Calphalon 6-Piece Stainless-Steel Crock Set Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the "PINZON 8-PIECE STAINLESS STEEL TOOL SET WITH CANISTER HOLDER" (http://www.amazon.com/PINZON-8-PIECE-STAINLES-CANISTER-HOLDER/dp/B000A6XAC4/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1) here at Amazon a few years ago for about 3/4 the price of this set by Calphalon. It seems I often need another turner, spoon, etc. when the one I have from that set is in the dishwasher. Since that set has been discontinued, the All-Clad set is price-prohibitive, the Range Clean set is a joke, and I was only interested in stainless steel, I purchased this set; there were few other options. For many of the reviews here, this might be the only stainless utensil set owned by the reviewer, however I had something to compare mine to, which might explain the lower rating.
First, the Pinzon pieces have no rubber. They are all beautiful shiny stainless steel with additional stainless steel sleeves over the handles to protect hands from heat. Although the extra sleeve means the utensils are not one-piece, the sleeves over the handles are sealed very tight and after years of use and the dishwasher, there has still been no water getting into the handles. Now back to this set by Calphalon: while the rubber inserts in the handles should not detract from the rating here because I knew these pieces had them before I ordered them, the rubber inserts in the handles really detract from their aesthetic appeal. It is a dull, ugly sort of rubber with little strings of rubber hanging off around the edges (yuck). Also, the stainless steel material used for the Calphalon tools is not shiny; it's a dull rubbed gray with color variations. The canister is somewhat shiny, but the tools aren't. With that said, the stainless steel appears to be extremely durable.
Second, the crock is about 1.5-2 inches too short. It is about one inch shorter than the stainless steel utensil holder that came with my Pinzon set, but the Pinzon tools are about an inch or so shorter than the Calphalon tools. So while the Pinzon tools stand nearly vertical in their holder, the Calpahalon tools fall over to a more horizontal position and tend to touch the back-splash unless I pull it out several inches towards the center of the counter. After failing to arrange the Calphalon utensils in any sort of attractive manner I gave up. I have stored all of the Calphalon utensils in a drawer and have been using the utensil holder as a counter-top garbage can, which works brilliantly (I use dog-pick-up bags as liners, they fit perfectly). The Calphalon utensil holder is also significantly thinner than the Pinzon holder, about 75% thinner.
Third, this set is missing two very important tools: A meat fork and a Ladle. These tools were included in the Pinzon set and they are very useful.
I am glad to have this set as backup utensils, although I think the price is about 25% more than they are worth. I am even *more* glad I was able to purchase the Pinzon set years ago. I wish that set was still available.

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Stainless Steel Utensils - Newly redesigned Calphalon Stainless Steel Utensils feature a unique "grip-anywhere handle" that lets you decide where to hold it. Crafted from 18/10 stainless steel with heat-resistant soft-touch silicone accents, these utensils give you a perfect balance of durability and comfort. Innovative head designs make dozens of cooking tasks easier.Calphalon's stainless steel 6 piece utensil set with a utensil crock holder includes all the essential utensils for your kitchen: spoon, slotted spoon, large turner, small slotted turner, and a pasta fork.

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