We got two pieces of hard-anodized Calphalon for our wedding: the 2.5 quart saucepan with lid and the wok. At the time it seemed like a good idea. We didn't want anything with a nonstick coating, but we also didn't want to spend hours scrubbing pots. Calphalon, with its sturdy anodized finish, appeared to be a good compromise. The heavy aluminum core, we figured, would keep things from burning.  
 
Then we opened the boxes and read the directions. Don't use metal utensils, they said. Don't place your Calphalon on more than medium heat. Don't leave food in it. And don't use a scouring pad. If we'd wanted to baby our pans like this we would have gotten Teflon!  
 
We did our best but it wasn't long before the pans, especially the saucepan, were nicked and scratched. They seemed to develop odd filmy stains that couldn't be removed by soaking or scrubbing (we even cheated and tried a nylon scouring pad). It's hard to say whether the stains were from cooked-on food or from the slowly-dissolving coating. If food was left in the pans for any length of time beyond a couple of hours the finish started to wear away, exposing the plain aluminum interior.  
 
Calphalon acts... strangely when you put it on a lit burner. It heats up very slowly and never really gets hot, even if you disregard the warning about higher than medium heat. This makes it hard to saute things, and stir-frying is especially challenging. It also takes a long time to cool down, so that even when you take the pan off the burner the food inside continues to cook. After the finish started wearing away, the aluminum core made things taste funny, not just acidic foods like tomatoes but even boiling water. Not exactly what we had in mind when we asked our relatives for this pricey stuff.  
 
Finally, after less than three years, we were forced to toss the saucepan. The wok is still with us, but rarely used. So my recommendation is: skip the Calphalon. For frying and sauteing, get some nice cheap cast iron; it works better and requires just a minor investment of time at the beginning to get it seasoned. For boiling and stewing, your basic stainless steel, preferably with a heavy aluminum disk on the bottom, will do just fine. Then take the money you've saved and buy some good knives or a Kitchenaid mixer, or stock up your liquor cabinet. Cheers!  
