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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 A Good Stir-Fry Pan If You Have the Correct Expectation Dec 04, 2025
If you are reading this review, then you are probably considering a good pan for Asian stir-fry. I am going to write about all the good and bad about this pan, and let you be the judge. Today, we have so many choices: non-stick, carbon steel, cast iron, stainless steel, and now this Infused-Anodized Aluminum.
Non-stick woks simply won't do for proper stir-fry. They are good for beginners or people who need to avoid oil, but you can never achieve proper stir-frying with them. There are various definitions of stir-fry cooking, but they all require two important points: Fast and Hot. How you marinate your foods and how you cut up your meats differ from styles to styles, but all stir-fry techniques require foods to be cooked at high temperature in a short period of time. Non-stick cookware simply cannot handle the high heat. Frankly, non-stick cookware is also bad for many other cooking techniques as well, like sauteing, but that is another story.
You cannot get more authentic Asian cooking than a well-seasoned carbon steel wok and they are inexpensive (~$18). This 12 inch Carbon Steel Wok w/ Helper Handle (flat bottom) is the other wok I am using now and I also wrote a review about it. A well-seasoned carbon steel wok is naturally non-stick and can handle very high temperature. That being said, these woks must be seasoned before its first use and they need to be periodically seasoned after. They can be difficult to maintain. For example, if watery foods are cooked on a wok, then the seasoning is ruined and re-seasoning will be needed.
I have not personally used a cast iron wok, but certainly have experience with other cast iron cookware. Cast iron cookware also require seasoning. The seasoning does not chip off as easily as that on carbon-steel and a cast iron wok has great heat capacity. However, cast iron is a very heavy and brittle material, heats up slowly, and can literally crack. I like to toss foods using a pan, so cast iron will not work it for me.
Stainless steel woks can handle high temperature and they are practically indestructible. Problems are that meats tend to stick to the cooking surface which can prevent proper stir frying. In addition, foods are often burned onto the cooking surface and thus time-consuming scrambling may be required.
Some reviewers had the expectation that the Calphalon One Infused cookware will function like a non-stick cookware and were disappointed when they found out otherwise. This line of cookware is simply stick-resistant, not non-stick. Meats will stick to this cookware, but simply less than stainless steel. Maybe the word "stick-resistant" is confusing, but I don't know what is a better term, maybe stickless, but that is probably just as confusing. Anyway, here is my summary for this stir fry pan:
1) High temperature compatible. It can tolerate much higher heat than non-stick cookwares. I have heated it to the point of oil smoking out of the pan and the pan is fine.
2) Stick-resistant. It is more stick-resistant than stainless steel, but nothing like non-stick. Foods do stick. Stuck foods will release themselves as they start to caramelize and brown. This is a good thing for people who care for taste over ease because this browning process is what gives cooked food a wonderful favor. In light of this, Infused-Anodized is a great technology for saute.
3) No cookware seasoning is required, unlike carbon steel and cast iron. You can boil water and cook acidic foods in this cookware without worrying about the seasoning surface (patina) wears off.
4) Relatively easy to clean. It is much easier to clean than stainless steel cookware, but tougher than non-stick. Immersing the cookware in warm soapy water for 10 minutes will be sufficient to remove most of the food residues. However, instead of simply wash away all the stuck meat bits, I prefer deglazing the bits to make a nice sauce. This way, you are cleaning and making sauce at the same time. :) Many Chinese do not deglaze, but Cantonese Chinese do. This is the deglazing technique I use: instead of deglazing using water or wine, I use a mixture of cornstarch and water - make sure the cornstarch is mixed well with cold water before adding to the hot pan. Doing so, the deglazed sauce is thicker and has a shiny look to it. You can add salt, sugar or vinegar as well. You may have seen this in Cantonese Chinese restaurant. For tough stains, use Bar Keepers Friend Cookware Cleanser & Polish: 12 OZ which is recommended by Calphalon.
5) It is relatively damage resistant and it is advertised that metal utensils can be used. It is tougher than non-stick, but not nearly as tough as stainless steel. I have used stainless steel utensils and they do produce dents on this cookware, though the nonstick surface seems to be intact thus far. In my opinion, metal utensils should be avoided.
Hopefully this review can help you to decide if Calphalon Infused-Anodized has the properties you are hoping for. It is not a perfect stir-fry pan but it has a lot of great features. I would have been much happier if metal utensils can be truly used, but it isn't.
 Great pan Oct 20, 2025
I bought this pan before investing in the 16-piece set. I'm glad I did. Like many others I had issues with food sticking (my fault because I wouldn't leave it alone and let the pan do its job). Now that I know the proper way to use this pan it's a favorite. I'm very pleased with all of the Calphalon cookware I've bought.
Terrific Qualty & Excellent Value for small Stir Fry Pan Oct 06, 2025
I have been an advocate (maybe even a snob?) for 20 years for the All-Clad LTD anodized line of fry pans and saute pans, and I always thought that Calphalon pans were maybe a half-step down from the professional All Clad line in terms of stove-top details and in durability of construction. I have had the 10" Calphalon One stir fry pan for only a few weeks---but, boy, am I impressed.
This is a perfect hybrid "wok" for a stir fry for two or three people. The infused surface has, so far, been a terrific hot surface pan for the type of vegetable and meat/seafood stir frys that my daughter particularly likes. And I have had only easy experiences in clean up of the infused-anodized pan, and the pan looks terrific hanging next to my All-Clad suite. I think that I will check out other Calphalon One infused metal products when it comes time to expand my cooking utensil lineup.
Hope to find the 12" stir-fry pan on sale someday. I would need a larger pan for a stir fry for 4 people or more.
As the manufacturer notes: this pan should not be cleaned in the dishwasher. And note that it does not come with a lid of any type. (The staninless steel lid from one of my All Clad pans fits this 10" stir fry pan perfectly.)
Good job, Calphalon!
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 I hate it !! Sep 18, 2025
1. super stick!!!
washed it thoroughly with hand and warm water,never heat it with very high temperature,try to use more oil--still stick!! all over the place
2. does not sit flat on a ceramic cooktop
3. after 2 days, the price decreased from 49 to 39! angrying~~~~~
If I can,I just wanna give nonstar!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
1 pan fits all Apr 10, 2025
Previously I used a Circulon stir fry pan but I had to get a new one. I decided for the Calphalon pan, a great choice. I didi not regret the change.
Pros: very handy, it looks heavier than it is. I prefer the smooth surface. Very comfortable to use. My most used pan in the kitchen
Cons: I personally preferred the more round shape of the Circulon. specially for bigger portion of food, when stir frying vegetables
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