Love love love Staub, it's gorgeous. On a more practical note my favorite is Calphalon Tri-Ply, which is only availabel on Amazon at this point. It's alot like All Clad but about half the price. When I replaced my cooktop with an induction range, I replaced my 20 year old Calphalon Tri-Ply (which was in excellent condition) with new induction compatible Tri-Ply. It's wonderful high quality and affordable cookware. This time around each pot/pan that I purchased is 10" in diameter so they stack well in my cabinet and share lids.

I have had le creuset since the early 80s and its still in beautiful. i recently bought some scanpan haptiq pans, for a lighter weight and no stick option. they are wonderful as well.

My Cuisinart stainless "Everyday" pans, and my carbon steel skillets.

When people start dropping dead from cookware instead of coronavirus I’ll give up my nonstick pans. It’s a silly, frivolous worry.

I just bought a Scan pan and I’ll never look back. It’s amazing! My whole cooking/cleaning routine got THAT much better.

A decade or so ago I researched this and chose Cuisinart Multi-clad Pro. Things I like:

- Stainless pans with a core of ... oh, I forget what's in the middle, but the core inserts go all the way up the sides /not just on the base. This gives you a solid, even temperature over the whole pan.

- Lips that allow you to pour food over the edge easily

- Interchangeable lids

- Handles stay relatively cool

- Easy to wash /still look great after a decade

- Price is not cheap but is reasonable

- A wide variety of pots/pans are available; I particularly love my DEEP frying pans, which keep things from splattering on the stovetop. Are they called chicken-fryers? I have the small and the medium - I returned the large because it was too big for practicality.

If you're looking at Cuisinart, note that they make several different lines, which vary in quality and price. Obviously I think the Multi-clad Pro is the best, but one of the cheaper lines is actually more attractive -- it has a rounded side, which I find pleasing. Multi-clad Pro has straight sides (except the basic frying pans).

Other pans I own but use less often:

- I love my Lodge cast iron. Some of it belonged to my grandmother's grandmother, meaning it stretches back to the 1800s. It's good for what it's good for, but is not an all-purpose choice.

- I have several ceramic-covered cast iron stock pots -- also Lodge -- that're unbeatable for soups, etc. They don't come out constantly, but I do like them.

- Finally, I have a small and a medium cheap no-stick frying pan, which I use for eggs and not much else.

It’s a silly, frivolous worry.

If you cook every day, collecting a nice set of cookware is not frivolous.

BergHOFF cookware! I love their beautiful stainless steel cookware and how easy it is to clean.

I never use anything other than wood cooking in it, so there aren't scratches and nothing sticks much to the bottom.

We also have a Scanpan we use only for eggs.

@K R I had never heard of scan pans. If I do decide I need non-stick it is something to keep in mind. I doubt I will never be a non-stick convert, but they do address the chemicals used in production.

@ShadyWillowFarm Besides just the non-stick coating most non-stick pans feel thin and cheesy to me. I also never cook eggs so really have no need for non-stick. Before I could afford better cookware I used plain old cast iron, my grandmothers, and moved into enamel coated cast iron and 5 ply stainless. I like a heavy pan that I can simmer all day with no scorching.

I also get great browning for deglazing and you don't get that with non-stick. Say what you will about the coatings and health, I just don't like them and don't use them.

I don't use nonstick either -- I just don't like them, they're easy to scratch and once they're scratched up they're done. I fry eggs all the time, and I use a stainless pan for that (my trusty Farberware). A small bit of butter or oil to thinly coat, get the pan hot enough before putting the eggs in and there's no sticking.

ETA: DH has a couple nonstick he likes and uses all the time, but they're his pans :0)

Carbon steel pans are the closest you can get to non-stick pans without modern coatings. Same seasoning process as cast iron, but a much smoother, and thus slicker, surface. Our favorite pans for eggs.

@Sherry Brighton, I also have and All-Clad and Staub. I made soup this morning in my Staub Coq au Vin and it cleaned up so easily! I live in Pittsburgh, so I collected my All Clad over time going to the factory sales. I started about 30 years ago and told myself this cookware was for a lifetime. And it has been!

I am not a fan of non-stick at all.

Sherry we are on a farm and eat eggs daily since we raise hens. If something needs to simmer all day it goes in the slow cooker which frees us up to ride the horses, do chores, and other useful activities.

@Rachel yes, I have been collecting and adding for years too. I "buy it for myself for Christmas" most years. This year I got the new Staub 4 piece stackable set. I didn't really need another Dutch oven but I liked the set so much!

My favorite pan ever is the All Clad 4 quart weeknight pan that was discontinued. I bought one for myself and each kid. The most versatile pan ever.

@Sherry, what color Staub do you have? I have the dark blue. This past year I purchased a grenadine cocotte for my daughter. I love Staub's saturated glazes.

I don't think I've seen the weeknight pan. I'll need to look it up.

I wasn’t a fan of non stick pans either until I found out about Scanpans.and read up about them. I love that I can put it in the oven, put it in the dishwasher, it’s made in Denmark and not China (high standards of testing), and the saucepan has a pour spout! So genius. I actually originally found out about them at a cooking class at Sur La Table, good marketing haha!

@Rachel I have the dark blue also!

My mismatched go-to pieces are a Staub dutch oven, a Cuisinart everyday pan, an Anolon sautee pan, and a small, much loved Farberwear saucepan. I also have a set of WMF saucepans plus 2 Anolon skillets. Two soup pots, a small dutch oven, a monsterous 13” Griswold, a 6” Lodge cornbread pan, a double boiler, and an asparagus pot and a . … OMG, I’m a cookware ho … Let‘s not even mention crockpots or pressure cookers.

Various types of All Clad because I purchased individual pieces as I needed them, Lodge skillets, Green Pan Premiere non stick skillets, Cuisinart dutch oven and a smaller one from Belgium that I’ve had since the 70s. All are kept in drawers and for nesting skillets felt separators are a godsend

i have a bunch of All Clad and a couple of pieces of lodge cast iron, I buy a new decent nonstick skillet every few years because nothing works better for eggs, although our cast iron is pretty much seasoned to the point of non-stickness after 20-odd years.

Great topic! My favorite cookware pieces are my pink heart shaped Cuisinart casserole pot, stainless steel Cuisinart stock pot, large set of T-fal non-stick inside and out pans (not heavy , nothing sticks to them), and a set of Circulon non-stick fry pans (heavy). I use my Crock Pot often. I love my Ninja Air Fryer (ceramic coated) and use that mostly for delicious healthy sweet potato and red potato home made fries. I also collect and use Pyrex and other mid century glass cookware (love the colors and they remind me of my grandmother).

@kculbersI love old corning ware and pyrex. I have the cornflower corning ware set from my mom and pyrex collected over the years. I am not a fan of crockpots, and stopped using mine once I purchased a instapot. I do love my air fryer and use it all the time.

Last time I was at the Corning Glass Museum they had a pyrex room and I got more 13x9 and loaf pans for $5.00! I use them all the time.

My elderly aunt keeps buying me ceramic casserole dishes (I don't make too many casseroles but can't hurt her feeling) and I have this really cool vintage Wagner art deco roaster.

Hope between the 5 kids they want this stuff!

Sherry: Pyrex pieces are my favorite. I have far too many, and rotate their usage. My daughter in law is my shopping buddy and loves Pyrex; she will have mine when I “return to the earth”. Where is the Corning museum? God bless you with 5 kids! I bet they keep you busy.