Thank you for your insight!

I didn't think about how handles felt. I will keep in mind.

I lift weights 6 days a week and am in fitness competitions so the weight of cookware plus food or a big pot fill of water doesn't intimidate me!

I eat fish on the regular. More than any other type of food. Even heat is important but cooking with no fat/oil is not. I mean if i added am oil to a stainless pan to cook my fish i wouldn't freak out.

So you hated all clad because the rivets were difficult to keep clean and the handles felt bad. What about the handles?

Great point about the handles!
I have a variety, and I've come to the conclusion that the nonstick pans are simply disposable and need to be replaced periodically. I was thinking of replacing them with ceramic, but if that's not really nonstick then I won't bother, I'd rather use stainless steel or keep replacing the regular nonstick if that's the case.
I have stainless steel that I bought from Costco almost twenty years ago. I use it almost daily, it was my first purchase of "nice cookware." The trick to getting things not to stick to it is to heat the pan up, then add your cooking spray, then add your food. Or don't worry about it and deglaze the pot or pan at the end of the cooking.
I have cast iron that I also use almost daily (we are a larger, homeschooling family and all my kids are teens or older, so a lot of people cooking throughout the day) My newest cast iron skillets are over a decade old, I have one pan that was a friend's grandmother's skillet... it's my favorite and most used skillet. I made the mistake of buying a MASSIVE cast iron skillet, but it's too large for me to handle easily and I prefer to use several skillets instead of one really large one.
I ADORE my French oven... that's an enameled cast iron pot with a lid that lets juices drip back down on food. I've had it only a few years so far but I'm sure it'll be something I pass down.
I have a couple of non stick skillets because most of us eat scrambled eggs for breakfast and that's just the easiest way to cook them. I've had my current ones less than two years and they need replacing again.
I got all of my cookware, except my cast iron skillets, from Costco. I got my cast iron skillets mostly from Walmart, one from a friend, and one I snatched up for a steal at Goodwill.

Oh! I mostly use wooden spoons, a little plastic, and only use my stainless steel utensils with my stainless steel pots and pans.

Oh, guess I should say that I really love all of my cookware, except the non-stick stuff. The stainless steel and my French oven is the Kirkland brand (that's Costco's brand) the cast iron is Lodge... except I don't know the brand of my really old one, no markings on it. The nonstick junk is not the Kirkland brand, even though I bought it at Costco... but it was really cheap. The handles on it are comfortable, and they've not warped or anything, but that stupid coating is coming off even though I only use wood or silicone utensils with them. Disposable pans indeed.

I love my heavy'ish caphalon stainless pieces. Even if I burn something they cleanup well but occasionally need to use use an sos pad. I have a few non stick for eggs but they are peeling and I use plastic or wood and hand wash. I hate them. Regarding handles, make sure to get a sauté pan that can go in the oven - one of my old ones was plastic so you couldn't finish a dish in a hot oven. Also love my Le Cruset for stews and braising. Struggle with cast iron... I need to work on it some more.

Wow, thank you all. I really want stainless cookware but the nonstick scares me. I didn't think of deglazing. It would be great to add the yummy bits to my meals!

For me, and the way I hold pans, the All-Clad would dig into my hand and just feel uncomfortable (their U shaped handles meant that there were two narrow areas that dug in, rather than a solid handle that would distribute the weight better). I know people who hold their pans differently and have no problems with All-Clad.

When I was going to buy some new cookware for my new induction range, I went to lots of stores and just tried hefting pots and skillets. Many of the handle designs just felt bad to me, so I quickly could narrow down my choices. Some of my old All-Clad does work on induction, so I didn't replace it in order to save money, so obviously the handles aren't unusable for me. I just found that there are many cookware designs that feel much better to me.

I have a set of le creuset pans that I got in 1982 when I got married. They are great, and you can put them in the oven too, which is nice. They still look perfect after all of this time. Downside is that they are pretty heavy. I just bought a set of all clad nonstick pans for my induction stove to replace some non stick pans I had that won’t work on induction, and they have also worked out well. I use one or the other depending on what I’m cooking.

Hate, Hate, Hate my all-clad. The handles continually dig into my hand when I lift a pan. After 35 years I thought I would splurge and replace my old Farberware stainless steel pots and pans with All-Clad. Fortunately I kept my old pots and pans. The quality of the All Clad was disappointing. The small frying pan peeled after being used once. I had to send it back to All Clad for a replacement (they did replace it but it was a PITA to get a box, package it and send it back.) And then the marks on my hands from holding the pans. The edges of the handles dig into my hands. I tried hands under, hands over, two hands and nothing helped.

I so wanted to love the new pans because they continually get high ratings and look so pretty. I guess I'm just too delicate a flower for such robust pans. Sigh.

I ended up with a stainless steel tri-ply 13 pc set from Calphalon. I also bought a nonstick wok and a nonstick 4 qt deep well skillet for when I don't want to mess with stainless (eggs, pancakes, some other sticky type food).

Thank you all for your in put. I really value my health over a little extra scrubbing.

I love my all-clad pans. I've never noticed an issue with the handles, and I've had them for a long time. 15 years. Maybe longer?? I have the copper core pots and pans and they are a delight to cook with. I also have some Lodge cast iron skillets, which I also love. About a year ago I got a Calphalon ceramic pan and it works really nicely. It does have some marks already, but no scratches.

I have tried several different brands over the years, and absolutely agree that pan handle comfort is key! Every time you lift a heavy pan, you will notice that. I also agree with deciding what cookware weights work for you. When I reached my mid-forties, arthritis in my hands became an increasing problem. I found myself reaching more and more for my old Copper bottom and Stainless Revere Ware pans (old Clinton Ill stuff). The lighter weight started to mean more to me than any touted benefits of more expensive brands.

I am still using my cookware from before I was married. I will be married 50 years in June. When I was a teen they used to come around selling cookware. You also got silverware and a set of melmack (sp) dinnerware. I bought and my mom a set. They still are my favorite cookware. They are heavy and have always cleaned up really well. When we cleaned out my mom’s house I got her set. I took her set to our other house.. My son bought me a new set a few years ago and they aren’t near as nice.

I found an old, large stainless pan by Belgique at an estate sale...for $10 (day #2, half off) I figured "why not". It's the BEST pan, and I use it more than my All-Clad, same size. I always use either ghee or coconut oil with my stainless pans, even omelettes are easy to make. I love my cast iron also, but it takes a while to heat up. Le Creuset dutch oven is fantastic, and I can't imagine cooking without it. If you have a Le Creuset factory outlet close by, their discontinued colors are 50% off...at that prize they are worth the investment. Their website won't show it, call them.

This is my favorite everyday pot, tri-ply stainless by OXO...I cook a lot...they all get used all the time.

Godswood - Here is a link to a thread I posted a few years back on non-stick and in which I received a lot of helpful input. [Old thread[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/what-do-you-use-for-non-stick-frying-pans-dsvw-vd~2606868) Similarly, here is one on [covered[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/covered-saucepans-dsvw-vd~2686085) pans. I still love the Tramontina Tri-Ply set I purchased.

This post made me curious - as I continue to look for the perfect non-stick pan. I have started to use a cast-iron pan more often, which I do like, other than how heavy it is.

Storage is another consideration. My sister-in-law has a lovely collection of cast-iron (15-20 pans), and they all hang from a pot rack to the side of the kitchen. Storing nested cast iron pans would surely be a major pain to retrieve!

Finally, consider how the pans will look in your space. I purchased a rather expensive Ruffoni hammered stainless steel braised and haven’t used it once - I simply don’t like how the hammered steel looks again my backsplash.

Good luck and please let us know both what you select and how you like it.

For induction capable non-stick I'm using Chantal available on Amazon. Copper in the steel with titanium heats faster. Ceramic non-stick. Comfortable handle. They do have some weight.