Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 13-Piece Cookware Set

Calphalon Hard-Anodized inside & out is Worth every Dollar
The Calphalon Hard Anodized inside and out are the pots and pans that most commercial kitchens use. They do not burn anything and yes stuff minimally sticks to the pots and pans if you do not use enough oil, butter, wine, or water etc..
I have cooked eggs on these pans and the trick to keeping them from sticking is, keeping them moving if you are scrambling, if you are making sunny side up, you slowly and carefully push and lift the sides at the same time allowing butter to get below the eggs. Cooking is an art and needs attention and patience. When cooking meats, it is the same as a grill you have to let the meat brown completely on one side before it will release from the pan, another trick is the butter or some wine to deglaze the pan and release the foods. Unfortunately these are all tricks learned in professional kitchens and not known to the general population.
The calphalon hard anodized is useable with metal utensils but just like anything else you spend a good...

Great Deal especially for the clearance price
I have had this 13 piece set for several weeks now and am very pleased with it. Only reason I have it at 4 stars not 5 is that they really should include nonstick coating on the smaller fry pan for omlettes. Some observations:
- You need to warm the pans and any oil up before putting food in them to prevent a lot of sticking. Also, sticking can be minimized with a little lower heat setting.
- If you don't want to clean and hand-dry your pots soon after using them, get the nonstick version for a little more and use the dishwasher. These need to be kept very clean to cook well. A little orange citrus cleaner removes gummy buildup nicely. With a little soaking and a Scotchbrite pad, even baked on stuff comes off easily (much better than stainless).
- Food cooks very well in these pans, the heat distribution makes a difference.
- Handles are excellent, don't get hot.

The coating does indeed come off
I have a calphalon hard-anodized dutch oven, and the hard-anodized surface has, after about 2 years of intermittent use (dutch ovens aren't exactly every-day items), begun to pit and come off. Not big chunks; say maybe 'bout 1/8 of an inch diameter, but the surface is noticably pitted, exposing the aluminum beneath. Close inspection confirms that these are indeed pits, not bits of food or somesuch which won't wash off.

It is as if the anodized surface was rusting (of course, it isn't rust per se, as that requires iron rather than aluminium)

So, the reports are NOT bogus. When and whether it will happen to your pans, I cannot say; I wish I had the omniscience of some other reviewers who seem to know better than me the state of my pan.

Note that calphalon's non-stick pan's surfaces ALSO come off, but that is another matter, which is typically due to either being subjected to too high heat (non stick is not broiler safe, f.ex), or being used with metal spatulas. However, my...

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