Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(441 customer reviews) 530 of 554 people found the following review helpful
A fine-performing 3 year pot,
October 7, 2003 Walter Nissen (Livermore, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Calphalon D87821/2P Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid (Kitchen)
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...Read more
212 of 223 people found the following review helpful
A great saucepan,
November 2, 2001 Richard Green (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Calphalon D87821/2P Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid (Kitchen)
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.
73 of 75 people found the following review helpful
what a steal!!,
October 17, 2003 Rob Tebeau (Quincy, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Calphalon D87821/2P Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid (Kitchen)
Ok, let me get this straight...Amazon has 2 different 2.5 quart Calphalon Commerical Hard-Anodized saucepans, the regular, and the shallow. Inspecting the technical details of the two pans, one quickly realizes that they are identical except for the diameter and the height of the pan. The shallow is, naturally, more shallow (3 in. compared to 3 7/8 in), and therefore wider (8 3/8 in compared to 7 in) to accomdodate the fact that they hold the same amount of volume. What does this mean? More SURFACE AREA. What does surface area do? Well, think about it for a second: more of the pan is in direct contact with the heat because of the larger bottom. As a result, more of the food is exposed to the heat. The result? Faster cooking!
And this is a "sauce" pan after all. So what does this mean for sauce? Same thing as above, but remember, more of the sauce comes in contact with the air. More surface-to-air ratio = faster reducing times for sauces.
So we've established...Read more