I bought this pan and the two-quart saucepan and a saute pan in the same line when I first upgraded my cookware. I found that they all performed well. They are heavier than most mass-market cookware, make good contact with the electric burner, and they cook with quick, even heat compared to the lighter mass-market items. The plastic handles are a bit bulky for small hands and harder to clean than straight steel handles, but they seem well-built and do provide excellent heat insulation. Though I'd never wished I had them in my old pans, the pouring spout was a nice touch. In all, this was a nice pan to use when it was new. It wasn't long, however, before my cooking style left its mark on these pans, literally.  
 
I knew not to use a metal spoon in the non-stick pans, so I used plastic and wooden spoons. Still, the non-stick surfaces of the saucepans are scratched enough that they aren't as non-stick as they used to be. The saute pan has fared better with the use of plastic and rubber spatulas, and only occaisional plastic or wooden spoons.  
 
Also I tend to bang the handle of the spoon on the rim of the pan to clear it of sauce, and this has left little dents along the inside of the rim. Lastly, hot oil stains the outside finish of these pans.  
 
Cleanup requires some care, too. While the interior of the pans is easy to clean, being non-stick, you still must remember to not use the scouring side of the sponge on the interior, according to the instructions. These pans are not dishwasher-safe, which isn't an issue with me since I don't use one.  
 
Note that the Kitchen Essentials line is not Calphalon's best line and perhaps the professional lines are more durable. I can't recommend non-stick sauce pans, however, and the annodized exterior finish of the Kitchen Essentials non-stick line is difficult to keep looking good.  
 
Do your sauces stick to your stainless or aluminum pans? If not, perhaps you don't need non-stick sauce pans. Note that the hot spots you get with thin, steel pans that cause some food to burn and stick may be the fault of uneven cooking, or heat that is too high, and not necessarily the surface of the pan. Uneven heat is solved with better, heavier pans. They don't necessarily need to be non-stick.  
 
I still use the saute pan to cook felafel patties or similar without oil, but the sauce pans have been replaced with tri-ply pans with stainless steel cook surfaces and exterior finishes. They've proven to be much more durable and easier to clean.  
 
A.  
