Sales Rank: 10


Features:

Straight-sided pan ideal for sauces; use also for stews and casseroles

Heavy aluminum with thick bottom to heat evenly, quickly

Anodized for hardness and stick-resistance

Riveted, oven-safe handle is cast stainless steel, resists heat on stovetop

Hand wash with mild detergent; made in China

Average Rating:
Rating: - A great saucepan
I recently ordered this based on my appreciation for Calphalon products and the great price. This is a fantastic saucepan that can practically double as a saute pan. It is surprisingly large and roomy, and the extra diameter gives it plenty of room for fitting in two or three chicken breasts, a modest steak, or a handful of veggies. I love it for making coq au vin since it isn't too large and goes right in the oven.

Nothing sticks to this pan if you add just a dab of butter or oil, and it heats up and cools quickly. One great feature of pure aluminum cookware is the fact that aluminum dissipates heat quickly, so pulling the pan off the heat is a great way to regulate the temperature when making a sauce. This is a great product and a wonderful addition to my Calphalon cookware collection.

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Rating: - Great Pan but I prefer the non-stick lid type and handle.
I like this pan a lot, because it heats up faster than the non-stick type, and lets me cook stuff that doesn't do well in the microwave. Especially good for making hot cereals, boiling eggs, and fixing packaged, mashed potatoes. This pan does all the little stovetop jobs fast. The lid is, unfortunately flat, and has a cast steel, grip handle on it. The main pan has a cast steel handle, which does not stay as cool, as the higher grade, stainless steel, found on the Commercial Non-Stick variety. Still since I don't use it for extended boiling or even need the lid much these are small complaints.

I use a cooking spray to coat the bottom of the pan. This works to prevent sticking, when preparing foods without a lot of water. It only sticks if you forget to stir the food, and leave it too long over the heat. Before the days of the microwave, the most frequent pans in our kitchen were the small saucepan, and the medium fry pan. Your canned soups, beans, vegetables, hash, and most of your basic serving items were all designed for a pan of this size. If you want something you'll get a lot of use out of, get this pan you'll never regret it!

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Rating: - A fine-performing 3 year pot
I bought this pot three years ago, and it was my first piece of "serious" cookware. I used it to make various pasta and other sauces, and its large surface area and even heat were very good. It was also easy to clean. Per the manufacturer's instructions, I cleaned it by hand, using a Scotch-Brite pad when needed. It was a beautiful pan. And, after three years, sauces started tasting funny, and I noticed that the inside was significantly lighter in color than the outside. A quick check with an Ohmmeter revealed that the anodized coating was gone, and I was effectively left with a plain aluminum pan. The other cooks I have talked to say that this is just what happens after a while, and the pans go in the sandbox for the kids to play with. Now, at the fantastic amazon.com price, it's not too bad to just buy a new one every three years, or you can mail the pan back to Calphalon and try for a warranty replacement. After this experience, I will certainly never use a Scotch-Brite pad on anodized aluminum. Still, a clad pan such as All-Clad offers similar performance and will last forever (15+ years), so I think that's what I will replace it with.