I really liked Zsofia’s list, so I am using that as a jumping off point for a lot of +1s and some additional thoughts.
Yes. This is what you should spend your money on. If you think you don’t need it, it’s only because you don’t know that you need it yet.
Yes. The coating *will *wear off, so buy cheep. Make sure you get something that has nicely rounded sides so you can flip eggs and such. What you are looking for is a nice rounded slope where the wall meets the flat of the pan and decently high sides. I used one of thesefor a long time and it was fantastic, but it was a gift and you can find similar for much cheeper. You are going to look to replace it about every two years, so keep that in mind when you look at prices. Also, don’t waste your time with smaller than 12 inch in a nonstick, you will always want the extra pan space.
As others have said, don’t use this pan for anything that requires high heat, don’t use metal on it, don’t clean it with anything scrubby (the soft side of a sponge is fine, and don’t put it in the oven, it will last longer. (But still not much more than 2 years).
For everything you don’t want your non stick to do. Particularly for high heat sauteeing and such or anything you are going to finish in the oven.
I would get a 10 inch too.
A tie for first for the best thing you will own after the dutch oven. If you only get one thing get this and season it properly. It will last the rest of your life and then some.
Make sure it has a lid, and I wouldn’t go super cheep. You want something with a nice heavy thick bottom.
I also like to have one that is a little smaller for making things like oatmeal or rice where you want the bottom surface as small as you can get it. But then I mostly cook for 2.
I disagree. You really only need the one nonstick item, and the cast iron skillet.
You really don’t need anything else. The above should bring you in at well under $1000.