Amazon.com Review: If you've ever suffered a steam burn draining your spaghetti through a colander, you'll appreciate this three-piece pasta set. A 6-quart insert sits inside the saucepan, so when your pasta is appropriately al dente, just lift the insert for instant drainage. The 6-1/2-quart saucepan has a pure aluminum core for fast heat conductivity so the water will boil faster. Because aluminum can dent, warp, or discolor easily, a hard-anodized coating protects the saucepan and increases its durability. The lid is also hard anodized, which means the oxide film of aluminum has been thickened to protect the pan. The insert is stainless steel, so it won't react to food and will retain its shape through a lifetime of use. The set includes a collector's edition recipe card to get you started on your pasta-cooking adventures. While most metal utensils are safe with anodized surfaces, avoid sharp tools, such as knives. For optimum longevity, this set should be hand washed. --Laura Cuthbert
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - pasta pot
Use it all the time. Holding up well and works fine for pasta. No problem with food sticking. Satisfied with product.
Rating: - Never leaves the stove
Our family eats a lot of pasta, and this combo never leaves our stove for long. It is great--no issues or reservations. The current price being asked is an absurd multiple of what I paid more than a year ago for this combo. As with all cookware on Amazon, there is enormous price variability over time. Identify what you like and then return frequently to see if the price has moved.
Rating: - Perfect for corn or pasta
I love this for boiling corn or pasta. It doesn't have the nonstick surface like the 2 1/2 quart saucepan, but I bought this for easy draining and it gets the job done well.
Rating: - Heavily used in our household !
I bought this set over a year ago. Although it is on the smaller side, I have to say it is probably the second most used pot in our household (the first being the 2 1/2 qt shallow commercial anodized sauce pan!). It works well for meals for my family of four. I routinely boil 1 pound of pasta or approx. 5 lbs of cubed potatoes for mashed potatoes. I have made soup, chili and spaghetti sauce in the pot as well. It's the right size for enough of these dishes for my family, plus some leftovers to freeze for another full meal. I don't find it as "narrow" or difficult to use as my 8 qt stock pot ... Read More
Rating: - Nice, but small
This is a nice pot and fits the burners on my stove without hanging over.
There are two disadvantages:
1. The 6 1/2 qt. size is barely sufficient for 16 oz of macaroni. An 8 qt. pot with insert would've been better. I know Calphalon has an 8 qt. stock pot and an 8 qt. insert, but they don't appear to offer these packaged together, making a set prohibitively expensive.
2. Contrary to what Top 100 Reviewer Michela says above, the stainless steel insert does get hot, and you can burn your hands on the insert handles if you're not using towels or mitts.
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