Most helpful customer reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
Impressed chef
By K. mettle
I've been cooking quite a bit with this set and do recommend them to the casual cook and/or the professional.

The major thing I've noticed is the amazing heat distribution of these pans. I cooked at friends house a couple weeks ago on a crappy electric range and the tuna steak we were cooking turned out perfect like I was cooking at home on my gas range.

Also a notable achievement is the easy clean up of these pans. The smooth design seemed cosmetic at first but I've been grateful for the rounded interior edges, they've saved me hours of clean up.

Great investment! Lifetime warranty is no joke either. Worth the price.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Buy this cookware
By J. C. Ellett
Calphalon Contemporary is as good as All Clad or any other cookware line on the market, and better than most.

Great heat distribution and extremely high efficiency. You actually have to learn to cook with less power than what you're used to.
Can be used with any cooktop, electric coil, flat electric, gas and induction. (These are downright amazing with induction!)
Doesn't scratch or lose its surface like any non-stick will do
Can use metal or nylon utensils
Non-stick results if used according to directions.
Easy to clean if you use Barkeeper's Friend.
Will be the last cookware you'll have to buy.

I also got the wok, and am thinking about getting another. With two of these woks, I could cook anything and rule the world.
Unfortunately, Amazon is currently out of the woks, so I have to wait for them to restock.

Unfortunately right now Amazon is not the price leader. They often have a $30-$50 discount from the retail $499, but as I write the review the price is back up to list.
Other sources also offer additional free pieces, gift cards, etc. You'll have to weigh that against Amazon's no sales tax.
If you shop hard, you can usually find a 20% coupon elsewhere, plus extra items. I hope Amazon sharpens their pencils soon.

Also, a lot of the Amazon listings under Calphalon Contemporary are for external vendors, so if you see above-list prices, keep on scrolling down to find the Amazon entry.
By the way, even if you don't get these from Amazon, avoid Macy's, who lists this set at $549 plus tax.

Notes after ten months of use (December 28, 2011):

If you can't tell, I really like this stuff, so I got the 8 quart dutch oven for Christmas 2011. I cooked a beef roast and roasted vegetables for Christmas dinner with excellent results.
So in addition to all the cook tops that it works with, add "oven".

You can cook eggs without sticking. Make sure you use PAM or butter and remember that these pans need lower heat than you're used to with aluminum or whatever you've been using.

To remove stains and anything you've managed to "bake on", use stainless steel scrub buds (not steel wool, which scratches!) and Barkeeper's Friend. Most heat discoloration can also be removed with distilled vinegar and a scrub sponge.

Amazon's price is still at list, but they have listings from Amazon store front vendors fulfilled by Amazon at significant discounts, so you can get a good price, no tax, and Super Saver and Prime shipping are applicable.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
A Little Disappointed in the Quality
By auntie karen
We just bought and opened this cookware. It had received several positive ratings so we were pretty excited about it. Unfortunately, the lids have some manufacturing quality control problems. The lids are glass with a stainless steel border that goes all of the way around the edge of the lid. On three of the lids, the seams (where the edges of the border connect to each other)are messed up -- not aligned, not quite finished or smooth, and in one case, the seam edge is rough -- to where it could possible catch on a sponge or finger. Amazon is great -- offered to replace or discount the set, and that's why we love Amazon. But, they couldn't just replace the couple of bad lids. Pack it all up and haul 28 pounds of cookware to UPS or settle with a discount? We're still trying to decide but are really disappointed in Calphalon's quality here.