Calphalon One/All Clad

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GreenEye

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
1
Hey Everybody!

I`m planning on investing some money (up to $1000 for 8-10 piece set) into a good cookware that will last lifetime.
From what I`ve heard everybody suggests not buying a set but instead getting separate pieces. Well, I thought about it and decided that since I`m starting from ground zero (I`m getting married and moving with my husband to a new house, and as of now we don`t have any cookware beside one LeCreseut pot that I got few days ago) I`d like to get one good set for starters and then eventually based on my needs get separate pieces.
So far I like Calphalon One and All Clad pots, but I have few question about them:

1) Claphalon One comes in just infused anodized and non-stick infused anodized. Which one is better?

2) All-Clad has so many different lines, and for me they all sounded kind of the same. Which line is the best in your opinion?

3) Between these 2 which one would you suggest me to get?

4) What are the cons/pros of infused anodized vs. stainless steel vs. stainless steel with copper?

I appreciate any advice you would give me. I feel very confused about all these pots :wacko:

Thanks in advance :)
 
Welcome aboard!

Your confusion is understandable.

I prefer All-Clad. Among the different lines, there is no practical cooking difference. As I recall, only the stainless steel line is dishwasher safe.
You can check their website to be sure.

Tri-ply stainless is the most impervious to damage. You can use metal utensils without fear.

Anodized aluminum cookware performs very well n the kitchen as well.
However, from their website, it does not appear to be recommended for the dishwasher.

Anodization of aluminum is a surface treatment. Surface treatments can be scratched and worn off.
 
I agree with Andy M.
As to the difference between the All-Clad lines I posted this a week or so ago.
If you search this site for "Calphalon", All Clad" or "cookware", you'll see a great many long and comprehensive discussions.
 
I prefer the Calphalon. Cook's Illustrated rated it "best buy", and described it's performance as close to All-Clad, which is why we tried it in the first place. Their only issue with it was browning, but IMO it does a very good job on browning, and it doesn't stick. I have more important things to do than scour pans.
Calphalon does not go in the dishwasher, but I've never put my good pots in the dishwasher anyway. And it's very easy to clean.
It also has a lifetime guarantee, and I found recently that the company is good for it's word. I sent in a large skillet that had lost a little patch of it's non-stick surface, and they replaced it with a new pan.

Recently, DH tried to burn the house down (kidding) by turning on the burner under a skillet with grease in it instead of the pasta pot, then leaving the room. Thankfully, the skillet had a lid on it, so it wasn't in flames, but by the time we discovered the mistake, the whole house was full of acrid smoke. I thought for sure the skillet was ruined. Man, did it stink! The lid did take a bit of scrubbing to get the black off, but the skillet washed right up. After it was washed, DH cleaned it with a paste of baking soda, which took away the burnt smell, and it's good as new.
 
I have both and prefer All Clad. Buth they are both good brands.

Stainless because it can go in the dishwasher. :) I would not recommend a whole set of nonstick cookware because nonstick IMO is very limiting. Many times you need some "sticking" to develop flavor. I have a couple nonstick pans for when I need them (eggs, pancakes, etc).

Handwashing and time has made my hard andodized cookware (both AC and Calphalon) look like crap. I am not that bothered my looks but some are.

I have been told that the AC made in China is not as good as AC used to be, but I haven't bought a piece in a few years, so ??

I also am not fond of sets. There are always things you don't need in them and buying by the piece is usually cheaper in the long run. But whatever you do, do not pay full price. You never have to pay full price for cookware. It's always on sale, either on the internet or in a brick and mortar store.

I bought most of my All Clad from Cookware and More which sells cosmetic seconds at very nice discounts.
 
I've bought several irregular pieces from Cookware & More too and am very happy with them. I did buy a couple of 1 qt. saucepan's without lid's last year from CutleryAnd More that are made in China, they we're on sale for $20.00 a piece and seem just as good as the AC made in America. When I bought them I didn't realize they we're Chinese, I thought all AC was made in America. I don't mind paying extra so that American workers can make a decent living.
 
After extensive research in the past few days I think now I`m leaning more towards All Clad.
One of the things that kind of pushed me towards AC is a fact that I learned about Calphalon One, and in general about all hard anodized cookware - you shouldn`t cook tomato or any other acidic sauces in them.
I read somebody`s review where he said that he tried to make a Bechamel sauce and Lemon Curd in Calphalon pot (he didn`t say which line) and both of them got ruined because the metal reacted to the acid.
Is it true? Did anybody else have similiar experience?

Now the only hesitation I have about AC SS is the cleaning factor. Somebody mentioned that it`s hard to keep SS looking shiny. It stains, keeps fingerprint marks etc. What are your thouhts and experience with this?
 
As far as I know anodized aluminum in non reactive. Cleaning SS can be a bit of a pain if your anal retentively clean like me ;) When you cook with SS it will leave little imprints on the cooking surface. Like when boiling water you may see some discoloring and little round bubble marks. Salt, sometimes leave's little pits. The instructions say to add salt after the water comes to a boil to avoid pitting. These are just cosmetic and will not affect the function. Barkeepers Friend will remove any stains and the little bubble stains from boiling water if that bothers you but it won't remove the salt pitting. Fingerprint marks are a non issue. I've gotten to where I don't worry so much about it, SS is great to cook with. Sometimes Cookware & More will run sales of 20% off their already discounted price, usually at the first of the month.
 
Now the only hesitation I have about AC SS is the cleaning factor. Somebody mentioned that it`s hard to keep SS looking shiny. It stains, keeps fingerprint marks etc. What are your thouhts and experience with this?
I find the stainless exterior very easy to maintain. For the interior BarKeepersFriend is the answer. BonAmi isn't the same. If your grocer is out or doesn't stock it order some online. That's what I did.
 
I read somebody`s review where he said that he tried to make a Bechamel sauce and Lemon Curd in Calphalon pot (he didn`t say which line) and both of them got ruined because the metal reacted to the acid.
Is it true? Did anybody else have similiar experience?



YES

Now the only hesitation I have about AC SS is the cleaning factor. Somebody mentioned that it`s hard to keep SS looking shiny. It stains, keeps fingerprint marks etc. What are your thouhts and experience with this?

I have never had it permanently stain and normal washing removes fingerprints, etc. Like Skilletlicker said Bar Keeper's Friend is the answer. It will keep it shiny and remove stains. Stainless is much easier to maintain than anodized or copper. Copper is a real pain to maintain.
 
This wasn't asked about, but I feel it's an important consideration. Well-seasoned cast iron is the most versatile cookware I've ever used. It's cheap, nearly indistructable, holds heat well, heats evenly, and is virtually stick free once seasoned.

Plus, if I'm out camping, I can scour it with just water and clean sand if need be. Try that with your Calphalon or All Clad.

That being said, I prefer stainless to any non-stick, whether it be painted or hard anodized on the outside. Anodizing aluninimum simply makes the metal surface more resistant to dammage from normal wear and tear. We anodized the aluminum propellars on the Navy's Deep Submersible Recue Vehicle when I worked for Lockheed. Then we shot them with epoxy paint. All of this was done to protect them from salt-water corrosion (hmmmm, salt and water is corrosive?)

The only non-stick I have in my home is the big GE Electric skillet I use at our church's anual pancake breakfast.

Ya gotta try good cast-iron. IMHO, nothing beats it.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
i have the calphalon one pans and i like it alot, though i haven't tried anything else. i started throwing out my old icky teflon walmart pans when i moved into a house, and spent many nights shopping for pans on the net. i found a calphalon one saute pan at bed bath and beyond for $40, picked it up and tried it and it worked really well. browned nicely and wasn't a pain in the neck to clean up, even after my bf's mother cooked eggs in it without using any butter (it wasn't the nonstick one, but i have some nonstick now which really are stick-proof).
i've heard that the tomato sauces aren't so good in them, but i've made many batches of tomato sauce in the big 8 qt dutch oven and they've all turned out fine. also made a few batches of lemon curd which was a hit at a funeral reception. i'd find a small pan on sale to try out, i've bought about 6 more and have always managed to get them on at least 50% off at a kitchen store. still more than i ever used to think i'd pay for pans, but i have since learned it is better to buy something nice that will last many years rather than something cheap that i'll have to replace in a year or two.
 
If I were in your shoes I would go with the SS All Clad. I have a few pieces of it and I really love it. The different lines of All Clad are basically the same as far as cooking performance goes. The differences are mainly cosmetic.

I have never had a problem keeping it clean and looking good, but I am not one of those people who need my pot and pans to look brand new.
 
I have the all clad copper. Have had them for 10 years, superb cooking, superb heating. Yes, I would purchase the set, and then add as you need, and of course, as your family grows!!!
 
skilletlicker said:
I agree with Andy M.
As to the difference between the All-Clad lines I posted this a week or so ago.
If you search this site for "Calphalon", All Clad" or "cookware", you'll see a great many long and comprehensive discussions.


I read your link. I would never pay big bucks for salt, but I did pay just that for a large All-Clad Copper Core skillet, even though I did save a little on eBay: They have some great prices for NIB All-Clad pieces and sets.

While it's really difficult to say if this line is significantly better than the SS unless you did some specific side-by-side tests, we've been very happy with the results so far. I plan on slowly replacing some other pieces with the Copper Core. These pans should be washed by hand, but then I'm a firm believer in hand-washing all premium cookware.

For those not familiar with this line, here's the schtick from Williams-Sonoma's ad:

All-Clad Copper Core Cookware
This premium cookware combines the superb heat-conducting properties of copper and aluminum with the easy maintenance and durability of stainless steel. Featuring five-ply construction, the pots and pans feature a copper core sandwiched between two aluminum layers, with stainless-steel interiorand exterior surfaces. The copper core runs through pan bottoms and up sides, so cookware heats and cools rapidly and evenly, with no hot spots.

18/10 stainless-steel cooking surfaces won’t react with foods and resist sticking. Rolled edges on pan rims promote dripless pouring.

Lids and stay-cool handles are made of stainless steel.

A band of copper rings the pan exterior. To preserve its attractive finish, we recommend washing this cookware by hand.
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all-clad. my Dad worked w/ them yrs. before i was born, & explains differences & what would suit you well. he explained to me extremely well, from construction of Mom & Dad's all-clad to thier bonding methods. williams-sonoma is excellent at explaining products, too. send me a msg. if you have a question. my Dad will give me a dagnabbin verbal novel in response.:rolleyes:
 
Hi, I am new to this site. I stumbled across it due to my recent frustration!! I have been cooking for years with a set of Calphalon "Kitchen Essentials" I recieved as A wedding gift, I recently upgraded to the Calphalon One Hard Anondized. My problem... I can not make pancakes in them with out them sticking, unless the pan is filled in way too much oil. It was my understading that I would need less oil to cook in these... I have been cooking for years, I know what I am doing in the kitchen. What am I doing wrong?
 
Choleskitchen said:
Hi, I am new to this site. I stumbled across it due to my recent frustration!! I have been cooking for years with a set of Calphalon "Kitchen Essentials" I recieved as A wedding gift, I recently upgraded to the Calphalon One Hard Anondized. My problem... I can not make pancakes in them with out them sticking, unless the pan is filled in way too much oil. It was my understading that I would need less oil to cook in these... I have been cooking for years, I know what I am doing in the kitchen. What am I doing wrong?

First of all, welcome to the site. :) I'm fairly new here myself.

I happen to have assorted cookware: All-Clad, Henckels, and Calphalon. I have several pieces of the Calphalon One that you're tallking about (not the nonstick). I bought it because I thought it would be a good compromise between nonstick and stainless. I think the pans are excellent but they don't seem to be any more stick resistant than SS. They do a good job with browning, though, and I have no problems keeping them clean (I use Barkeeper's Friend).

Having said that, though, I would not use a pan in that line for pancakes. To me, there are just some foods, like pancakes and eggs, that do better in either nonstick, which is my choice, or a type of material that develops a nonstick interior after use (like cast iron).

As an aside, I am considering buying the Calphalon One infused anodized double-burner grill pan but haven't yet ruled out a nonstick version by All-Clad. I have, though, my concerns about what high heat will do to a nonstick pan, no matter how good the quality. Cast iron would be great, but they are way too heavy.
 
Thanks, I have needed a good griddle for awhile any way. Maybe I'll start looking into one =) I have three girls that would be truly heartbroken if I were to do away with pancakes on account of a pan ;)
 
Choleskitchen said:
Thanks, I have needed a good griddle for awhile any way. Maybe I'll start looking into one =) I have three girls that would be truly heartbroken if I were to do away with pancakes on account of a pan ;)

I have a Calphalon nonstick double-burner griddle that works great. If I were buying today, I'd probably go for that again or the All-Clad nonstick ($99).

But when it comes to the double-burner grill, I'm still undecided as to nonstick or regular.
 
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