List Price: $225.00
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Nearly 10 months ago I purchased this item at the same time as another product, Cuisinart FCT22-20NS French Classic Tri-Ply Stainless 8-Inch Nonstick Skillet, specifically to compare them and guide my future purchases. After extensive daily usage of both products I can share my perspective and hope it helps others. I will be comparing only the 8 inch Calphalon pan to the 8 inch Cuisinart.
The Cuisinart product is a classic pro-style pan that seemed perfect for what I was after. That said, I was drawn to the Calphalon product by the attractive pricing and decent product reviews I found here on Amazon and elsewhere on the web. I am an avid appreciator of omelettes and there is no better task to test the sticky-factor of a pan than with omelettes especially as I am a flipper, not a folder.
I found both the Cuisinart and Calphalon pans to have good feel to them. The handle design and the weight of the pans is slightly different. The Cuisinart handle arcs higher which I preferred a bit more. The slope of the sides of the pan on the Calphalon is steeper leaving a larger cooking surface area on the bottom. For an omelette flipper the Cuisinart's less dramatic slope made it easier. That said, after a couple weeks of use I could achieve the same results with either.
Both pans perform well as a non-stick surface product. Very little effort to keep things from sticking and it required little to no butter or oil to get that result from both. These surfaces on both pans seemed to perform better once "broken in" even though that's not generally a characteristic of this material.
Now for durability. I invest way too much in cooking gear to use sharp tools on them. So I stick with just plastic tipped tongs or a silicone spatulas. Period. Regardless of my efforts, both pans are showing signs of scratches on the cooking surface a very disappointing finding. The Cuisinart looks to have held off scratches much better than the Calphalon. I expect that to start affecting the non-stick capabilities in a couple years as the scratches worsen. Both items are labeled as dishwasher safe and I did take advantage of that and it worked out well. The external surface of the Calphalon is easier to care for than the stainless surface on the Cuisinart.
So, it would seem that for half the price the Calphalon performed very well against the Cuisinart. The longevity of the Cuisinart will likely be the differenciator in the long run. But since I received two pans for pretty close to the same price in the Calphalon offering it really does win my vote in the end.
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I bought the set direct from Calphalon before it appeared elsewhere. The finish is wonderful, the food actually does slide from the pans. My warranty says they can be washed in the dishwasher. I like the weight, they seem to be more like the old made-in-USA Calphalon bought years ago and passed on to family as I have cut back in cooking. I needed good omelet pans (you'd be surprised how many eggs seniors eat (smile)) and these more than satisfied me. A cover I already own fits one pan and I have ordered a cover from Calphalon for the other pan. That's because I tend to use these pans for almost everything I cook, stir fries, sautees, sauces, meats, veggies, I just made BubbleNSqueak in the large pan yesterday and needed the cover for that dish to tenderize the cabbage. I recommend this set without hesitation. I am sorry I wasn't able to buy it from Amazon, I am a died in the wool customer of Amazon. I will buy more in the Unison line and it will be from Amazon.Best Deals for Calphalon Unison Nonstick 8-Inch and 10-Inch Omelette Pan Set
Let me start out by saying I hate Calphalon. I've hated it from the get go, as I have issues with the whole concept of cooking on aluminum. I have been an All Clad fan for years (except that I can't say much for their black LTD finish which died). Color me stainless with a copper sandwich.I was walking past a kitchen ware store in northern Florida, when they were offering this set at a greatly reduced price. We went in and for some strange reason, price probably, as well as the finish of the non-stick which seemed really nice, we bought the set. We were in the mood for nonstick, and our non stick All Clad omelet pan had died what I thought was an untimely death for a pan that was over $100. So we thought, what the heck. At this price, if it dies in a year, oh well. Now you can color me converted. We use this 10" on our boat (no dishwasher) and another in our condo (we don't put it in the dishwasher but maybe 1/4 of the time). We've had them for over a year now, and I can tell you that not a day (that we use it) goes by that my wife and I don't remark to one another, 'this is my favorite pan'. Even heat. Food slides around effortlessly, and a joy to clean with a simple sponge and dish soap. NO signs of wear on the non stick. I have to confess that we treat this pan with respect. We use high temp rubber spatulas, bamboo, and (carefully) metal tongs. Mostly washed by hand (why not, the difference between rinsing and washing this pan is so slight). You're already washing your good knives by hand, right??
Honest reviews on Calphalon Unison Nonstick 8-Inch and 10-Inch Omelette Pan Set
I don't know if these pans were damaged or if they were just poorly finished, but I returned the original and the second set that were sent to me for the same reason. The first set had numerous scratches or dents on the edge of the pan along where the non stick surface finishes onto the anodized back. The 10" pan had the most. The 8" pan had that and a large dent smack in the middle of the cooking surface. The finish looked fine where the dent was, which leads me to believe it may have been like this out of the factory.The second set I received also had the scratches as the first (one again, more scratching on the 10" than the 8"). The 8" pan this time had discolorations in the finish, which are likely caused by poor application of the finish at the factory.
Overall, I'm not impressed, and certainly not for pans that are "list priced" for 200 dollars. In my opinion, Calphalon should package these better in the first place. 1/3 of the pan isn't protected by the packaging at all. Not good when you're dealing with non sticks, where once the finish is damaged, you really shouldn't continue their use.
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I was completely wrong with my earlier review. The instructions say to wash the pans and condition them with a wipe of vegetable oil before their first use. I went back and did that, and they are completely cling free.I'm sorry for my mistake, and if I mislead anyone. I'm delighted with the pans!
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