Others say...

"Caphalon will stand by you"
I purchased a 12 piece set of Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Cookware for my wife's birthday. This is the second set that I have purchased for her. A few years back we bought the Calphalon Commercial Nonstick set and added pieces over the years. We recently decided that we needed to send back several pieces due to the nonstick surface starting to come off. We however could not send them off to be replaced (per the lifetime warranty)because we did not have any other cookware to use.

So...once we had the new set we used the box they came in to pack up the Calphalon Commercial Nonstick pieces that needed to be returned, enclosed a letter stating what the problem was, spent $20 to ship and insure, and less than two weeks later had new pieces to replace the old ones. Since they no longer make the Calphalon Commercial Nonstick pieces they were replaced with the Calphalon One Nonstick pieces. No hassle whatsoever!

We now have every type of pot and pan you could imagine and it is a mixture of Calphalon Commercial Nonstick, Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick and Calphalon One Nonstick. My wife loves it all! To show off her collection we purchased a pot/pan rack that attaches to the wall. With all of the pots and pans hanging my wife has taken such good care of them you cannot tell which ones are the oldest.

We both would highly recommend any product from Calphalon that has the Lifetime Warranty. When we initially purchased our first set of Calphalon we were like everyone else...just not sure about spending that much money on a set of pots and pans. We however was in a never ending cycle of spending $100+ every year or so to replace our pots and pans. Nothing held up. We now know that even if there is some type of defect that causes a problem with a Calphalon product they will definitely stand by their name. My wife did not believe this until her replacement pots/pans arrived.



"Excellent pots and pans"
After reading all the "positive" reviews, I was ready for a good set of pots and pans. I'm so tired of getting cheap pans and a few years later having to throw them away. Calphalon was originally my 2nd choice, but after reading reviews on the other brand (which will now remain nameless) this set had more positive reviews and I was willing to give them a try.

So far I just love these pans!! You barely have to use any olive oil, which makes for healthier cooking. As for some of the negative reviews, if you read the instructions in the 1st place and realize you CANNOT put these in the dishwasher, then you will have no problems. I have standard stainless steel pots that you have to hand wash as well-case in point, always read the instructions.

I thought men were bad for not reading those important pieces of paper enclosed with their new purchases (instruction manuals do not compute in their world, usually)! I'm not adverse to getting my hands wet-to do otherwise is just plain laziness! Dishwashers are for dishes, silverware and glasses-do your pots and pans by hand. Clean up on these Calphalon pans is a snap. Just make sure they cool completely before you put in hot soapy water.

I ordered the Calphalon nylon cooking utensils to use with my pots, another no-brainer-just read your instructions and follow them.

I'm glad I purchased this set and the positive reviews helped me make my decision, so to those smart people I say "THANK YOU" for sharing your experience and expertise. I plan on using these for MANY years!!

"Reader beware!!"
This set of Cookware is nothing less than 5 star! I have cooked with many other brands of cookware and few can hold a candle to Calphalon. I have read many of the reviews of this cookware on this website and there are a few that are very misleading. First of all, if you don't know how to cook, this set is not for you. If you don't know how to take care of non-stick cookware, this set is not for you. I am a chef by trade and I can tell you with absolute certainty that this set will serve you well as long as you treat it well. DO NOT USE METAL UTENSILS, DO NOT USE HARSH CLEANERS, DO NOT CLEAN WHILE POTS AND PANS ARE STILL HOT!!! Follow these simple rules and you will LOVE this set of pots and pans!

"Great so far."
Bought these for my wife for Christmas (at her request), and for the past few weeks she has loved them. The only thing negative I can think of is that they are a little more work to take care of. But hey, it's well worth it in the end. She enjoys cooking more......I eat more!!

"Do NOT Hesitate to Buy These"
All reviews I have read here which are negative come without warrant. Seriously, read the directions before you use your cookware, no matter which brand you buy. Any non-stick cookware will tell you NOT to put it in the dishwasher. Dishwashers destroy non-stick coating, not to mention your warranty! The directions will tell you this. READ!

Now for review...

Cooking:
Heat a little hotter than my last set and will need to get used to it. However, at the same time it seems like boiling water takes a little longer. I am still trying to get the hang of them. Transferring straight to the oven is indispensable. I was never able to previously cook by sautéing, then transferring directly to oven for a few minutes. This is the only way to cook! Honestly, I always watched the pros cook in this fashion and let me tell you, now I know why! This set can withstand up to 450 F temps.

Cleaning:
I went from Circulon to Calphalon Contemporary. Night and day is the range of difference for cleaning. My wife even says she doesn't mind washing these pans one bit because they are so easy. She told me the other day that sometimes she could probably get away with just wiping them out with a paper towel. And, every time she cleans them, she always mentally thanks me for buying them.

Issues:
One issue I have notice is the tightness of the lids. They suck to the pans and are sometimes hard to remove. However, I think this might be better than if they didn't. If you need a solid seal it is there for you, if not, then crack them slightly. I have yet to stew chops with peppers and onions in this set, but I think it will work out great because of the quality seal.

Do not hesitate to buy this set. Just ask my wife!

6 Month UPDATE: I am still loving this set of cookware. Have definitely got a better grasp on cooking with them now and must say they continue to please both the wife and I.