You rarely find Calphalon at a deep discount so I decided to try this little pan out. I own most of the Professional Hard Anodized cookware. This pan is lightweight, easy to handle and maneuver over the stove. It heats evenly on my gas stove. It's best to use the lowest flame setting when using over gas because it also heats rapidly.
Generally, I like the size, weight and ease of use. The cover also fits other pans I have. Cleaning is a breeze but I recommend to anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience with Calphalon to read up on the cooking and cleaning suggestions that come with your pan. This pan is NOT non-stick but if you use as directed, this hard-anodized pan will not stick and will definitely be easier to clean.
While the Cool-V handle does stay cool during cooking, it seems to get in the way. The handle curves higher on the stove than I'm used to and I've accidently hit it a few times when adding food to the pan or working around the stove. The pan is also lighter than the Professional Hard Anodized I'm used to so it doesn't stay flat on the burner unless there's food in it.
I'm impressed with the pan's versatility. It's great for frying, making or reducing sauces, sauteeing, deglazing and stir-frying. The small size makes it ideal for 2-3 people.
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Cooking has been my hobby now for more years than I care to admit. Unlike many folks, I do not think everything in the kitchen must match. So I don't have a matching set of cookware. I have tried about everything, and for various reasons, my cookware collection has evolved into a mixture of things I really like to use: Calphalon Hard Anodized, tin lined French copper, Le Creset, and the one essential of all, the cast iron skillet.
This particular pan I bought simply because it was so [inexpensive]. I could not visualize a 2 Qt. Chef's skillet. It turned out to be slightly larger than I feared, but somewhat smaller than I had hoped. I think it is best to describe this pan as an improved 8" omlette pan, ie. higher sloped sides with a lid.
My most used pans are: #1, my 12" cast iron skillet; #2, my 6 1/2 Qt. Calphalon Stock Pot with Pasta Basket; and coming in at #3, surprisingly, this little Calphalon Hard Anodized 2 qt. chef's skillet.
I do not use it for making any particular dish. Rather this has become a workhorse in preparing ingredients for other dishes, e.g., to sautee mushrooms (you need the slopped sides and a cover), to sautee vegeetable or seafood stuffings for entrees, to make up a pasta sauce for side dish portions. Think of any time you need to sautee or panee something for another dish and you will be using this little pan. Heck, I have even used this pan to make up sauces, gravies, cook custard, and many other non obvious tasks. It is just real comfortable to use. I do not use this for stir frying, however, a use suggested by others. It is too small. Besides, I have yet to find a better tool for stir frying than a seasoned steel Chinese wok. They are big, and completely non stick, but have an appeaarance only a mother could love.
I would have given this pan a 5 star rating, except for the fact that this is a support weapon, not the main gun. Sort of like no one would ever rate a four iron as the best club they have ever owned, but a good four iron is necessary to score well. But anyone whose cooking has progressed beyond spaghetti and Ragu, should have this pan.
Best Deals for Buy Download Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 9-Inch, 2-Quart
First off, let me say that in the last four months, I've bought probably 20 pieces of Calphalon's Commercial Hard Anodized cookware through Amazon.com. Except for the items in this recent order, I have been purely tickled with the products' performance. These items included products from both from the Toledo and Chinese manufacturing facilities.
Calphalon, sadly, discontinued this product line several months ago. Amazon is down to only five items out of dozens in their open stock listing. And I think they are getting down to the bottom of the barrel. In this shipment I received two items from this line that were junk. They should have been shown as scrap, seconds, or outlet merchandise. The first was the 7 qt. casserole which I reviewed separately.
This item, the 9 inch, 2 qt. Chef's Skillet was equally disappointing. The body of the pan was almost 30% thinner than my other frying pans from this line. (barely 2mm thick) The finish was also inferior: It was noticably lighter in shade than all my other Calphalon Commercial Anodized cookware and on the bottom, it appeared to be showing almost bare aluminum across the surface. The Grey finish was almost see-through. Also, the surfaces of this pan were comparatively rough.
Again, with all due respect to the reviewer who insisted all items are of equal quality regardless of origin, this woefully inadequate example of Calphalon qualtiy was made in China.
I hate to say it, but I am beginning to think that stores of this line are depleted and only the dregs and defective items may be left.
Either that, or there may truly be a problem with the Calphalon items of Chinese manufacture.
In any event, this piece is also enroute back to Amazon.com for a refund.
Honest reviews on Buy Download Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 9-Inch, 2-Quart
There seems to be some confusion about how hard-anodized pans differ from non-stick pans, which I'd like to clear up.
I have used many Calphalon hard-anodized pans for things like cooking chicken and scrambling eggs, as other reviewers wrote, *without* problems. There are instructions included with the pans that explain how to do so.
The first, very important, thing is to make sure the pan is very clean. A Scotch-Brite pad and some elbow grease are needed. Bits of leftover food will cause serious sticking.
The second thing to remember is that the food must be at (or nearing) room temperature. Cold eggs and chicken directly from the fridge WILL stick to a heated pan.
Following these guidelines, hard-anodized pans ARE virtually non-stick. If you really want a non-stick pan, and use it for primarily eggs, omelettes, etc, it is better to buy a non-stick pan.
If, however, you want to buy only one pan for things that non-stick can't do (like browning and deglazing for meats) and you want to use that pan for scrambled eggs as well, it can be done. It just requires a bit more work.
So, buy hard-anodized if you're looking for versatility, buy non-stick if you're looking for non-stick. (Or, buy both!)
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This Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-Quart Chef's Pan with Lid is a "collector's item" from the newer line of Calphalon's Hard-Anodized cookware. Thus, it is the same alloy aluminum type pan as in the older "Professional" line, but its handle is "stay-cool" sculpted stainless steel, instead of an older chrome-covered iron handle, which could get very hot to the touch. The 9-Inch bottom of this chef's pan is slightly smaller than that of the 3-Quart Sauté pan, another useful pan that usually comes with a Calphalon starter set.
This pan is a bargain. Since Calphalon rarely offers such deep discounts, it seems worthwhile to add it to one's collection. Because it has the rounded chef's shape, I would use it for stir-frying, reducing sauces, and making demi-glace. I have two flat-bottomed woks (Joyce Chen and Calphalon), but they do not work that well on an electric range. This chef's pot works well for a small-to-medium stir fry on either gas or electric burners. When the stir fry is done, I use a Calphalon nylon scoop to remove the cooked food, then I reduce the sauce.
The hard anodized finish of this chef's pot makes it virtually non-stick. Using a pan spray is not a good idea because it can leave behind a sticky residue. Hand-washing is recommended, with use of Bon Ami or Dormond cleaner for any stubborn stains.
