Anolon Advanced Hard Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan Set/Fry Pan Set/Hard Anodized Skillet Set - 10 Inch and 12 Inch, Gray

I usually buy top quality cookware. I went through Magnalite which didn't turn out to be very good. I then bought Caphalon pans which were excellent and nicely priced but have come to the end of their life and the new "Contemporary" line of Caphalon is much lighter than what I wanted to replace. So I came to look at the top line of Anolon 12" and 10" pans but together they cost $135 on Amazon which is $85 more than this set. I'm reluctantly coming to the conclusion that non-stick pans have their limitations .... You can't use high heat and they have fairly short life spans no matter how well you care for them. The heat limitation kind of makes the weight or build quality meaningless. The only factor is how long they stay non-stick. I just couldn't pull the trigger on the heavy $135 pair of pans. These pans are lighter weight but they're well made. I have a Caphalon 10" omlet pan which is equivalent to these pans. We'll see how well they hold up in the long run. If they last half as long as the heavy ones, I'll still come out ahead. There is one big difference between these pans and Caphalon. The bottom surface on the equivalent Anolon is much smaller. I measured the 12" as having 9.5"s across the bottom. The bottom flares up and out to the top rim where they are measured. You better take a close look at your current cooking habits because this could be a real problem. This seems to be true for the more expensive Anolon pans too. The Caphalon Contemporary line has a larger bottom surface and can go to 450 degrees in the oven. I've barely used the new pans so I'm starting off with three stars and will try to update later after heavier usage. A word to the wise. If you're going to cook meats or foods which need caramelizing add a 12" cast iron and a 12" stainless pan and you'll be covered for all situations. Update 8/1/13: Just starting to lose some non-stick on the 12". The 8" has had gentler use and is in excellent shape. They're on kitchen hooks and look great. In hindsight, this was a good purchase. There's way too much emphasis on the weight in these reviews ... they're pans not gold nuggets. I'm going to get four plus years out of this set. It's non-stick folks, it has many limitations. I don't see a good reason to pay such a premium for the top end non-stick pans. Update 6/25/14: Looks like the 12" has had it. Got the dreaded dark spots. The 10" is still in excellent shape because I only use it for eggs, but almost on a daily basis. Certainly got my money's worth.

When I ordered this, I actually made a mistake. I wanted a 12-inch skillet. So when the product was delivered, I was overwhelmed by the size, as it was much bigger than I was expecting. I'm not a very good cook, so I thought I would never use this professional size pan. But I decided to keep it anyway as the price was good. Let me tell you, I'm so GLAD I did not return it. Recently I made quick pasta sauce with shrimps and pesto in this skillet, and oh my goodness, I was amazed at this pan! The 14-inch skillet not only cooked the sauce well but also it was big enough to mix the whole cooked 1-pound pasta in it easily! I also made a chicken dish, and this big skillet was big enough to saute several large cut chicken breasts all at once. The quality is excellent - heavy and heated evenly. I am extremely happy with this product. Now I'm motivated to cook more than before. One of the best buy I made recently. Highly recommended!

I ordered both the covered 12" skillet and the smaller 8" skillet from the Anolon Advanced Bronze Collection and was delighted to see they are even better than I expected. The weight is ideal--impressive but not too heavy for my older hands, The finish shouts quality inside and out. Cooking with them is a step-up in ease of cooking and cleaning. Meat browns nicely with only a tiny drop of oil in the pan. Instructions say no oil is needed, and I may get brave and try that, but in the meantime, can report that both skillets are a pleasure to use for a variety of food I've cooked on my gas range, including eggs, steak,chicken, fish, grilled veggies, e.g. onions, potatoes, stir-fry, etc. Pancakes and French Toast browned without using oil. I particularly appreciate that the exterior finish is also non-stick and wipes clean as easily as the interior, This should extend the attractiveness of the pans for a long, long time. The bronze color is nice, but I would have ordered the stainless finish if the sizes I wanted had been on sale at the time. Note: I forgot just how large a 12" skillet is, and will be ordering a 10" soon, as I'm usually cooking for two. 18 MONTH UPDATE: These pans were everything we wanted for about 12 months before the exterior non-stick finish began to break down and I was unable to find anyway to keep them looking good. Another 6 months, and the inside of the 12" skillet had lost most of it's non-stick qualities, and was impossible to clean. In all, these "better" quality" non-stick lasted just barely longer than the less expensive ones and price considered, were not as economical. BTW: We are a 2 person household and we both love to cook and know how to care for our equipment. These pans were never over-heated of abused, and were cleaned as instructed. In the 18 months of almost daily use of one or the other, I could count on one hand the times the pan was NOT hand-washed and put away after use and not just rinsed and wiped out. Only the small pan is still usable--but unsightly! Question: Should I now order "best" non-stick, and hope they're worth it, or just plan on replacement every year or so?

An excellent pan for any home kitchen. We noticed that everything we cooked was in this pan, so we bought another and stored all our other smaller pans and skillets. As far as I know, there isn’t a lid for this pan, so that may be something to consider. Overall these have been great. Even heating, non stick surface seems solid, and the built in silicone handles are a great addition. Most of the time these can be cleaned with a wipe of a paper towel. The manufacturer says they’re metal utensil safe, but we use silicone and nylon anyway, and so far, so good. We use these on a gas stove but I assume they’d be just as good on an electric.

This pot I have had for close to a year. It is still non stick and still heats up well. It is very large so you can cook a variety of items at the same time. I have cook breakfast meals mainly with this pot and dinner as well. It also makes a good sauce pan for making sauces or stew mix items for example if you are making low mein with lots of noodles and vegetables. It does come with a lid that fits well. It is very sturdy and heavy. It weights 4-5 lbs..this is a good thing though. Those cheap pots where you can get a whole set for 29 bucks will fail on you this is very strong material and built to last. It is also easy to clean and I usually wait for It to cool and clean after. allowing oil to remain in the pot over time is not a good idea. Also you don't want to clean as soon as your done cooking you want to let the pot cool by it self and then clean. I have not tried with dishwasher but it should be safe. if this is helpful please click the helpful link at the bottom thank you.