First of all, do not buy a set. Pick up the individual pieces that you will really use. Most of the experienced cooks on the cooking forum recommend at least one cast iron skillet, a cast iron or enameled covered baking dutch oven, an inexpensive non-stick pan for eggs, and then assorted sizes of pans, including a large one for stocks or stews and cooking pasta.. Best places to buy separate pieces is at TJ Maxx or Ross or Marshall's. You might not find everything all at once, but keep looking.

Are you willing to hand wash your pan or do you want to be able to throw it into a dishwasher?

I use and recommend Anolon. It is a little pricey but lifetime warranty etc does come cheap. It is often on sale at a very good price.

I love cooking with stainless steel! There is a bit of a learning curve tho, but I love how it cooks and cleans up so nicely. As mentioned by someone else, buy the pieces you need/like instead of a set. I own a variety of pieces made by various manufacturers--Henckels, Cuisinart, Le Gourmet Chef, and one piece of All-Clad. Buy the best that you can afford. Read up on the various types of cookware--cast iron, stainless steel, etc and see what works for you and the way you cook.

I agree, don't buy sets. I have some cast iron, Le Creuset, All-Clad and some odds and ends of other stainless. The one thing I highly recommend is to NOT spend a lot of money on non-stick skillets. Sam's Club sells a very good line of inexpensive non-stick skillets in the restaurant supply section and when it goes you're not throwing away a lot of money - and they all go eventually. I have some very good stainless that I bought many years ago at one of the higher-end departments stores (e.g., Macy's) that wasn't as expensive as All-Clad, etc.

I'm late to the dance, I know, but here goes... Sets can make sense, if they contain the pieces you want, in the sizes you want. It's ok if you end up with a piece you don't really care about, as long as the rest of the pans are a bargain compared to buying them open stock. Otherwise, no, follow others advice and pass on the set.

For you, wanting eco-friendly and non-stick, I suggest Zwilling Spirit, in the 7-piece set. The pans are heavy fully clad stainless steel with a very good ceramic nonstick coating. Then read and scrupulously follow Zwillings recommendations for use and care, including:

Medium or lower heat
no cooking sprays
never preheat the empty pan
handwash
no metal utensils

EDIT - I've recently received correspondence from Zwilling in which they addressed some questions I had regarding their Zwilling Spirit and Demeyere ControlInduc lines. They advised that it is safe to preheat their Thermolon coated pans without anything in them. I stand by the no dry heating rule for standard nonstick surfaces.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zwilling Spirit 7-Piece Set

This post was edited by FLsandytoes on Wed, Apr 16, 14 at 3:08