I came across the Calphalon® Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware a few years ago when it was on my cousin's wedding registry. I read a lot of great reviews and liked the way the set looked, so the next time I was at Bed Bath & Beyond I checked them out, and loved them! I looked at all the other sets there and still liked this one the most. One thing that I especially liked about these pans are the clear glass lids. It is so nice to be able to see into the pan without lifting the lid off all the time. These pans have a nice heft to them and feel sturdy, while not being too heavy to use daily. They are oven and broiler safe, as well as dishwasher safe (but I never put pots and pans in the dishwasher). The lids and handles sometimes get hot, so use oven mitts when needed. These are not the cheapest pans, but they are also not terribly expensive. To me, they are worth the price.
A lot of people are hesitant to use stainless steel because they think it is difficult to clean. I have never had any trouble cleaning these, even after making eggs (a common complaint). All you have to do is let them soak in hot soapy water for a bit and then use a pan scraper. I have never liked nonstick cookware because it grosses me out that it begins to chip after a while and ends up in your food. Stainless Steel, in my opinion, is much better, safer, and will last a lot longer. After all, I don't want to have to replace my pots and pans down the road! For anyone who has never used stainless steel cookware before, you can read some use and care instructions here.
This set was too expensive to buy for myself when I bought my townhouse, so I decided to get a smaller, less expensive set and that I would register for this one when I got married. At the time, I was single, but a few months later I met a guy who loves to cook! I received the 13-piece set as a bridal shower gift from my aunt and cousins, and was so excited to try them out. These pots and pans are awesome, and come in a variety of sizes. In addition to this set, we also registered for a few additional pans while they were available that I know we will use as our family gets bigger in years to come.
Since I am a visual person, I am including lots of pictures with this post. Pictured below is the 13-piece set which comes with the following:
- 1.5 qt. saucepan with cover
- 2.5 qt. saucepan with cover
- 8" omelet pan
- 10" omelet pan
- 12" omelet pan
- 3 qt. sauté pan with cover
- 3 qt. chef's pan with cover
- 6 qt. stockpot with cover
As you can see from the links above, most of those pans can also be purchased separately, but it is much more cost-effective to buy a set. I have not used all of the pans in our 13-piece set yet, but I know I
eventually will. A few of the sizes I use most right now were not part
of the set.
The first pan I bought before I was even engaged was the 12-Inch Stir Fry Pan with Lid. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) made stir fry pretty often, so we decided to get this pan to try out, and it did not disappoint! We could tell from the quality of this pan that we definitely wanted to register for more of this cookware when the time came.
Another pot that we registered for is the 8-Quart Stockpot with Lid, which has not been used yet but will definitely come in handy when we have guests over or as our family grows. This is the biggest stockpot for this cookware. My mom frequently uses 12-quart and 16-quart pots to make sauce, pizza dough, soup, etc. for our large family. Luckily, when I need a bigger size, I still have a Farberware 12-quart stockpot that my mom gave to me years ago.
Lately, the 4.5-Quart Saucepan with Lid has been my go-to pot when making pasta. This is a great size to use for just a few people. Sometimes I even use the 2.5-quart saucepan if it is a small amount of pasta for just myself.
We also registered for the 2.5-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid. I have not used this one yet, but thought that the shallow pan would be nice to have.
The 1-Quart Saucepan is a great little pan, with one complaint - it does not come with a lid. The lid would be useful, but I still like using this saucepan when heating up soup or other small amounts of food. If I really need a lid, I just use the 1.5-quart pan - problem solved!
We also registered for a few additional pieces. I have not used either yet. The Calphalon® Stainless Steel Steamer Insert (for use with the 2.5 Qt. Saucepan and 4.5 Qt. Saucepan) will be nice to use when we make vegetables, and the Calphalon® Stainless Steel 2-Quart Double Boiler Insert (for use with the 2.5 Qt. Saucepan) will be great when I need to melt chocolate.
Last but not least is the Calphalon® Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 14-Inch Roaster with Rack and Lifters. I also have not used this yet, but can't wait to try it out. I have a feeling my husband will especially enjoy using this!
There are a few other pans that match this cookware that I did not think we would use so we did not register for them, the 5-Quart Saute Pan with Lid (it's huge), the 5-Quart Dutch Oven with Lid (we already have 2 dutch ovens), the 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid (we already have the 12-inch omelet pan), and the 6-Quart Pasta Insert (I just use a colander). Other people might find these sizes useful though, so I wanted to mention them.
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| 5-Quart Saute Pan |
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| 5-Quart Dutch Oven |
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| 12-Inch Everyday Pan |
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| 6-Quart Pasta Insert |
I hope this review has been helpful. Since I am just cooking for myself right now, the smallest pans are the ones I have used the most, but I love that there are a lot of choices in shapes and sizes to use so we will never have to add more cookware to this collection! I am very happy with this cookware and thankful for these gifts that were given to us for our wedding from a few different family members and friends. They are excellent quality, and will last us a lifetime! Most importantly, these are what we will use to cook for each other and our family over the years.
Oh, and what did I do with my smaller Farberware set? I gave it to my sister, whose nonstick pans were chipping into her food!
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