Do you look for high quality on your pots & pans or do you look for functionality and budget?

I've gone both routes in my life, and find that if you're serious about making quality meals, high quality stainless makes a big difference in the plated results.

That being said, buying a high quality set can set you back many hundreds in a hurry, which at one time in my life I had that money available.

Now what I have done is not worry too much about a matched set, but buy high quality pieces as I need them from tjmaxx or home goods.

Good starter pieces are a couple of different size sauce pans with lids.
A 10 inch and 12 inch skillet. Probably with lids to reduce spatter while sauteeing and simmering.
A 10 to 12 inch square cast iron pan with just a small lip for an edge is perfect for eggs and steaks . Do not buy off brand cast iron, it's too porous and food bits get stuck forever.

Buy other pieces as needed like a good wok, stock pots, etc. Of course it comes down to what you use your cookware for most that helps you decide what is important.

But as we know, trying to help can go horribly wrong 😆🤣

Medium quality, weight and ergonomics. I can't stand heavy pots or ones that have lousy handles.

I have a bunch of Civil War era pots and pans that have been handed down to me. They still work fine

I stopped buying sets... stopped that a long time ago and went with individual purpose-driven pots and pans. I have one large stock pot that is stainless steel, one 8 quart that is a heavy professional grade anodized aluminum pot, and a smaller 4 qt ceramic clad aluminum nonstick 4 qt soup/saucepan. That's it for pots. I've also got two cookie sheets and one jelly roll pan, again, heavy anodized aluminum. I've got one cast iron and one ceramic clad aluminum Dutch oven. Then I've got an 11" all-purpose deep pan that has a nonstick ceramic coating over aluminum, and an 8" frying/sauté pan that is copper with a nonstick ceramic coating.

Of course bread and cake pans too.

Nothing matches and are all from different manufacturers, each picked for what I use it for. I like aluminum becasue it heats evenly and I prefer ceramic for nonstick coatings.

The new ceramic nonstick pans are impressive. Vickie bought a set several years before she passed. They cook evenly and nothing sticks to them. Cleaning is a breeze.

I admit that I buy the good stuff. But I wait for Mother's Day sales so I can get them at a cheaper price.

Pots….anything that looks durable enough to last 100 years.
My pans Im picky. Non-stick and I only keep them until the eggs stick the slightest

Cuisinart makes nice stuff at a decent price. I go with that for skillets and soup pots.

After buying really cheap pans because they looked cute and aesthetic , I’ll never do it again. The bottom is burnt and there’s no cleaning product that’ll remove that crust, I only cook in medium heat. The handles get too hot you can take them out of the stove without kitchen gloves or kitchen cloths.
Next time I’ll save up and get my dream pans and pots from Le Creuset. They’re made of iron and to last a lifetime.

I've had good luck with Anolon pots and pans

I also have a cast iron pan

Stainless or cast iron. Just got to make sure it’s hot before you slap the meat to it

We've had the stainless pots and pans with lids since we moved here in 2012. Very useful. Every after cooking I just put a bit of water and detergent to soak so it's easy to wash. We can put them in the oven too when needed. They were pricey at the time.

We use mostly the set that came with our convection burners or a combined set of enamelware (the old blue-with-white-flecks stuff) made from a set we bought ourselves and some really old pieces I inherited from my mother. We have a large set of cast iron, but they're so damned heavy we've stopped using them in recent years.

I would go with what fits your storage area the best: mix and match. A good, seasoned cast iron can cook anything but is heavy. The lighter nonstick pans are only good for a few years.

My husband spent a year and a half in France (while rebelling against his destiny) to learn to become a chef. Then his destiny (oil and gas) caught up with him. When we met, I noticed amazing-looking cookware he had hanging over his cooktop on a rack. To this day, he does not want me to touch them. They are apparently beyond my ability to use correctly or even to wash. So I don't touch. Same with his cutlery. They are stainless steel, probably very expensive, and make magic in his hands.

I have a "set" of cast iron pots and pans that I've inherited from various old relatives and that is still what I almost exclusively cook with. Anything else were gifts.

I bought some cheap ones, and kinda regret it in a way. But I can't keep them perfectly clean, so it's probably best to go with cheap ones and replace them every once in a while.

I haven't bought new pots in forever

Id say 'good ole cast iron' ....but that's only good until your wrists give out.

And id say it depends.

It depends on how you cook, what type of cook top you have. ...how much you cook .

Is dishing out hundreds and hundreds worth it ? (It is if you cook a lot ).

The only thing that comes to mind is:
Whatever you get, get ones with two handles - esp the larger pieces like stew pots and frypans.

I dont wanna be depressing, but it's ALL heavy, even the smaller pieces, when its full of ingredients - and the last thing you want is to drop it, or not be able to use it due to diminishing strength as you age.

This is me in the kitchen so don’t take my advice

between I suppose

Both.

I found one set I love my ex couldn't burn anything on them when it said non stick it meant it.

Cast iron is still a fail safe

Whatever Ladycrush buys....... i have no clue. she handles the day to day stuff.
I take care of the "big picture" kinda stuff. 😃

I bought some fabulous ceramic non stick cookware called Green Pan, I really love them 😊

Carbon steel or stainless steel. IKEA.

Decent quality and pricing. 🍲

We have both actually, but my favorite is functionality.

I got a free set from people who moved