pots and pans!

clanager03 · October 2013

Hey ladies I really want a calphalon pots and pans set I am just stuck which set to get ... contemporary or hard anodized I am not even sure what the big difference is between them?

shannonbrookeg · October 2013

There are the stainless steel and nonstick. There really isn't too much of a difference between the different types other than price. Calphalon is awesome any direction you go!

AprilH81 · October 2013

They also make a dishwasher save version now. That is what I registered for because I'm lazy and I like to put things in the dishwasher.

audubonbride2013 · October 2013

We have some of the Calphalon Unison line, which is dishwasher safe. We love them and we throw them in the dishwasher every time we use them. We originally registered for the set, but the set is a little on the expensive side and included pieces we would never use. No one was buying the set so shortly before our wedding we switched to individual pieces and got quite a few. We're working on expanding what we have now with more of the Unison line as we see pieces at TJ Maxx or on a really great sale.

photokitty · October 2013

I have the nonstick One line and LOVE them.

hoffse · October 2013

We went stainless steel with a couple of non-stick skillets for eggs, etc.

We love the stainless. It's easy to clean, and it truly IS dishwasher safe because there's no coating on them to flake off, etc. I run ours through the dishwasher multiple times a week and have had no issues. We've had ours for a couple years. The other day H commented that he doesn't think we will ever need to upgrade because our set will probably outlive us.

I've run "dishwasher safe" nonstick through the dishwasher before and it always ended up ruining them within a year or two because it makes the coating flake off. I admit I haven't tried running our "dishwasher safe" calphalon non-stick skillets through the dishwasher because they are too expensive to ruin and it takes about 10 seconds to clean them by hand.

I just don't trust the "dishwasher safe" claim when the pot/pan is non-stick.

I will also say that our stainless set is a cuisinart tri-ply. If you go stainless go tri-ply because it's more sensitive to heat and will cook better (there is a layer of aluminum through the entire pot/pan if it's listed as triply, instead of just on the bottom). Somebody also got us a random All-clad skillet as a wedding gift. That's supposed to be a "better" pan than our cuisinart (though they are both tri-ply). Well guess what? We never use the all-clad skillet because we don't like the handles, and we can't see a difference in the way it cooks. So we never use it.

I would make your choice based on price, quality (triply is better than not), weight, and how it feels in your hand. I seriously can't stand all-clad even though that's like cooking blasphemy to admit it. Their handles hurt when you're trying to move those pots and pans around with food in them. H agrees - even though his hands are bigger and he's stronger than me. They hurt him too. It makes no sense to me to spend $1000 on pots and pans that are uncomfortable to hold. But that's just my $0.02.

chibiyui · October 2013

I'm going to second Hoffse, dishwasher safe non-stick will last much, much longer if you hand wash it. All Calphalon non-stick should be Hard Anodized, it's an electro chemical process that alters the aluminum, causing it to resist corrosion, be non-porous, heat evenly and be dyeable(ish). It is much more durable then non-anodized (traditional) aluminum cookware. If you're not big into cooking, sticking with the Simply Calphalon line should be fine, I have a couple of pieces from that line, and they have lasted a good 5 years so far showing no signs of wear. The Simply line has both non-stick and stainless steel options. If you're in the kitchen quite a bit, the Contemporary line, Calphalon One or Unison line might be better suited to you.

Even if you go with a set, I'd recommend registering for one or two pieces of the other kind. I.E. if you go for a non-stick set, get a stainless steel pan/pot as well. It will give you a wider set of options.

courtneythesquid · October 2013

I got the Unison set, and I LOVE them! I have been hand washing but they clean up really easily. I registered for the set thinking nobody would get it, but I might use the completion discount and a 20% coupon if I didn't get enough pieces. My coworkers all got together and bought it for me- there is a hilarious picture of me with my mouth hanging open in shock when I opened that package! Go ahead and register for the set you like- maybe nobody will get it, but people are awesome and may surprise you!

music11 · November 2013

We got the Tri-Ply stainless steel set, and it has been great. I would really caution you to stay away from the non-stick; personally, I wouldn't want to be ingesting tephlon, and once they're scratched, they are ruined. Cast iron skillets are naturally non-stick, and very reasonably priced. Hope this helps!

photokitty · November 2013

music11 said:
We got the Tri-Ply stainless steel set, and it has been great. I would really caution you to stay away from the non-stick; personally, I wouldn't want to be ingesting tephlon, and once they're scratched, they are ruined. Cast iron skillets are naturally non-stick, and very reasonably priced. Hope this helps!

If you have a glass flat top range cast iron is not for you

otherwise they are awesome !

kitty8403 · November 2013

Yup. FI insists on cast iron, and that'll probably prevent us changing to a newer stove style. But as long as you season them properly, they are almost indestructible. (We use Lodge, and it takes a beating.) Do the adapter plates for those glass tops work with cast iron pieces?
Cast iron does not do well with acid, however, so you'll still want something, probably stainless, for acidic foods and sauces.

ETA: I've heard good things about Cuisinart and Sitram cookware, and that All-Clad may be overrated. We never used very high end pieces growing up; the old copper-bottom Royal pots were reliable, and T-fal makes some inexpensive pans that hold up pretty well.

banana468 · November 2013

I'm not sure where people hear that you can't use cast iron on a glass flay top. I have Le Creuset and regular cast iron and both are fine on my glass top range.

I'd avoid registering for a set. Mix and match. Stainless and nonstick and cast iron all have their uses.

photokitty · November 2013

banana468 said:

I'm not sure where people hear that you can't use cast iron on a glass flay top. I have Le Creuset and regular cast iron and both are fine on my glass top range. I'd avoid registering for a set. Mix and match. Stainless and nonstick and cast iron all have their uses.

It can crack the glass flat top. It doesn't always happen (as you can attest too), but can and does happen. It is not a risk I am willing to take. The manufacture's guidelines say not to use cast iron on glass flat tops -- But we all break the rules sometimes ;-)

natswild · November 2013

Lagostina is also a really good brand, my parents have used them for more than a decade, heats very quickly and evenly

verna25 · December 2013

Did anyone put the whole pots and pans set on the registry? Or separately? It's approximately $500... I'm just afraid I'll get one pan if I do it separately. Thoughts?

AprilH81 · December 2013

verna25 said:

Did anyone put the whole pots and pans set on the registry? Or separately? It's approximately $500... I'm just afraid I'll get one pan if I do it separately. Thoughts?

I did both. I don't expect anyone to buy the whole set, but I put it on there mainly for the completion discount. I put the individual pieces on there because even if I get one skillet I can always use good skillets.

pots and pans!

Re: pots and pans!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards