Product Description

Whether you're hosting an intimate dinner party or a grand buffet, Calphalon Enamel Cast Iron cookware's rich enamel color and sleek, modern silhouettes make elegant entertaining easy. Ideal for stovetop or oven use and for both savory and sweet recipes, Calphalon Enamel Cast Iron cookware offers tremendous versatility. It creates the perfect environment for slowly simmering meats and potatoes. The cookware's domed cover design features a dimpled interior to collect and redistribute moisture to foods as they cook. Chicken soup, beef stew and other homey favorites cook up tender and flavorful. The cookware is also perfectly suited to casseroles, cobblers and baked pasta dishes. Calphalon Enamel Cast Iron cookware is as durable as it is beautiful. All pans feature a porcelain enamel exterior surface that resists chipping and scratching. Fry pans and grill pans feature a black satin enamel interior that requires no pre-seasoning. The perfect choice for soups, stews and pot roasted meats and poultry. Wide flat bottom is ideal for browning ingredients prior to adding liquids and seasonings. Large, oval handles make it easy to move pans from stovetop to oven to table. Heavy-gauge cast iron keeps helps keep foods warmer longer, too.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #240055 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Calphalon
• Model: CI8111R
• Released on: 2007-04-30
• Dimensions: 3.50" h x 13.38" w x 20.50" l, 15.20 pounds

Features

• Heavyweight cast iron distributes heat evenly and keeps foods warm at the table
• Durable porcelain enamel resists chipping and scratching
• Domed, dimpled covers retain and redistribute moisture during cooking and oversized oval handles make lifting easy
• Oven safe to 500°.
• Enamel cast iron is safe in the dishwasher.

Customer Reviews

Poorly Constructed--Skip This One
When I first washed it, the knob on the top came unscrewed in my hand as I was drying it. This is supposed to be solid cast iron! It's the most expensive grill of its type on Amazon, but it's cheaply assembled from parts, not cast in one, durable piece.

The enameling is also applied sloppily. There are bubbles in it, so in many spots it's thin, potentially causing the cast iron underneath to rust over time. And the clear coat on the cooking surface is missing in one area. Quality control appears very poor for a $100 pan.

The grill itself also appears not to be a solid piece (or to have further defects in enamel application). There is a thin seam in the enameling all the way around the top edge. Either this is a physical part of the cast iron construction, or the enamel is badly applied. Either way, it appears like it won't last decades like my grandmother's cast iron cookware.

This is not remotely worth the cost. Check out any of the alternatives here, but I wouldn't waste the money on this one. I'm sending mine back.

A great piece for any kicthen!
I use this panini grill with press at least 3 times a week and it has held up for 7 months now, without a scratch! A beautiful asset to any kitchen and the red is stunning! A must have, and a great price!

A good pan with many uses
We recently bought this Panini pan as a partial replacement for a flat grill. We mainly use grills for cooking meats and other things (rather than Panini type sandwiches). We've used the pan three times to date (once for beef, twice for chicken) and does a great job cooking. The pan heats up quickly and does a nice job searing meats. I've also used it to cook vegetables; because of the raised areas it's not as nice as a flat pan. Clean up has been easy; lightly scrub, place in the dishwasher, and then oil afterward (you don't really have to, but it does help clean the pan). The only real disadvantage I've seen with the pan is the weight, its cast iron after all and was a little heavy when I was unloading the vegetables. I'll give it four stars, can't say five because of the weight and the fact that I can't use it for everything I'd use a flat grill for. If you have any specific questions or want to know what type of cooking we're doing, just leave a comment in the comment area.