# My gift of Calphalon was turned down-unsanitary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872 "2018-01-31T13:30:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/41 "2018-02-01T00:33:37Z")
Take back the cookware and give her tinfoil, from which she can fashion a festive hat! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/42 "2018-02-01T02:01:49Z")
that was a really nice gift, too bad it wasn’t appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/43 "2018-02-01T02:09:59Z")
I was all on board with what a nutcase that person was for even being worried about such a thing. Then people started mentioning the nonstick surface. Eventually over time there will be microscopic scratches in that nonstick surface. In addition to that thousands of heating and cooling cycles make non-stick surfaces eventually break down and release carcinogens. I do love me some cast iron pots and pans. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/44 "2018-02-01T02:23:05Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Hey OP: if your niece doesn’t want them, give them to me. I’ll gladly risk disease in exchange for new pots & pans. No, no, I’m planning to retire in 10 years, so an early retirement gift would be greatly appreciated…thanks… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/45 "2018-02-01T02:23:41Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Bah. Just what would happened to the supposed bacteria when you heat that pan up to 300 degrees? > > Wonderful, thoughtful gift BTW. Maybe she was planning to cook steak tartare in it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/46 "2018-02-01T02:29:38Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > …gifting quality cookware to young people is wonderful. Most folk have to live with cheap stuff until it wears out and they are able to invest in good stuff themselves. This is us - when my wife and I were young, we had hand-me-down cookware and things we could pick up in the local thrift store…we love to cook, so as things wore out (and we were in a more comfortable financial position), we bought good stuff…Calphalon’s good stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/47 "2018-02-01T02:30:18Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I was all on board with what a nutcase that person was for even being worried about such a thing. Then people started mentioning the nonstick surface. > > Eventually over time there will be microscopic scratches in that nonstick surface. In addition to that thousands of heating and cooling cycles make non-stick surfaces eventually break down and release carcinogens. > > I do love me some cast iron pots and pans. > > Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Thankfully not true. > [@](#): > > “The link between Teflon cookware and cancer is an entirely different subject,” says Robert Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the two-part book series What Einstein Told His Cook. “There is no PFOA in the final Teflon product, so there is no risk that it will cause cancer in those who use Teflon cookware.” > **[Teflon Pans and Cancer: Is There a Link?](https://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/teflon-pans)** > > Can cooking with Teflon pans cause cancer? ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/48 "2018-02-01T02:31:36Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I was all on board with what a nutcase that person was for even being worried about such a thing. Then people started mentioning the nonstick surface. > > Eventually over time there will be microscopic scratches in that nonstick surface. In addition to that thousands of heating and cooling cycles make non-stick surfaces eventually break down and release carcinogens. > > I do love me some cast iron pots and pans. > > Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk What about a [stainless steel](http://www.calphalon.com/en-US/calphalon-cookware/cookware-by-category/cookware-sets/calphalon-tri-ply-stainless-steel-8-pc-cookware-set-ca-1767952) set, then? (Just make sure to tell her how to use a stainless steel sauté pan correctly, or she’ll hate it.) Agreed with everyone else, great gift. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/49 "2018-02-01T02:39:46Z")
There’s nothing more that I can add that hasn’t already been said, I just wanted to say that you were treated very rudely. I was always taught that if someone thought enough of you to give you a gift, especially a rather expensive one, you accept it graciously, even if it is something you never intend to use. Anything else is an insult to the giver. I don’t know you, but I am cringing for you at the rudeness of it all. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/50 "2018-02-01T11:58:52Z")
My thanks to anyone who thought it was a nice gift. I started out with crap pans, and didn’t realize good ones made a difference until I was probably 40. I actually thought there were things I was unable to cook, thanks to shit pans. Aww, she’s a great kid, and I don’t hold anything against anyone. No reasoning with that crap, I’ll just add them to my set, hmm, my big skillet is looking a little shabby. But sort of on topic, the handle on my large deep saucepan is loose and I see no way to tighten. Factory issue??? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/51 "2018-02-01T16:36:46Z")
That was a nice and thoughtful gift. So often people starting out have crap things – secondhand or inexpensively furnished – and it’s so much more difficult to live with stuff that’s not as good. (That being said, I furnished my first apartment out of estate sale finds and had GREAT stuff. But it takes looking and legwork.) Wow, never heard of this problem with a Calphalon pan before … but there’s a first time for everything. Those kinds of handles are riveted in with great force – if you’ve ever seen 'em make cookware on _How It’s Made_ they always mention the ginormous tons of force that slams in the rivets. So there’s a slim chance of being able to peen the rivets back in place unless maybe you have access to a press. If your pan is less than 10 years old, that still falls under Calphalon’s warranty and they may repair or replace it. BUT you have to pay to ship it to them, and pay to get it back. [http://www.calphalon.com/en-US/warranty-info](http://www.calphalon.com/en-US/warranty-info) You’re probably better off replacing it. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/52 "2018-02-01T18:07:15Z")
Yeah…if she thinks the crud on the rivets is unsanitary, she should pause and think about the sponge she’s using to wash the pots and pans. It’s pretty much like taking a swab of the every bacteria that’s ever been in the kitchen and then smearing it all over your cookware. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/53 "2018-02-01T19:30:01Z")
Looking a gift horse in the mouth much? Sounds like the mom is a paranoid whackadoo. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/54 "2018-02-01T21:03:35Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Those kinds of handles are riveted in with great force – if you’ve ever seen 'em make cookware on _How It’s Made_ they always mention the ginormous tons of force that slams in the rivets. I was washing a couple of my glass Calphalon pot lids yesterday. I wondered how they got the rivets so tight without breaking the glass. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/55 "2018-02-02T15:36:55Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Looking a gift horse in the mouth much? > > Sounds like the mom is a paranoid whackadoo. what she sounds like to me is a [cast iron uber alles woo-bigot](https://xkcd.com/1905/). But a crypto one, since the advice wasn’t pure cast iron advocacy, but rather slandering the alternatives (and then very helpfully advocating The One True Cookware). ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/56 "2018-02-02T17:11:08Z")
I stole all my husbands cast iron cookware from his camping stash a few years ago… a few had rust. I scrubbed clean with SOS pads and washed in hot water and eeek soap… wash them everytime with soap, rinse and put in the oven upside down to dry ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/57 "2018-02-02T17:19:33Z")
> [@Plumpudding](#): > > (Just make sure to tell her how to use a stainless steel sauté pan correctly, or she’ll hate it.) What _is_ the proper way to use a stainless steel saute pan? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/58 "2018-02-02T18:38:30Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > What _is_ the proper way to use a stainless steel saute pan? Get it nice and hot before adding oil or anything else to the pan. That’s basically the trick. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/59 "2018-02-02T18:49:09Z")
As a general rule, giving cookware is not a good idea unless it’s on a gift registry or has otherwise expressed specific interest in an item. People are often very particular about their cooking tools. > [@gnoitall](#): > > what she sounds like to me is a [cast iron uber alles woo-bigot](https://xkcd.com/1905/). But a crypto one, since the advice wasn’t pure cast iron advocacy, but rather slandering the alternatives (and then very helpfully advocating The One True Cookware). Heh, I was going to post that link. Because of: > [@filmore](#): > > I would _not_ recommend cast iron for someone just starting out. Although it’s great cookware, it’s finicky and needs special care. It’s also very heavy, which someone young and mobile won’t want to deal with as they move from place to place. Cast iron does not need special care. You can give it special care so that it works better, but the great thing about cast iron is that it’s nearly indestructible. Which makes it perfect for the young or inexperienced. Teflon and the like can be easily ruined by overheating or scraping too hard. A new cook can abuse their cast iron for years and if they ever decide to season it and treat it better, they can still do that then. Any way, the OP’s niece has undoubtedly grown up with cast iron and so knows how to use it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872/60 "2018-02-02T19:03:57Z")
I love cast iron (and cook on some form of it pretty much daily), but I tend to agree with not recommending it for a beginner, mainly because it is heavy as hell and shit really does stick to it if you don’t know what you’re doing. Maybe a nice enameled cast iron pot is fine, but as a newbie, I don’t think I’d want to deal with cast iron pans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gift-of-calphalon-was-turned-down-unsanitary/807872.md?page=4)