Teflon is just dangerous stuff, Michele. It has been classed as a carcinogen. Plus, at high heat (above 450) it releases toxic fumes.

That aside, sooner or later (mostly sooner), even using approved tools, it will scratch and peel. And once that happens, the pan is the next best thing to useless.

Personally, I don't understand the recomendation to have a non-stick pan for eggs and such. I've never had them stick in either my stainless or cast iron cookware. The secret is to lower the heat.

If a non-stick pan is necessary, however did our grandmothers, and their mothers before them, ever cook an egg?

There's a great line in one of the Nero Wolfe novels (great books, btw, for anyone into both food and whodunits) in which he'll be preparing omelettes and tells the guests, "let me know 40 minutes before you're ready to eat." Low heat and a modicum of butter, rather than teflon, is the entire secret of non-stick eggs.

I have the tri-ply and love it. I don't have a problem with anything sticking. It cleans up well and they can go in the dishwasher or not, depending on your preference. I bought the 8-piece set and have used every piece. I also purchased the 12-in everyday pan and use it a lot. I have 3 LeCrueset pieces that I use on the stove top and the oven.

Michele,
I just bought the Calphalon Try-Ply 2.5 quart sauce pan at Bed Bath & Beyond. It was one of the "try me" specials for $29.99. I also used a 20% off coupon so that really got the price down. I thought I would give this piece a test drive and see how I like it. I noticed they had several "try me" deals for this version.

I have a 12" Calphalon One (NOT non-stick) that I like a lot, particularly the handle in my hand.

Some "commercial" Calphalon from around 25 years ago. Anodized & heavy duty. Eggs just slip out of my little 6" (?) wonder. I heat, add a bit of fat, and keep the flame low. Pretty simple.

I don't have the Calphalon stainless.

I'd love to hear more about anodized stuff -- I use it but wonder if I need to be more up-to-date on health issues etc. I've recently added enameled cast iron & will add more pans as we remodeled the kitchen last year & find we're all cooking differently than in the past.

I feel quite rusty with my cookware know-how now that I have a fabulous range. (And no, it didn't need to be fabulous to impress me, my last range should have been put out of its misery years earlier.) It occured to me yesterday in the kitchen that many of my pans were purchased in the past to deal with ranges I no longer have. A lot of cooking practices are changing in my kitchen -- I should probably reassess my pans.

I'm interested to know which pans, which materials others are choosing for which task. The whys, the experiences, the $$$ ..... (My favorite pot is actually a $10 wok so I don't think practical pans have to break the bank to be just right for the job.)

I don't mean to broaden the Calphalon thread but Calphalon makes pans in different materials so ... what is everyone using &/or coveting?

I have really loved a couple of my calphalon contemporary chef pans (they also were on introductory try me specials). I have calph. commercial hard-anodized 8 qt. saucier (an amazon special last year at $25) and a 7 qt saute. I love them both. They are not nonstick per se, but it does seem to cause less sticking. I, too, wonder abouthealth issues.

The one piece I'm looking for now is a 5 quart non-stick saute pan. The reviews for the calph. contemporary were awful, to my surprise. Now I wonder if anyone has a recommendation.

Thanks.
Lynn.

I did have one 3 qt Caphalon anodized pan. Anodized pans are not an add on like teflon it is an alum that is buffed to the black hard surface. It was great espeically for the starchy foods. Boiling potatoes, rice dishes and oatmeal. It cleaned up very easily. The only thing I didn't like it was recommended not to put in the DW.

The Calphalon One I believe has the same chemicals infused into the metal as they use in the Calphalon One Nonstick. I don't know if it's any safer or not used that way, as it will never peel off. I assume tiny amounts still might get into the food though.

"The Calphalon One I believe has the same chemicals infused into the metal as they use in the Calphalon One Nonstick. I don't know if it's any safer or not used that way, as it will never peel off. I assume tiny amounts still might get into the food though."

No. There is nothing to peel off with the Calphalon One. And as for the chemical that has been in the news recently as possibly posing a danger (PFOA), Calphalon does not use it in any of their cookware.

suzyq3 - I'd love to hear more. Are you saying that Calphalon's nonstick cookware does not have the PFOA's? If not, what nonstick surface do they use?

Anyone have experience with calphalon nonstick pans?

Lynn.

lynnalexandra, I believe blondelle was suggesting that the Calphalon One (not the nonstick) had the same chemicals infused as their nonstick line. That was what piqued my curiosity because it didn't make sense to me. I've spoken now to two company reps, and both have said that nothing is applied to the Calphalon One. As for their nonstick line, I simply cannot truly understand what they were explaining to me other than that they feel their product is absolutely and totally safe and that the real concern is to the environment during the manufacturing process. I know that skeptics will not change their minds, though, about the personal danger of cooking with nonstick.

I have several pieces of Calphalon One (not nonstick) and several pieces of nonstick, both Calphalon One and some older pieces. I have had no problems with any of them.

I love my SS pans, including AC copper core, my Calphalon One, and my one Henckel's SS. But I will continue to use my nonstick pans for certain foods until I see conclusive evidence from an unbiased source that I should not do so as long as I use them according to directions.

If you want to speak to the company about their products, here is their contact info:

1-800-809-PANS (7267)
(Business Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm EST, Monday-Friday)

This is from the Calphalon One FAQ:

"How does Infused Anodized technology work?

By means of an exclusive, breakthrough anodization process, interior and exterior surfaces of the pans are infused with an advanced release polymer, which penetrates below the surface, into the microscopic pores of the metal. The result is a remarkable metal cooking surface that sears and releases simultaneously. The surface offers unmatched durability and versatility in the kitchen."

I'd really like to know what the Advanced Release Polymer is, and how much is in C1, although Calphalon probably considers it proprietary. How similar is the Advanced Release Polymer to PTFE or TeflonR? It definitely does not feel or look like any PTFE type nonstick coating.

PFOA is the dangerous stuff. It is used in the process of making PTFE, but supposedly is not in PTFE.

I'm with suzyq3... I have some nonstick frypans, but only use them for certain foods that need delicate handling.

Part of the fun of cooking is the art of preheating the pan, adding oil, moving the food so it releases at the right time, and of course that amazing look and taste of well seared food and pan-deglazed sauces.

Here is a link that might be useful: How does Infused Anodized technology work

I have a glasstop cooktop (Ceran)and have just purchased a Calphalon "Commercial" 12 skillet. My burner is only 10". Is it ok to use the 12" skillet on this cooktop. This skillet is very heavy also. Thanks a lot. I'm trying to find a set of Calphalon that is right for this glasstop.

Hello, I have a 20 year old Caphalon Pot that the patina is showing worn spots. Is it save to use the pot? Thank you.

ZEKID! GLAD you reopened this OLD post cuz I have some info to pass along about Calphalon! They have an EXCELLENT FREE repair/replace policy! NO receipts required! On there website, there's a spot to provide some information... what type pot/pan you're returning, stick or non-stick, style/model, reason for return. You can print out a shipping label. C doesn't pay for you to return items, but it's not all that much money.

I sent back my FAVORITE sauce pan from a set I bought a LONG time ago... could have been 20 years ago like your pot, but at least 15 years... starting to show wear in bottom. Also sent back 2 different size skillets... bought at BB&B maybe 10 years ago... just not as non-stick as they had been.

None of the 3 had been "abused"... wooden, plastic, or silicon tools only. On RARE occasions when metal impliments used, was VERY careful. I boxed them up, paid maybe $8-10 to ship and in about 7-10 days, came home to BRAND NEW replacements! A slightly different sauce pan cuz one I sent back had been discontinued at some point.

klseiverd, in terms of quality, the new Calphalon is not even in the same galaxy as the pre-Newell Calphalon. The new Calphalon is marginally better than crap WalMart sells.

I cooked on Tri-Ply for 12+ years before going induction. I've got the new Tri-Ply 12" frypan and can't see a big difference, if any, in the quality of the pan. It may be very slightly thinner, but I would need to measure to know for sure. I could do that, as I gave my old non-induction pans to my son and DIL.

To be fair, I've only used it a couple of times so don't claim extensive knowledge of it's cooking characteristics. Can you elaborate on what you mean by "marginally better than crap WalMart sells"?