difference, as occasional scrubbing with any of the standard copper cleansers make them all look the same from the outside. That is to say that they all have that extra something to their look that no other material can duplicate. It's not too often that something that looks so good IS so good. Copper cookware is that something.

By the way, someone here remarked that aluminum is almost as good a heat conductor as is copper. I'm sorry, but that is not the case. Copper conducts heat about three times as well as aluminum, which conducts heat far better than stainless steel. That's pretty incredible, and it's also one reason why copper cookware is such a wonder to behold in the kitchen. The idea behind a copper outer layer is to spread the heat from the range or oven quickly to all points of the pan or pot. The aluminum core is a convenient way to offer mechanical stability to the structure while keeping the wonderful (from a food reaction and durability standpoint) stainless steel cooking surface as thin as possible.

Stainless steel alone can make an easy to clean pan that will perfectly burn your food every time you cook with it. Adding copper to the outside of a thin stainless interior will give you all of the benefits of the non reactive, durable stainless cooking surface, and add even heating and pretty quick response to changes in burner setting. Unfortunately, such a pan is still easy to dent and deform. Adding a layer of aluminum between the two other metals keeps pretty much all of the good properties while making it easier to stick the metals together, and making the entire mess a whole lot stronger.

Pure copper is by FAR the best pot material from a thermal standpoint now that we have real control over our stoves. Copper reacts with many foods, so a hand applied tin coating on the cooking surface "kicks it up a notch", but is still reactive with a few foods, and offers the scratch resistance and durability of shoe leather. There are some rare offerings of pans made with a copper exterior bonded directly to a thin stainless cooking surface. They perform marginally better than the All Clad/Cuisinart/Calphalon tri-ply pans, but they are not nearly as resistant to use and abuse.

That's pretty much the scoop on copper cookware. It looks great, cooks better than most anything else, and the tri-ply stuff will take abuse for generations without intensive care. The three major brands offered on Amazon are all of similar quality. I prefer the cooking surface of Cuisinart to the other two, but Calphalon also offers a reasonable price. I have pans from all three companies though, as each offers one or two designs that the others lack. This pan will get along just fine with anything else on your rack.

I've never owned any copper cookware. I've used other Calphalon cookware for many years and have been very pleased with it. I especially enjoy the Commercial non-stick line; HOWEVER, even that let me down when trying to make a sage brown butter sauce for a chestnut-stuffed raviolli dish my daughter gave me...then .... VOILA!... my copper pan arrived! Life changed... the sage browned to a "moi perfecto" crisp, the butter was a light golden brown... every portion of the pan teamed with the delicate little, sizzling bubbles of butter..."ess-a the mose bue-tee-full creation you evera dida seea!" Clean-up was a breeze... nothing stuck and I even scrambled an egg earlier just to see (still prefer the non-stick f/that)... Did use copper cleaner, if you want to call, softly touching the surface with a sponge cleaning. GET ONE! LOOK LIKE A PRO... COOK LIKE A PRO.... Be Italian, Be French! Justa' be fun! Have fun!

This Pan heats so evenly that it is almost impossible to burn. I found no problem with the stainless steel being too soft. Cleaning is no problem either. The shape is great

I've never owned copper cookware..too much trouble to keep clean, right?

Frankly, I'm amazed by this pan. I've had it hanging in my pot rack for the last 3 weeks, have used it about 4 times so far. It looks like it's new and I haven't had to clean the copper yet. I live at the beach and thought that it would tarnish as quickly as my silver does..wrong!

I have an extensive collection of other Calphalon and All Clad cookware, but this pan heats more evenly than any other piece I own. Now I know what people mean when they rave about lack of hotspots!

I am a convert! I will slowly replace most of my other cookware with this line, except for a couple of nonstick pans for things like rice and eggs.

Kudos to Calphalon for an excellent product!

We have a huge collection of Calphalon hard anodized, but when cooking tomato based dishes, they can discolor. Adding the copper with stainless interior makes it easier to clean up tomato sauce mess! I like the rounded bottom so my spoon can touch all the places with no "corner hiding". As always, the handle is what makes this Calphalon pan as well as the other commercial items stand out! I absolutely love the handle and it stays cool in all of my cooking... BUT remember if you use it in the oven it still gets HOT!!! The size is just right for small to medium families and we love it.

I recently purchased this pan, and my kitchen is all the better for it. Its best feature is its weight, which keeps it from being tipped over even when it holds very light ingredients. The handle is also superb, staying cool even on a very hot burner over a long period of time, and being more than sturdy enough to handle the body's considerable weight no matter what it contains.
The price is also quite reasonable for a pan of this quality. (It was so good, in fact, that I had it shipped, indirectly, all the way to Japan so I could use it for cooking local dishes).
I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy another product from the manufacturers.

Not only is it beautiful in design but it is the most perfect size for making a thousand things. I've done soups, risottos, sauces and even chocolate melts for toppings by setting the angled pan bottom into one of my larger pots and using it like a double boiler.

If I could only keep one pan in my kitchen, this would be it! And if I ever win the lottery, I will buy a complete set of Calphalon Copper cookware for everyone I love.

I've always liked the Calphalon products, but I lost my whole set a few years ago. When I found this piece on sale at such a reasonable price, I snapped it up. I've never enjoyed cooking so much in my life. The copper heats the pot evenly and quickly. It's a dream to keep clean. The lid fits perfectly.

The only thing I don't like about this piece is that the weight distribution on the handle is awkward. I have RMI which weakens my wrists and makes lifting and pouring off liquid difficult. A more ergonomic design to the handle would have been better.

However the ease of cleanup, the perfect heat conduction, and the outright beauty of the piece make up for any awkwardness. I love it so much I'm asking for the rest of the set for Christmas!

I love my tri-ply! Food sticks just enough to give some browned bits for deglazing (deglazes as if the stuff wasn't even stuck in the first place!). Clean-up is even easier than non-stick! Most everything wipes right out or flies off the surface with the sprayer on your sink!!! I have about 7 pieces of it now and love every one of them (hate my Calphalon Commerical on-stick!).