No one material is best for all cooking.

Of the two, stainless is easier to maintain. Cast iron retains heat better. There are other pro and cons to both. Most of us who cook use both .

If I had to choose one, it would be stainless steel. Cast iron and carbon steel react badly with acidic ingredients, so you have to have at least one stainless pot if you want to do a long simmer with tomatoes or white wine. But you really want a combo. Stainless for big stock/pasta pots and acidic recipes. Carbon steel for everyday non-stick cooking. It's smoother than cast iron for less ticking. Cast-iron when you want the most heat retention for searing. Of the 3, cast iron is the one I have the least need for.

For my fireplace, cast iron. For my range, cast iron and All-Clad. Chili, chicken cacciatore, vegetable soup, fried potatoes like Grandma’s, bacon and eggs-cast iron. Shrimp scampi, sautéed mushrooms, special sauce for Brussels sprouts, boiled potatoes, frozen vegetables-All-Clad. I sometimes just decide based on whether I want to hand wash cast iron or throw cookware in the dishwasher.

And that is the beauty of carbon steel. Does everything that cast iron does but weighs much less and is more non-stick.

Definitely stainless. I have an assortment of Le Creuset cast iron pieces and find myself using them less and less as the years go by. They're so HEAVY and getting harder for me to lift. The stainless pots and pans get used every single day -- they cook well, are relatively lightweight, and cleaning them is easy.

I go for light weight and easy to clean… after using stainless for years ,I find it works for everything..it is merely knowing the right temp….and time for each use…

The fact that stainless is pretty indestructible doesn’t hurt ,either….

"Cookware" is a broad term. I could use more sauce pans and for that I'll be looking at stainless which I expect I'll use more than my enameled cast iron. I use my Griswold cast iron skillets more than my stainless, but I'm also not afraid to say nonstick gets decent usage in my kitchen.

Your opening sentence says you find the stainless a little better. I'd stick with what I find works best for me rather than concern myself with what "they" or we say is best.

The best cookware is the cookware that works best for you. It can be the top of the line bestest thing in the world and not work best for you. Some folks love X, and others don't, regardless of what the X is. A lot of people like stainless and cast iron, some folks like various coated cookware best.

Both cookware options are the best in different terms and requirements. However, I prefer stainless steel pans because they're durable, long-lasting, non-reactive, and versatile🙂.