In my search for decent cookware I found it difficult to figure out what was good & bad and thus also to decide what to buy. Searching for cookware FAQs I found a really nice guide written by Hormel, the producers of that fine meat product known as SPAM. :)
I eventually settled on a stainless steel set with a 5mm aluminium base for ease of use & care. Aluminium itself isn't a great material for cookware coz it apparently leads to Alzheimers but in most stainless steel cookware its used solely as a conduction material to distribute heat evenly across the base and is fully enclosed so its ok. Non-stick teflon coatings suck ass as you have to be oh-so-careful not to scratch them. There are alternatives on the non-stick front though. Scanpan use some ceramic-titanium coating, and they make some well weighted frypans ... gonna pick one up at the next sale.
