Cookware Reviews

I own similar cast iron pans by a French manufacturer that charges much more money for their items than I payed for this Lodge pan. My French skillets are not used very much any more. I like the shape and size of this particular one because of the deep sides. I thought of getting a chicken fryer by Lodge and decided on this big skillet instead.....it was a good choice. The generous depth of this pan was all I needed to pan fry chicken. I have sucessfully used it for other cooking too. The clean up is very easy.

After 20 years of Teflon, I went back to the skillet my grandfather used (and I helped! well, sort of -- as much as a 4-year-old can help). The pan is durable (no scraped Teflon), is great for carmelization (I toss my chopped veggies in there, brown them and then put the skillet directly in the oven to finish roasting them). The pan is durable and versatile. The tried-and-true is better than the modern. A classic!

I love it!

This product rocks. I could not be more pleased with my purchase. I live in Sunny Southern California, so there are almost seven or eight days that I cannot grill outdoors, and this product makes those days tolerable.

Despite my long cultivated outdoor grill mastery, there is nothing like the flavor of a cast iron grilled burger or steak, and this 12" Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Skillet is just the ticket.

It heats evenly, and perfectly, allows good beef to retain its savory and rich flavor, and sear perfectly.

Come on over for some cowboy burgers and steaks and you'll be an immediate convert.

I love this skillet, and plan on adding many more to my collection.

On the downside, the handle is a little short, but I see there is a new collection with a more modern "kitchen-worthy" style.

This product is a great compliment to my Stainless All-Clad cookware, which may be more versatile. Nevertheless, the Lodge cast-iron skillet is a griller's dream.

I just bought this set and was dismayed to note in the "Important Safety, Use & Care Information" that the set is not dishwasher safe and is not recommended for use on Ceramic/Glass Stovetops.

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These are excellent pots- the nonstick surface is an improvement over regular old Teflon and they're heavy and spread the heat well. Gotta love the splendid red color, too!
I find these cook a bit slow, but that's a good thing; I haven't managed to overcook and mangle a single thing in these pots. The heat spreads well and stays consistent, I haven't had any "cold spot" problems. They're also a snap to clean, I like an OXO Nylon bristle dish scrubber. Nothing sticks and pots almost wash themselves.
I wish they made a 12 inch skillet; but this is a perfect starter set and easier to use than a lot of fancy pots are.
Very Highly Recomended!

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I have used many different frying pans through the years for making Swedish pancakes and this is the best! Excellent! I like it so much I'm going to buy a 2nd one. :-)

I ordered this after I read a review in the NY Times about clad pots and pans. Calphalon was rated third, but the first two were priced way out of my range. I have been very satisfied with the product. You can use metal utensils and it doesn't scratch. I have since ordered more pieces. Amazon's prices for these products make them affordable for everyone.

Hi,

I just bought this 2 weeks backs, it arrived on time, well packed and with warranty info.

The set is very heavy, and looks great...but the best part is it is dishwater safe which is very important to me.

I bought the pot and found the lid is warped and doesn't sit on the pot properly. It was too late to try to return the item. Check right away if you do buy.

I was lusting for this stock pot because I had bought three other Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized pieces earlier in the year and just love them. This line of cookware is so tough, Calphalon actually recommends cleaning it with Comet! I was afraid Calphalon would discontinue this pot before I could afford to buy it...and then it went on sale. What joy!

I didn't think I'd use this pot very much because I'm not much of a cook; that it would just sit around looking pretty as part of my set except during rare canning adventures. But the day it came, I tried using it to cook a whole meal (see below) using a stainless steel steamer insert from a cheap stock-pot/steamer set that fit well enough to get the job done. I've used it every other day or so ever since!

My first meal: I put some beans I'd soaked overnight in the bottom of the pot and brought them to a slow boil. After the beans had cooked a bit, I set two cups of rice (prepared as follows) in a Pyrex glass 7-cup storage bowl (sans lid) and set it into the stock pot. (Fabulous rice-cooking technique: Put twice-rinsed rice into a heat-proof bowl, pour HOT water over it so the water level is roughly 3/4" higher than the rice, then steam approximately 20-25 minutes. It will hold longer without overcooking, hot and ready to serve.) When it was almost time for dinner, I went out to my garden, picked some summer squash, and cut it in half lengthwise; there was plenty of room to stick the squash around the edges of the rice bowl in the steamer. We had beans & rice and lovely steamed squash for dinner and it was marvelous!

The only thing that could make this stock pot better is if I could get my hands on a steamer basket that truly fits it. I've been trying to locate one made specifically for this pot but so far have not been successful. If somebody finds a good one, please let me know!

I have owned this pot for over 6 years and it gets used all the time. Coming from a professional resturant family, I knew about the Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized line we used in the resturant-- and how they perform. So buying one for home use just meant saving up enough $$ to purchase it, but at this price I'm buying another one! They are well worth the money.

This pot is very user friendly as it can do everything from Soup, spagetti sauce to large batches of jelly and jam, or corn on the cob for a small army of diners. We've even used it to boil 2-3 small lobsters without a hitch.

THE FOLLOWING IS SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR CALPHALON'S HARD ANODIZED COOKWARE-- Not the non-stick.

A few other reviewers have mentioned a couple things I'd like to set straight.

1. NEVER EVER put this pot in the dishwasher. It will void the warranty. Calphalon tells you wash it by hand in the sink with hot water. Calphalon tells you in the instructions you can use 3M Pot Scrubbers and Comet Cleanser on the pan. This will remove any and all food residue, in order to keep it from sticking. Clean or Treating it about every 3-4 washings with Dormond Cleanser is recommended by Calphalon to return the pan to it's like new condition. Normally soaking the pot by filling it with dish soap and hot water releases most sticky food.

2. For those reviewers who commented about warped lids and problems, Calphalon does take their warranty seriously. Call the company (get the number off their website,) and tell them your problems and don't take no for an answer. I do agree that since some Calphalon has been made overseas vs the old time stock out of Ohio, the quality has been spotty at times. But this is where you get the opportunity to speak up and tell them exactly what you think. (I personally have bought every piece of Ohio made Calphalon I can find, it is superior.) But I've returned a poorly made lid and other problems and never had a problem. If you first don't like the answer you get, Write the CEO/President of the company a letter. It will get action if you explain your problem and tell them what you exspect of them to do make it right. They are used to dealing with the expections of professional chefs.

In our house we do not like the idea of using a non-stick pan and have never had a problem with these Hard Anodized pans and food sticking. The trick is getting the pan hot enough with the proper oil or liquid before you begin adding additional items to cook.

The major problem most people have is understanding HOW to cook with these pans. It really pays to read the instruction booklet that comes with the pans. It will save you countless grief and make you a much better cook/chef.

Hi,
We got this set one month after getting married, and guess what, it is the thing that we always wanted. It gives us the choices in pan sizes. and there are three more mixing bowls which come handy while cooking or storing left overs. The stockpots are wonderful, they are the used most of the times. The mirror polish is still intact, I think this is a wonderful thing that a newly wed should have. Its worth the price.

Positive points: Food doesn't stick to the pots/pans
You get varieties of sizes.
Easy to clean.
Looks smart.


Negative points: I feel the handles are little delicate, so we have to give support if the stockpot is completely filled
The mixing bowls are quite thin. Be careful while dumping it into sink

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I have owned my 12 piece Farbeware set for the past 26 years. My mom's set is 37 years old. We both cook every day. Our sets were manufactured here in the states,(the factory used to be in the Bronx, NYC). They included a 1,2,3,4 and 8qt pots with 7 & 12 inch stainless steel frying pans. My sister has the present 10 piece set also with stainless steel frying pans and it was not manufactured in the states, she's owned hers for 12years.
Yes I can definitely say there is a quality difference from the present Faberware to the original ones made here. But I must say they are still a great product for the price.
They hold up to mishaps in the kitchen (leaving pans in the oven and turning the oven on with them in it, or leaving a pot on the hot stove until what is in it burns dry). Clean up after such incidents have still turned up the pots looking new. The outer stainless steel still has a great shine and I have never had to use any specialty products. They withstand the dishwasher but I still prefer to wash them by hand. I also own their 6qt (not made here) and 16qt stockpots.
I highly recommend this product to cooks just starting out because they withstand abuse and also cook very well.
I have recently purchased the "Calphalon One" line to add to my Farberware (my daughter likes to cook specialty dishes).
I will not be discarding my Farberware even after 26 years there is no reason to do so.

This set of Circulon is wonderful! I love the versatility of all the different sizes of the pans. They are definitely worth the price!

Cleans up in a jiffy, yes, but also cooks evenly, with excellent heat distribution. If you are not familiar with proper methods, you should know you never cook on high heat with non-stick cookware, so you must be patient for some applications (heating water to a boil, or when frying). I always use wood or plastic utensils and my cookware remains like new a year later.

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This is probably the worst non stick cookware i have seen/used. The coating started peeling off after a couple of uses. (Even though, we ensured that it is hand washed etc. and took good care and precautions).I would never buy farberware non stick cookware again...Complete waste of money and effort....

I love the price but am finding that the coating is starting to chip around the rim of the pots. Also, there is black circles on the bottom of the pot (the side that faces the burner). I am not sure if this is just decoration or not but this black material is also flaking away. Other than that, they are fine.

I received my item in excellent condition and in time. Thank you.

As this is to be a wedding gift in the fall, we have not opened the carton and cannot review the cookware set.

I was so excited with the pans when I first bought them (as it came with tons of promises and hype) but after three years of use I'm quiet disappointed. At first I thought it was my fault. I tried to baby the pots as much as I could but nothing worked (I followed the instructions very well). Everything burns when I use them especially the frypans / skillets burns stuff right away. They are very hard to clean (believe me I tried). If you want quality stuff try All Clad or Faberware (if you want something cheaper) but stay away from this set.

Ups:
-They are decent pans, looks great when you first take them out.
-They are sturdy and I use metal utensils to cook, I like that.
-The attached aluminum plate in the bottom helps spread and retain heat, if your stove isn't that powerful.

Downs:
-I like to sear and stir fry a lot with hot pans, so they will discolor a little with heat. Overheated oil will cause black oil spots on the pan that are hard to remove.
-You need the pan to be hot so that it doesn't stick, and you will need to use a little more oil than typical. If you don't do either of these, your non-greasy food WILL stick to the pan.
-The aluminum plate takes some time to heat up.
-The aluminum plate reduces the responsiveness of "lowering the flames" on your stove. Less control.

What this set needs:
Large Pan
Non-stick omlette pan
Wok

That it would take a month and a half for this thing to arrive. I haven't used it yet, but it looks like it's in good condition. Just incredibly slow to arrive.

I like the shape and size of this pan. The pre-seasoning is very effective but there is an unseasoned place on the handlethat looks like a chip..I think it is due to they way the seasoning is applied by Lodge.

I noticed a review from April stated they that Amazon.com is the only place they know of that sell these skillets for this low price. A week or so ago I picked one up from a Wal-Mart in Birmingham, Alabama, for, I think $9.86 (plus 9% sales tax).

I previously bought a Lodge Logic 5-quart dutch oven from Amazon (with free shipping, of course) and the lid from the dutch oven fits perfectly on this size skillet. I could have gotten a larger skillet, but the 10.25" one is a nice size that is not too small or too large. Mom has two very old cast iron skillets, one is about six inches (too small for my needs) and one that is 12 inches (too large for my needs, usually), so having used various sizes I am quite happy with this one.

My advice: if you want a medium-size cast iron skillet, this is the one to get, whether you pick it up from Wal-Mart or order it from Amazon.