Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 7-Quart Chef's Casserole with Lid

Comment: The pot overall is very good and functional and a real help around the kitchen. My only one knock is how thin the pot material is now.

Comment: I currently own about 7 pieces of Calphalon cookware. I have been very pleased with the quality, and I try to pick up additional ones whenever I can. I was happy when I saw an Amazon offer for a Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 7-Quart Chef's Casserole with Lid set for $60, down from $190. The few customer reviews were mostly favorable so I ordered one.

I did note some issues people were having with the Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized 12-Quart Stockpot with Lid. To summarize it was noted that the pot was not made in America, was flimsy and thin in construction, and the finish quality was substandard. Being that I had already ordered, I waited to see what would arrive.

I opened the Amazon box and took out the plain white box whose only markings were "Made in China." Nowhere did it even say Calphalon, so this was an object never intended for normal retail sale (at a Macy's etc.). The pot was indeed flimsy with comically puny handles. I scratched at the surface with my fingernail and appeared to slightly mar the surface. I then walked to my computer, clicked return, and printed out the return authorization.

I think what disturbs me the most is if Calphalon is calling this piece of junk commercial quality, how can I possibly order one of their products unless I can physically touch it before I commit? Claiming a 68% savings on the price of this pot is ludicrous. This is more like one of those infomercials that packages 50 cents worth of plastic and says it's a $20 value. This flimsy pot would be expensive at $20. Calphalon may very well have lost me as a customer.

I grabbed my caliper and took a couple of quick measurements of the thickness of several of my Calphalon pieces.

My truly professional fry pan: 0.19" (4.8mm)
Calphalon Contemporary pan: 0.179" (4.4mm)
Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 7-Quart Chef's Casserole: 0.10" (2.5mm)

Comment: I have a number of other choices of cookware but this pot has proved to be the one I reach for most often. I didn't expect it to be so useful.

Comment: Just recently bought Calphalon cookware -- and we're really happy with it. Clean-up is a breeze (even though you must handwash it -- can't put it in the dishwasher). Much easier than cleaning regular Teflon-coated cookware, and it seems to distribute heat evenly across the whole pot.

Comment: This is a great pot if you know what you are getting. First of all, Calphalon's Commercial Hard Anodized line is NOT non-stick in the traditional sense, they make other lines that are, but this one is not. That said, if you follow the instructions, it does things a non-stick pot/pan can't do and cleans up very easily. It's especially good at searing and creating flavor in deglazing. At this point though I use this pot mainly for things like stews or chili. It does make a great pot roast too if that's your goal. I took one star off because it's not the same really heavy gauge as most of the other pots and pans I have from their Commercial Hard Anodized line. It's still a good pot, but noticeably lighter gauge. None of the this line is dishwasher safe either, if that's an issue for you.