Anyone have "Cooking with Calphalon" cookware?

[midnight armadillo]

http://www.calphalon.com/calphalon/consumer/jhtml/cookCalphalon.jhtml;jsessionid=Z2P4AFQOTRE5KCQHUB2CIIQKA4QGIJCK

Apaprently it's only sold at Kohl's. I was eyeballing the stainless steel pots, a 1 qt is $24. I'm in need of a 1 qt, a 3 qt, and an 8" frypan. The alum. bottom is very thick. I suspect these will do everything I want 'em to do: boil water for pasta and steaming, cook rice, make oatmeal, grilled cheese, etc.

And, in the realm of exotic cookware, I found 100% titanium pans:
http://www.titaniumart.com/cookware.html

Maybe I'll get a little one for kicks with my Xmas bonus at the end of the year...

[Stinky The Clown]

1. I have some Cuisinart and other cookware that is similar .......

..... by 'similar', I mean they're stainless steel with aluminum disks on the bottoms. The Cuisinart, specifically, has an alumium copper sandwich, but it is essentially the same thing.

All work just fine .... except ..... they *all* have an inherent flaw wherein they get very, very hot at the edge of the disk. The stainless inside the pan, where the edge of the disk lies directly below, is a hot spot. This isn't too much of a problem over a low fire or with very wet products inside the pot, but it is a serious issue with anything cooked over higher heat and high in fat and solids (any sauteeing, cooking high solids soups, etc.).

To be sure, the issue goes way with lower heat and may be completely non-existant on electric cooktops (I have gas).

I'd advise looking for low cost multi-ply cookware. The kind that is stainless inside and out and with an aluminum or aluminum/copper core. K-Mart's Martha Stewart line used to have these, but I'm not sure they still carry them. Calphalon also makes some as do any number of off-brands.

The issue is most noticeable in sautee pans. I'd advise avoiding them entirely. Choose the multi-ply here or even a plain aluminum pan (I know ... some people claim there's a deleterious effect using plain aluminum and I am not well-informed enough to comment meaningfully, but am compelled to mention this caution).

You might try looking at the house brand at Linen's and Things (LNT brand). I've looked it over and its pretty nice stuff for reasonable prices.

You might also look in the off-price stores like Home Goods, Marshalls, etc. I have seen a good bit of Tramontina (a Brazillian or Argentine brand) that is very, very nice for reasonable prices. These places also have many other brands but all such stores are very spotty in what they have from one day to the next.

[Warpy]

2. I've wrtten about my mongrel cookware before,

so I won't go into the whole speil. I have found stainless frypans less than satisfactory both for the hot spot H2S described and because I've found too many foods like to weld to them. I used them on an elecrric stove.

My favorite for a new frypan was a Le Creuset I found in a junk shop with a chipped outer rim and a scorched wooden handle. I loved that thing and was terribly sad when the chip got worse due to heating and cooling after several years of hard use.

My favorite frypans are my old, well seasoned cast iron jobs. If you can find one of those in a thrift shop or yard sale, coal black from years of use, you'll find the most nonstick cookware out there. They truly are wonderful. The other I recommend is the Calphalon "everyday pan."

I'd steer clear of anything that is Teflon coated. It's OK for wet foods, but tends to fume at the temperatures needed for sauteeing.

[yellowdogintexas]

3. I have the non stick hard anodized version and I love it

works great.
I have an old (23 years)Cuisinart heavy 10 " saute that is nice for when I need a really HOT sear on meat; or I just use my old wok.

I have not had difficulties with sauteing in these pans.

I make oatmeal in my microwave, by the way; however the little one quart saucepan that I bought xtra (also on sale and I had a 20% discount coupon) does perfect rice.

The pans are nice and heavy, clean up great, and have see through lids.

[Lefty48197]

4. I thought Calphalon was just for lookin' at and not for cookin'

Usually they just hang from the pot racks and never get used, because they're too expensive.

[Blue Gardener]

5. Yes

I got the whole set at Kohl's. It's worked out just fine.