Side by Side Comparison of: ExcelSteel vs Calphalon

Excellent size without going up to restaurant grade. The pasta strainer and basket steamer were just a great bonus.

great product. love the fact it has multiple uses (stock pot/ vegetable steamer/ pasta cooker)

I've owned this pot as well as the 8qt pot for five years . We are a large family and these pots have served us well .

The 12 quart size is perfect for pasta. Excellent construction, my wife love it.

Great for steaming loads of tamales & smaller crab legs

Does everything that it needs to do and more. I use it for pasta, seafood, deep frying and steaming vegetables. I wish they offered a lower pan so that i did not have to use so much oil when deep frying, but ultimately that is just an extra use of the pot, not the intended use. It is made of durable materials and the lid fits on snug. I highly recommend this pot.

Love these pans. I've tossed all the flaking teflon pans and bought me some brillo pads instead. These may take a bit more scrubbing at time (compared to teflon), but they are totally worth it because I know I won't have to replace them over and over again. (Just don't forget to spray with oil or butter before throwing a pancake in ;) )

Our nonstick pans bit the dust when the Teflon started to flake off. Second time I've replaced nonstick pans (different brands) for that reason despite only using plastic utensils in them. I'm so excited to have this stainless set. I've already made Eggs in them and they are just as nonstick as the "nonstick" pans so long has you don't overheat the pan. Easy clean up. Beautiful.

Great for cooking large or small quantities of food. They're not non-stick, meaning that food sticks to them. However, heat conduction is great and, with the right amount of heat and oil, stickiness is easily managed and minimized. For the cook who likes food cooked thoroughly and isn't too worried about clean-up afterward.

I've been using it for several months and it's still in a great condition! Definitely will buy it again. Way better than spending $$$ on cookware when you can have it for a great price.

These things are great! They're easy to clean, the handles are riveted and remain cool enough to touch while in use. The pans distribute heat and cook evenly. Love it. Buying a second set for a friend.

I only just got mine, but just using it a few times, I can tell you it's high quality. I read one review wherein someone mentioned the lid creating a vacuum effect and shattering. I'm not sure how that happened - maybe whoever that was received a defective one. Steam escapes (ever so slightly) from mine and nothing at all like that happened. The handle does not warm when you are cooking with it, and the helper handle is a nice feature. The handle on the lid, however, does heat up quite a bit, so you'll need a potholder when you grab that. Other than that, it is awesome and well worth the money. Also convenient to have the clear lid. It's so beautiful looking you almost don't want to use it (lol). Being dishwasher safe is also a big plus for me. My other pots and pans are also stainless steel, but have to be hand washed. That gets old. If you're looking for a nice, stainless steel fry pan, this one is great. Calphalon did a great job.

Love it. Only con, doesn't work on induction cooktop for some reason.

awfully small. I did not realize how small 12 quarts was. The product works wonderfully, but I need one twice as big to serve my dinner crowd

Omg! How did I live without one of these? Boiling pasta, potatoes, deep frying, stock from bones, blanching veggies, sterilizing.... just lift to drain. Mine had a mark on the inside of the drainer pot. Looks like the hole punch slipped. It doesn't go all the way through, just a stamp mark. Does not hurt the pot at all. Great, heavy pot and super useful. If you don't have one, YOU NEED THIS POT! :)

Good triple use large cooking pot. Medium thick walls with a thicker base. Can cook large batches of soup, pasta or steam a modest amount of food in the top (and possibly boil something in the bigger strainer pot while you steam something in the shallower one).You get four pieces: The main pot, a strainer insert pot (has holes to drain water) that fits about 80% of the way down, a very short steamer piece that is a few inches deep, and a lid.The lid sits on the inside of the pot lids and has a small hole in the top to vent a little... although I do still run into the bubbles created when cooking paste wanting to overflow a bit.The metal lid handle and even occasionally the side handles will still get hot. It would have been nice if it they were silicon... but that's probably part of why this is a lot cheaper than some others. You don't need to pay twice as much for fairly simple use items like this.

Not perfect fit for lid, but adequate and works great. I'd recommend it. My friend's is same, slightly finer design/workmanship, but 2.5 to 3 times the price.

It works just how I hoped that it would.Great for pasta, boiled eggs, clear stocks ... well just about anything that needs to be boiled then strained from the cooking liquid.It did arrive with a dent where the side and bottom meet and the metal is lighter and thinner than I had expected, but serves well for as often as I use it. The dent was relatively small and does not affect the cooking outcome.

I am very impressed with the look and feel of this wok, its very light weight, easy to lift even when full of my favorite curry. The pouring lip makes it easy to pour straight from the pan instead of using a ladle. All stainless steel pans i have purchased even the All Clad, stain, but using Bar Keepers Friend (available here on Amazon) is a great help in preserving the new look. One suggestion in stopping discoloration is not to get the pan too hot.The one criticism i have is that because these pans are stamped out and die cut , the edges are a little sharp. It looks and feels like they have tried to soften them but just not enough. With the pan i received it would be difficult to actually cut yourself but a pan with less softening of the edge would be extremely sharp. A little more work is needed on the in this area to make this pan 100% IMHO.

Using with my 6qt pot, does what I need. One caution is do not fill with too much water, it will boil over. The 6 qt is not that tall.

I bought this wok from Amazon about 6 months back.Pros: light weight.It's is steel so (hopefully) no chemicals seeping in foodNice long handle that does not get hot. The short handle does not get hot either.A good size for a family of 4 to cook 2 meals.Cons: Uneven cookingThe pan or maybe it's the oil/food combination burns the insides while cooking.Cleaning is an exercise for the arm (maybe I should put this under pros?)Types of food cooked:Indian.MexicanChinese.

I love these pans! No, they are not the highest quality pans out there, but for the price, they are really good. I love that I can put them in the dishwasher (though it's not recommended by the manufacturer) and they still look okay. If I want them to look beautiful, I just use a little Barkeepers Friend on them and they look almost brand new again. It does take a bit of getting used to how they work. You do have to watch the heat levels on your stove or your food can stick to the pan. If, however, you pay close attention, don't preheat the pan above the temperature you actually want to cook at, and have a little patience (i.e., wait to cook until the pan is properly preheated), they really function almost exactly like non-stick cookware without all the toxins!!! Sometimes at higher heats, depending on what's in the pan (they don't seem to like Sriracha sauce) they do seem to stick a bit. They are also a little thinner in construction than you might expect, but I had seen that in some reviews before ordering, so I wasn't surprised by that, Overall, I think they're a good pan for the purchase price.

Very, very nice pair of pans for the price. The sides might be a little thin for rough usage. But for almost any typical cooking needs, I believe most users would be pleased with the heft and performance. Clean up is easy and stuck food material releases easily. And the heat distribution when using induction is as even as some of my higher priced cookware.

Don't be swayed by the negative reviews. This is a very good set and a terrific value.I can only find fault with one thing in this set and that is the lid. The lip on the lid is simply too small. Since the lip is small, you don't get as good of a seal and this can cause some sputtering and splatter. I can't figure out why Calphalon would have done this, I own other pots of theirs and none have lids like this. Regardless, it hasn't been that big of a deal. I briefly considered replacing the lid, but it hasn't been a big enough problem to justify it.The pot itself and the two inserts are fantastic. The pot is nice and heavy with a thick bottom. It's been great for making stock and boiling pasta. I've had no problems cooking with it whatsoever. Complaints about too much water when boiling for pasta are unjustified. Most people don't understand that the more water you have for cooking pasta, the better. If you can't wait a few extra minutes for the water to boil, buy a cheap all aluminium pasta pot or learn to plan ahead. Cleanup has never been a problem.I haven't used the smaller steamer insert much, but I don't understand the complaints about the handles. A pair of tongs easily lifts the steamer basket out of the pot - or you can use the steamer with the pasta insert and lift everything out together.If you want an excellent all around, multi use, pasta/steamer/stock pot and don't have unrealistic expectations, this is a very nice set and a terrific deal.

Nice pot, but a little thin

Smaller then I thought but it came on time

This does the trick for what I bought it for. It's rather light and cheap but ok for me right now. I would have been disappointed if I was expecting a great quality product.

I thought this being 18/10 steel it would work on a convetion burner, it did not. As a plus, the pots are generous size and work very well on a regular burner.

I just received this pot today and though it looks nice and would be extremely useful since it has both a pasta insert and a steamer I am disappointed by the quality. It's no different than many on the market in this price range. Even as I was taking the pot out of the box I noticed flex in the handles - they flex right at the rivets. And they also feel cheaply made. Not a good sign on either count. I'm going to return it. What attracted me to this pot, in addition to the price, was that it had both a steamer and pasta insert and also has a glass lid which is great. The cheap feel and build quality aren't attractive at all, unfortunately.

It seems like a nice pot, the only problem is it came with a lot of manufacturing defects. I found about 6 dents throughout the pot. I wasn't even looking for any, I just noticed it as I was pulling it out of the package.

Not the quality of the original model. Rims are not folded over and are quite sharp. Will consider Bakers and Chefs next time.

Was very excited about these pans, but after light use the smaller one has lost part of the stainless steel finish on the outside, and both pans have taken on a bronze hue on the outside as well. The nonstick surface cooks food nicely and is easy to clean, and they are somewhat heavy (always good), but I am disappointed that they aren't holding up as I had expected from Calphalon.

Wish it had a little hole for the steam to release through.

The pot is just the right size for steaming or making pasta BUT the wire handles on the steam pot don't stay out of the way when filling the steamer (get stuck under the food). Remember to pull them out before cooking. They also make it difficult to clean the steamer pot. Before buying this consider looking for a set that has a more traditional handle which doesn't fall into the middle of the food while cooking or get in the way during cleaning

Great pot and strainer. But the steamer basket has major flaw. The handles for it are in the inside which makes hard to empty the vegetables without it hitting the handles and your hand. Also note the handles are not insulated so they get really hot. The lid also shakes and makes noise when something is boiling. I expected a lot better considering the price.

I've only used it a few times (maybe a dozen) - to boil water for pasta, and to cook shrimp with shrimp/crab boil and lemon (one lemon in 5 qts of water, so not very acid), and the inside bottom is discoloring in the center. Didn't expect stainless steel to do that. Anyone else experience that?

Poor design. The insert doesn't allows you to put enough water in it. When using the needed amount of water the pot over boils causing a huge mess. Too much space between the bottom of the insert and the bottom of the pot. Too much wasted space.

Hello . . 5

Not double bottomed like most others this size. price is correct for what it is... The parts are all fit together ok

I just received this pot and was not very impressed. It is stainless, but it is very lightweight. I already have another pot that looks identical to this one, but over twice the weight. I have used that pot 4 times a week for over 10 years and it still looks new. I don't think this one will have much durability. I am thinking of returning it.

I thought this was a great buy. However, after a little over a year the non--stick coating has started to peel off on the large frypan. I've neverput this in the dishwasher, but always washed it by hand. Buyer beware! Unfortunately I bought two sets so I will have to wait and see if the other pans do the same. This is the one which got the most use.

The first time I used the stock pot to boil water for spagetti, the bottom of the pan rusted with little tiny spots. I cannot remove them or repair this. Do not purchase this

Does not fit the 6qt pan from the Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel Cookware set.... steam will pour out the spouts on the sides.

It's a decent enough pot as far as cooking goes, but the lid fits very loosely. So when cooking with liquids, oils, etc. everything splatters out from under the lid all over the stove top, counter and pot. It's not near as nice as the last Calphalon non-stick pot that I had.

Bought this pot just a few months back to replace Williams Sonoma pot that we had used for many many years. It's already rusting all inside. Will have to deal with it as it's not meeting expectations.

Good size and pot build material. Bad handle mounts--corroding screws possibly bleaching into food. Does not appear to be the same Calphon quality build I've come to know. I have a set of Calphalons about 15-20 years old that looks better in condition then these. Very disappointment with this product. I would likely try the brand again but be very cautious to buy the same model or from the same seller.

Stainless steel my ass. I left it soaking overnight and it rusted out. I have never had this problem with my other stainless steel cookware, and would not expect to, as it pretty much defies the very definition of "stainless." WTF. I'm asking for a refund.

I would go with a heavier duty more expensive pot next time.

Very bad quality item, do not waste your money. The pieces do not fit together. The deep colander practically falls into the pot and even jiggles, the glass lid is so small that it almost falls into the colander or the pot. It looks sturdy, but very poorly made. I am sending it back without even trying it.

This item probably deserves an overall rating of more than the one-star rating I gave it just because of its excellent construction. I gave it a one-star rating because I purchased it specifically for tamales. While it would make an excellent seafood steamer/pasta pot/stock pot, it could not be more poorly constructed for tamales. The steamer basket is so shallow that you cannot use the supplied lid even with the smallest of tamales. When I used it I had to remove the lid and cover my brand new tamale steamer with aluminum foil rather than the supplied lid. There is plenty of room in the pot to allow space to make the steamer basket 2 to 3 inched deeper so it could actually be used for tamales but, for some reason, the manufacturers neglected to do so.

I actually intended to buy this same style pot by Cuisinart but pressed the wrong key. I did not return the order because of some of the favorable reviews it received. It was less money and I thought it was worth a try. A big mistake. It is flimsy and it takes forever to bring the pot to a boil.I will write this off as another example of getting what you pay for.I plan to purchase the Cuisinart and donate the Excelsteel to charity.Hey, some people liked it.

When you dry the pot with a paper towel the towel is turns black. Washed the pot with strong detergent and boiled it several times but each time the paper towel turns black when drying the pot. This pot is made in China and is not safe for food preparation. When wiping a stainless steel pot there should be no residue left behind on the towel.

This is a great stockpot but the rivets are defective and will corroded. We have already returned this product directly to Calphalon but the replacement was no better. The rivets chemically react with the food and corrode very quicky. Calphalon gave us some form letter type explaination that the rivets are stainless steel but I don't believe it. This item was manufactured in China. We've tried distilled water and regular tap water and the result is the same. We don't cook highly acidic foods either. You can see the rivets bubbling during the cooking process and they get smaller after just a few months of use. Our $20 stockpot has no such problems and been used under the same conditions for several years. I am now concerned about what has leaking into our food.

The rivets attaching the handles on the inside of the pan are corroding. Must be aluminum, not stainless steel. I'm extremely disappointed in this Calphalon pan.

I let this sit on the burner for 30 minutes and the water NEVER boiled! So dissapointed!

This was my first Calphalon purchase. The inside of the pot discolored after only using a few times. I took care to hand wash and did not use metal utensils for stirring. The discoloration would not wash off. This was a creepy and weird experience. Brand new cookware shouldn't permanently discolor. The multi-pot it replaced was used frequently and did not start to wear down until nearly 15 years.

Poor quality. The edges burn, indicating bad fabrication of the steel. My old Farberware is far superior. Sadly, though, this product and contemporary Farberware are made in the far east. When are we all going to boycott this crap and get back to good ol' made in the USA? Did you know that even some Corningware product lines are made in China? Now THAT is an insult to my patriotism!

I have returned them. They are difficult to clean. I bought non-sticking fry pan instead.