Best Material for Skillet/Cookware?

>so many options and so little space
Make space, you lazy bum. I've got tinned copper, stainless lined copper, stainless lined aluminum, seasoned cast iron, enameled cast iron, and nonstick, and I'm in a tiny NYC apartment. You have no such excuses. Throw something out if you need to.

>>9414133
stainless - cooking meat and making pan sauces, can be dishwashed
cast iron - can't be dish washed, builds up a seasoning. avoid cooking liquids in here as it may strip the seasoning. has a lot of thermal mass so the pan won't cool quickly when you put stuff in there
carbon steel - same description as cast iron except less thermal mass
nonstick - use for eggs, won't brown your meat so don't bother. must be replaced every couple years depending on use.
copper - expensive, good heat retention but probably not worth it unless you have excess money

>>9414133
Different tools for different jobs.

Nonstick for delicate foods which tend to stick.
Stainless for when you want to generate a fond for later deglazing
Iron or carbon steel for high-heat use and baking.

>>9414133
I like stainless steel because you can abuse the fuck out of them.

>>9414133
I can't live without stainless steel. Perfect for meat and deglazing. It allows me to make amazing sauces.

>>9414165
>nonstick - use for eggs, won't brown your meat so don't bother
Whaaaaaat?

>>9414133
I've got pans of every type, but if I had only one choice I'd definitely go for stainless.

>>9414207
Nonstick is absolutely awful for getting a good sear or crust on your meat. Every pan has its uses, but you wouldn't cook eggs in cast iron and you shouldn't cook your meat in nonstick. Bacon is fine though.

>>9414294
You're wrong, learn to cook. It's not ideal but it's far from "awful"
t. >>9414160

>>9414298
I'm not the guy you're replying to, but if it's "not ideal" then why bother at all? This isn't some bizarre poverty or survival situation in which we only have one pan on hand.

>>9414298
>views nonstick as viable for searing meat
>tells others to learn to cook
wew

God Tier is stainless. There is no superior cooking surface. Stainless will not stick if you use the right temperature. I cook eggs on stainless and they do not stick at all.

Now for the rest of the pan it depends on utility. Aluminum is best for evenly distributing heat. So multi layered pans with aluminum cores with stainless on the outside are the best pans for evenly distributing heat. There are also dirt cheap pans with aluminum disks at the bottom. A $10 stainless pan with an aluminum disk on the bottom will beat any other pan, copper or cast iron, at any price when it comes to evenly distributing heat.

But in terms of heat retention cast iron is best. But it doesn't distribute heat very well. I use cast iron as well because they are cheap and last forever and are good at searing steaks.

Copper is just overpriced and overrated in pretty much every regard.

>>9414298
How can you smugly proclaim how many varieties of pan you own one minute and act like one variety of pan does a fine job of something it doesn't the next? Surely someone with such a wide variety of cookware as yourself would be in anon's corner when it comes to which pans are best suited to what.

>>9414303
>if it's "not ideal" then why bother at all?
I generally don't, but if I have to, I can
>This isn't some bizarre poverty or survival situation in which we only have one pan on hand.
Some people, I am told, do only have one pan. I'm not encouraging anyone to live like that, but if you do, it would be stupid to just not cook eggs or meat just because some know-it-all on the internet says it's "absolutely awful". That's like saying a chef knife isn't as good as a paring knife for peeling fruit so if you have any fruit, better throw it away unless you've got a paring knife.

>>9414341
>How can you smugly proclaim how many varieties of pan you own one minute and act like one variety of pan does a fine job of something it doesn't the next?
I think we need to understand what you mean by "a fine job" and whether what you think I said is what I said. With nonstick, you have to worry about temperature, that's the main thing. When you're browning meat, you tend to want to have some freedom to go as hot as you please. But for most purposes it's certainly workable as long as you pay attention.

And if you're the guy who said you can't cook eggs on nonstick, all I can say is lol.

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Excluding a dutch oven, wok and a stock pot, the only 2 pans necessary to cook everything are a stainless saute pan and iron skillet. Nonstick is pure bullshit that has to be replaced every couple of years. No thanks, Schlomo Shekelstein already gets enough of my dough. If you're not a sperge, you can make a perfect omelette in a stainless pan (pic related).

>>9414418
I could make an omlette in a glass pan if I was willing to have it come out that greasy

>>9414467
>thinks you don't use butter to make omelettes

I really pity you.

omelettes suck anyway

>>9414133
If you can only have 1:

A stainless steel fry pan

>2:
A stainless steel pot with SS lid

>3
Carbon steel or cast iron low-walled pan (skillet, even a crepe pan)

Everything after this is according to specialty, stock pots (if you cook a lot of soup and stock)/pressure cooker (can actually double for your pot), teflon (if you're bad at eggs/fish), fish poachers, griddle pans etc.

Don't fall for the rivet meme. Welds give out without as much warning as rivets, but the time taken to do so is much greater, and a broker weld is easily reparable, rivets not so. If it must be riveted, make it 3 rivets not less and NO SCREWS.

>>9414340
how do I get my stainless to not cause things to stick. tired making hash browns and it stuck like crazy. yes I heated it and the oil before hand.

>>9416548
Heat more.

I got a stainless steel pan and cast iron grill pans 2.
Aluminum pots 2 large and small
Enamel pot (non reactive)
Pressure cooker
A wok.
That's about 99% of what I need.
Nothing is design just hotel restaurant grade generic.
Works for me

>>9416548
Stop trying to flip the food too soon. Wait, then the food will release itself from the pan after the bottom part has cooked. Problems with sticking on stainless are nearly always caused by trying to flip or move the food too soon.

>>9414160
Whenever I feel regret, I feel thankful for a site that gives me this so I can instantly feel better

Give me one good reason stainless is better than copper that isn't price.

>>9416706
1) Stainless requires less care
2) You can get stainless seriously fucking hot for searing; try that with copper and all you'll be doing is melting off the tin.

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>>9416491
>welds
Make sure they're true welds though. Those spot welds that cheaper brands tend to use can be unreliable.

Rivets suck. They're ugly and food gets stuck, but some brands just refuse to use something else. Looking at you, de Buyer.