buying new cookware... all-clad? which line? anyone use it?

I like the stainless and the copper-core. Can't go wrong. All-clad is a bit expensive but I think you'd be happy. You should also look into Le Creuset for pots and dutch ovens. I think they're essential to the home cook. (soups, stews, braising). Whatever you do, only buy a couple pieces. There's nothing worse than some douchebag with like 12 pieces that he only uses one or two of. You only need a large pot/dutch oven, stock pot, a good 12" frying pan, maybe a 10" non stick, and a smaller sauce pan.

i've never heard that about ss all-clad. i've got a big chunk of them and have never had a problem. caveat: the last thing i bought was a couple of 8-inch saute/omeletes on sale at amazon and they were noticably thinner than my 25-year-old pieces. i've heard rumblings that they switched factories and sourcing ... i don't know but it might be worth looking into. my favorite all-clad pieces were the old master chef line with the brushed aluminum exterior. those things are absolute rocks. you can't damage them.

Williams Sonoma has a new All-Clad line called d5 that is thicker, has better handles and better lips for pouring. I would look into that. I bought a 4qt pan to try out and I love it.

As one of the aforementioned douchebags, I agree. In my defense, though, the number of pans I wound up with was due to a couple of false starts out of ignorance. Some extremely low sale prices may have played a part also.

In my experience, these are good recommendations, with a few comments:

Follow the manufacturer's temperature recommendations to start with. If you don't get good results gradually raise the heat. Should only take a few meals before you figure out what's what, and at least you won't burn anything.

If you go stainless steel, watch for all-over tri-ply pans (layered SS and aluminum) vs cheaper pans that only have tri-ply in the base. Base-only is OK for a large stockpot, but I'd get tri-ply all-over for skillets and saucepans.

How many people are you cooking for? An enamelled cast iron dutch oven is essential, and I don't think a large and a small one is overkill if you cook for varying amounts of people. I agree with the Le Creuset recommendation, many people like Staub as well.

10" non-stick for eggs is a good idea. You'll have to replace it every few years so factor that into your buying; AC is expensive but they have lifetime replacement, I think.

You want something you can roast a chicken in. I usually use an enamelled cast iron 12" skillet. Or...

You may also want a roughly 10x14 roasting/lasagna/casserole pan (stainless steel, stoneware, whatever.) I use a SS lasagna pan from Calphalon, All-Clad makes one too. Good for roasting chicken on top of vegetables.

For baking, good old cheap Pyrex is fine. 10x14 pan to start, could also be used for casseroles. You might also want a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet; in addition to baking, it's also good for roasting potatoes and other vegetables.

I'll save you several hundred dollars: Get a CooksIllustrated.com subscription. Look up their recommendations for every pot you want. Buy them.

Those are a pain in the ass to clean, they stain like a motherfucker.

ehh... the whole point is that they're easy to clean. I have le creuset cookware that is well over 30 years old and nary a stain... wtf do you do to yours?

I've worked with them and even running them through a conveyor dishwasher several times... you still had to let them soak with soap or greasecutter if it was really bad. The cooks rarely got back a clean Le Creuset. It mostly depended on the sauce that was being used.

Cast iron for cooking and home defense.

If you don't want to spend the big dollars for All-Clad, get a Tramontina stainless steel tri-ply clad set from Walmart. The 8-piece set was rated a best buy in Cook's Illustrated a year or two ago, and it's $150. But you should get the 10 piece set, as it's more versatile than the 8 piece. The 10 piece is $280 right now, available online. I got this set last year and it's great.....comparable to All-Clad, tri-ply on the bottoms and sides, great heat distribution, and the pieces are heavy, which screams quality to me. Only problem is, like with all stainless steel cookware, they are a pain in the ass to clean. For frying stuff though, I use a Lodge cast iron.

Tramontina sounds good, by all accounts, for daily beater stuff. My lady just brought home a new saucepan the other day that is tri-ply stainless, that seems similar, it's Pyrex I think. I like Le Creuset but I think they are better for stovetop to table dishes mainly, so LC and Staub cocottes for something like that, but no need for everything to be one brand. I only have one Le Creuset right now, it's small and good for two. I wish I had brought some of my 100 year old Wagner and Griswold cast iron skillets from home when moving here, I miss having something that really holds heat. I also think a hug set of cookware is unnecessary, as long as you have more than 5 or 6 pieces. The average home cook needs what, not more than 6 or 7 main types of pots and pans; a stockpot with the pasta dropper, a smaller dutch oven, a wok, a large skillet (with lid), an omelette pan, a couple saucepans with lids, then maybe a presentation piece like the aforementioned Staub cocotte. I have a couple extra Asian pots and pans, like a Japanese omelette pan and a Korean stone pot with lid, but if I had all of that, I'd get by just fine. If anything, I'd like to invest more in things like a copper baking sheet for my oven, a good baking stone, etc.

expensive but the last you'll buy...go for copper.

As in they will replace your non-stick pan when the coating starts wearing off or what?