Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Value
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2013
I was looking for a set of stainless sauce pans to replace my very aged Magnalite aluminum set which has pitted badly. I wanted fully clad stainless cookware. I looked at All-Clad Stainless, Cuisinart Multiclad Pro, Calphalon Triply, and the Tramontina Triply. I wanted a rolled lip to make pouring easier so that eliminated the All-Clad and Tramontina entries. Not sure which of the remaining two I wanted, I bought one each of the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro and the Calphalon Triply Stainless to test.
After using each about a half dozen times, I was pleased with the performance of both. Neither seems to have any significant performance advantage over the other. Both heated evenly, were solidly built, and were comfortable to lift and pour. Neither handle heated too much during cooking even after simmering tomato sauce for hours. The Cuisinart's handle was warmer than the Calphalon but not by much. I did find the Calphalon slightly easier to clean food that had become stuck to the surface. However, that was negated by having a third handle rivet to clean around. Essentially, performance was the same from both lines. For those that are concerned with the appearance of the cookware, the Cuisinart Multiclad line has a brushed finish. The Calphalon Triply are polished to a mirror finish. Both were fine with me as I don't much worry about how they look.
I chose the Cuisinart sauce pans for a few reasons: lids, pan sizes, and price. I like the Cuisinart's metal lids more than the Calphalon's glass ones. I don't understand the benefit of glass lids. They can't take the higher heats that metal can, can break if dropped or banged, and fog up when used so you can't see what's in the pot, anyway. The sauce pans in the Cuisinart line are available in 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 quart sizes. That's perfect for my needs. The Calphalon was availabe in 1, 1.5, 2.5, and 4.5 quart sizes. I really wanted something in the 3-3.5 quart range since I use it frequently but it is not available from Calphalon. They do make a 3 quart Chef's pan but I didn't want the curved bottom. The Cuisinart Multiclad sauce pans are priced approximately 50% less than the Calphalon Triply pans. Since they performed evenly well, the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro seemed to fit my needs best.
