Product Description

Calphalon's chef's skillet has sloped sides to facilitate the easy maneuvering of a spatula, and the easy transition from pan to plate of whatever you're cooking. Use for general sautEing, stir frying and with the addition of the cover for simmering. This small 9" pan is ideal for singles and couples cooking dinner for themselves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37762 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Calphalon
• Model: DA1609P
• Dimensions: 14.38" h x 3.31" w x 9.44" l, 4.00 pounds

Features

• Deep, round-sided pan ideal for stir-frying and reducing sauces
• Heavy aluminum with thick bottom to heat evenly, quickly
• Anodized for hardness and stick resistance; made in China
• Riveted, oven-safe handle is cast stainless steel; resists heat on stovetop
• Hand wash with mild detergent; measures 9 inches across; made in China

Amazon.com Review
This moderately sized, deep, round-sided skillet is like a flat-bottomed wok, perfect for stir-frying and designed to facilitate a chef's C-shaped flipping motion. Because it exposes lots of surface compared to the diameter of its bottom (it's 6 inches at the bottom, 9 inches across the top), the 2-quart skillet is also ideal for quickly reducing sauces. Though not nonstick, like some Calphalon cookware, the matte-finish pan is anodized for stick-resistance as well as hardness. Metal utensils won't harm the surface. Contoured, textured handles of cast stainless steel resist heating on the stovetop, go safely into the oven, and are triple-riveted for durability and balance. Notches in the handles facilitate hanging on a hook or a peg. Made of heavy-gauge aluminum, the pan cooks without hot spots or warping and carries a lifetime warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

Customer Reviews

My Favorite Calphalon Pan
I use both the Calphalon Commercial Nonstick and Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized in my kitchen. Of the high end cookware I've explored Calphalon Commercial is my favorite line. Both the hard anodized and non stick variety are very easy to clean. Even burnt on messes clean up relatively easily. These pans are nearly industructable too. You can even place the hard anodized line in the oven at reasonably high temperatures according to the manual. For most work I prefer the hard anodized line although for items such as crepes or frying the non stick variety might be better.
The pan advertised here "Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized Collector's Edition 9-Inch, 2-Quart Chef's Skillet with lid" is my favorite pan. I use it all the time. The flat bottom wok description is excellent. I use this pan for so many cooking tasks. The pan is not nonstick and is safe for all types of cooking utensils. The pan is very easy to clean and tough messes can be soaked and then cleaned easily with a green pad. Since this is my favorite pan I must give it a five star rating. I'd buy another at this price but I may be dead from old age before this pan wears out.

Lightweight & versatile, a great bargain
You rarely find Calphalon at a deep discount so I decided to try this little pan out. I own most of the Professional Hard Anodized cookware. This pan is lightweight, easy to handle and maneuver over the stove. It heats evenly on my gas stove. It's best to use the lowest flame setting when using over gas because it also heats rapidly.

Generally, I like the size, weight and ease of use. The cover also fits other pans I have. Cleaning is a breeze but I recommend to anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience with Calphalon to read up on the cooking and cleaning suggestions that come with your pan. This pan is NOT non-stick but if you use as directed, this hard-anodized pan will not stick and will definitely be easier to clean.

While the Cool-V handle does stay cool during cooking, it seems to get in the way. The handle curves higher on the stove than I'm used to and I've accidently hit it a few times when adding food to the pan or working around the stove. The pan is also lighter than the Professional Hard Anodized I'm used to so it doesn't stay flat on the burner unless there's food in it.

I'm impressed with the pan's versatility. It's great for frying, making or reducing sauces, sauteeing, deglazing and stir-frying. The small size makes it ideal for 2-3 people.

Small but useful and a great value
Cooking has been my hobby now for more years than I care to admit. Unlike many folks, I do not think everything in the kitchen must match. So I don't have a matching set of cookware. I have tried about everything, and for various reasons, my cookware collection has evolved into a mixture of things I really like to use: Calphalon Hard Anodized, tin lined French copper, Le Creset, and the one essential of all, the cast iron skillet.

This particular pan I bought simply because it was so [inexpensive]. I could not visualize a 2 Qt. Chef's skillet. It turned out to be slightly larger than I feared, but somewhat smaller than I had hoped. I think it is best to describe this pan as an improved 8" omlette pan, ie. higher sloped sides with a lid.

My most used pans are: #1, my 12" cast iron skillet; #2, my 6 1/2 Qt. Calphalon Stock Pot with Pasta Basket; and coming in at #3, surprisingly, this little Calphalon Hard Anodized 2 qt. chef's skillet.

I do not use it for making any particular dish. Rather this has become a workhorse in preparing ingredients for other dishes, e.g., to sautee mushrooms (you need the slopped sides and a cover), to sautee vegeetable or seafood stuffings for entrees, to make up a pasta sauce for side dish portions. Think of any time you need to sautee or panee something for another dish and you will be using this little pan. Heck, I have even used this pan to make up sauces, gravies, cook custard, and many other non obvious tasks. It is just real comfortable to use. I do not use this for stir frying, however, a use suggested by others. It is too small. Besides, I have yet to find a better tool for stir frying than a seasoned steel Chinese wok. They are big, and completely non stick, but have an appeaarance only a mother could love.

I would have given this pan a 5 star rating, except for the fact that this is a support weapon, not the main gun. Sort of like no one would ever rate a four iron as the best club they have ever owned, but a good four iron is necessary to score well. But anyone whose cooking has progressed beyond spaghetti and Ragu, should have this pan.