great pans but like all cookware has limitations
I have been cooking with calphalon for the past 25 years, mostly without teflon but some with. I decided to switch to nonreactive and nonteflon cookware and a friend recommended the Chantal Copper Fusion and I love it. I got the big saute pan for my birthday and just got a set of pots for Christmas so lots of my old cookware is going to the goodwill.
As far as eggs sticking, I've found unless you're willing to use teflon an egg is going to stick to a pan. There is one other option for eggs and that is a well seasoned old cast iron skillet. And it has to be an old vintage one, not a new rough one made in China out of old engine blocks melted down or whatever they're making them from. One reviewer complained that a searing a steak in the Chantal didn't work. Get a cast iron skillet for for that too and you will be a happy cook.
I find with the Chantal I don't have to turn the heat up as much. I cooked risotto tonight and it cooked like a dream. Previously I had a...
Great skillet, if you know how to clean it!
Several months back, I bought the Chantal 11.5" Copper Fusion chef's pan, which is a skillet with two handles and glass lid and love it. I noted from other reviews that folks were complaining of having a hard time keeping the shiny black finish on the inside of their pans and food sticking. I have had some mild discoloration or graying, but when this occurs, I use ceramic glass top stove cleaner after washing the pan, and the film disappears and returns to its original black shiny look. By following the directions of using only medium heat or lower and using cooking spray/oil before heating the pan, you really minimize the sticking.
I've had the Titanium coated skillets, and they work great for awhile, but eventually the coating starts to flake off. My last one supposedly had a lifetime guarantee, but it too, starting flaking after several years and was very heavy. I love this skillet and use it daily.
Poor performance for the price
1. The "stick resistant" enamel is just the opposite. I've tried preheating the pan with a thin layer of oil and a more liberal coating. I've tried setting the heat to medium and low medium (the olive oil never smokes, and the meat is only lightly to moderately sizzling). No matter how careful I am, the meat always sticks to some extent. It seems a bit worse than regular, good-quality stainless steel to me. The claim to being "one of the most stick resistent" non-teflon surfaces is simply false. It's nothing special in that regard.
2. Compounding the false claim of stick resistance is the difficulty in cleaning the pan. I often cook a fillet mignon by searing it on both sides and putting it in the oven for about 8 minutes at 350F. I coat the pan lightly with olive oil at medium heat (4 on an electric burner that goes up to 8), preheating for a minute (as per instructions by Chantal). Neither the stovetop or oven are extremely hot, but the inside of the pan always retains a...
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