Grown Up Presents Can Be Fun Too

I remember when my mom used to receive pots, pans, candles, vacuums, mops, and every kind of cleaning thing you could imagine as a gift. I remember sitting on the floor surrounded by an abundance of fun Christmas toys and thinking, “My mom must be so sad she got house stuff for Christmas.” Well, little did I know I would grow up to be that girl who loves household items for presents as well.

Yesterday my mom handed me this GIANT box and said, “Surprise!” It was considered to be a late wedding gift/early birthday present. I’m pretty sure you can guess by the picture what it was. That’s right, Calphalon pots and pans! Eeeeeeeeeee!  You could say I’m a little completely obsessed as I haven’t put the pots or pans away. They’ve been left out so we can admire them. (I may or may not be a little crazy.) 

I would consider this to be the best grown up present I’ve ever received. Even Kevin is considering to use them, and that’s saying something. I asked my mom why those? About a month ago she had visited our condo and noticed that my pots and pans were falling apart. The black nonstick coating was chipping off and little did I know that stuff causes cancer. Yikes!

Last night at Kevin’s request we had breakfast for dinner and I had the opportunity to put the pans to work. Since they’re not nonstick, I added a little butter so the over easy eggs wouldn’t stick. It was the first time in a long time that Kevin made the comment saying, “That bacon smells so good.” I noticed the food cooked more evenly, it cooked faster, and Kevin said the food had more flavor.

I used to be an advocate for nonstick pans. I thought they were the greatest thing. Well turns out they don’t last as long, they fall apart, and you can assume if the coating is coming off you’re digesting those chemicals.  The first time I noticed my pots were flaking was when I beat potatoes in the same pot I cooked with. I had assumed the little black specks were pepper until I took a closer look and noticed it was part of my pot. Not good. This is my first time trying stainless steel pots and pans, but I am already a HUGE fan. They aren’t even hard to clean like I thought they would be and I feel better knowing that Kevin and I aren’t consuming harmful chemicals.

Keep in mind that stainless steel occasionally rusts, but all you have to use is “Bar Keepers Friend.” Put a little powder on your sponge and scrub away. It’ll be good as new! You also don’t have to worry about using the rough side of your sponge as they won’t get scratched up.

Pros:

• Calphalon is super heavy duty. It has five layers, starting with stainless steel, aluminum, copper, more aluminum, then stainless steel again. The first time Kevin picked one up, he told me that if somebody came into our house to grab a pot as you could knock somebody out with it. haha
•  Dishwasher safe! Need I say more?
• Safe for any type of stove top including: Electric, gas, halogen, electric coil, and glass cook tops.
• The cookware is oven and broil safe. The glass lids are safe up to 450 degrees.
• Any utensils can be used when cooking with Calphalon.
• Food cooks more evenly than any other cooking product I’ve tried.

Cons:

• The hardest thing for me to remember is to use a hot pad when taking the lids off and on as the handles can become very hot.
• Calphalon is definitely more on the pricey side. But as long as you take good care of them, they should last a lifetime.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to cook! 🙂

What’s a grown up present that you’ve received and absolutely loved? Let me know in the comments down below!

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