I’m a very serious amateur cook, and I love my non-non-stick All-Clad pans. I’ve got a couple of them, purchased randomly from closeouts and sets that had been broken up at stores, some of them at really good deals. They make a couple of styles, but I’m happy with the cheapest ones, without a shiny stainless steel surface on the outside. The brushed aluminum works for me.
Stuff won’t stick too badly if you heat your pan properly, and use enough oil. Quite often you want something to stick a little - seared meat leaves browned stuff behind which ends up in any pan sauce that you make when you deglaze the pan. I also like having the bright, shiny surface to cook in - I’ve got some anodized aluminum Calphalon pans, and while I don’t mind them performance-wise, I prefer the shiny surface as it makes it easier to see just how brown something is getting.
I’ve got one non-stick All-Clad pan that I use for some things - delicate fish, crepes, other things that I really don’t want to stick at all. It works fine, and can still go into the oven, but I don’t like it as much - things just don’t brown the same in it as the do in a non-non-stick pan. You don’t get the nice crust on seared meat that you do in a “stick” pan.
I’ve also got a large cast iron skillet, a two-burner cast iron griddle, a couple of pieces of Calphalon, etc. Each of these has its place, but if I had to choose one style, it would be non-non-stick All-Clad.
When I first got serious about cooking, I started building my collection - the difference between using thin, cheap, K-Mart frying pans and heavy, even-heating All-Clad (or other heavy bottomed serious pans) is remarkable. It might take you a while to adapt to it, but it gives you better performance and control. All-stainless pans aren’t very good, as stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat, while aluminum is reactive with acidic foods, so you want something that counteracts each of these drawbacks.
Also, make sure you can put your pans into the oven or under the broiler - for me, at least, this is vital. You’ll be able to brown things on top of the stove and finish them in the oven, without overcooking them, which is what it’s all about for a lot of things . True, the handles get hot, but grab one once and you’ll never do it again.
You can season a cast-iron pan by covering it with some sort of fat and heating it in the oven for an hour or so, then wiping the grease off. You can repeat this a couple of times, and the more you use the pan, the darker and shinier it’ll get. Eventually it will be fully seasoned. To clean it, just use hot water and one of those plastic dish-scrubbers; this avoids using soap and will remove anything that might stick to the pan. Dry it throughly and you’ll be set.
