I love cooking in cast iron, nothing beats the even sear you get, but it's quite specific in its use (not an "everything" pan) and requires upkeep to keep it seasoned and free of rust.
SS all the way. I keep two cast iron pans, one big, one small, and everything else stainless (except a non-stick for eggs as you mentioned). Any decent SS pan can last you a long while if you take good care of it. Get some Barkeeper's Friend to clean off the oil splatter that is going to burn onto the raised side of the pan and just to keep it looking new. Get a pan with a copper or aluminum layer sandwiched between the stainless pan and the stainless base. You'll get more even heat distribution, and avoid the odd hot-spots if you are cooking on gas.
Prices are all over the place. I have Cuisinart set and a couple of All-Clad pans that were passed down to me. You can feel the quality in the All-Clad (heavy as he) and it has fantastics heat distribution on gas. But the Cuisinart set is great too, and much cheaper; had it for about 7 years, and all are still in great shape with daily use.
If you're just going for one pan, I'd go saute over skillet. You'll appreciate having the higher sides.
Something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008CM6B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_10G3NPQ20F5ZNMR8AEH7
This is what I have. I’ve used them regularly for five years now. They’re amazing and reliable and super easy to clean. I don’t know if you can buy a single pan though.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01APP1X2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7P5A6R7GS144M45JY2K9
Well known brand
I posted this in a different response. Been using these 5+ years and would buy them again in a heartbeat
Calphalon 2 Piece Classic Nonstick Frying Pan Set, Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01APP1X2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7P5A6R7GS144M45JY2K9
IMO if it is going to be your only pan for a bit I'd go with a stainless sauté pan. I've had this Cuisinart one for the last 15 years or so and it still looks the same as it did the day I bought it.
The reason I suggest stainless, and a sauté pan, is versatility for a one pan house. I made chorizo and eggs in mine this morning. I can also boil water for pasta, heat tomato sauce, cook whatever. No worry about seasoning. It's also hard to do soup/liquids in a skillet.
That Cuisinart is $60, you can find a similar pan for less if you need too!
I have a few dutch ovens that I've collected over the years, one is a wide/low stainless pot that was sold as a dutch oven (but is really a large sauté pan like this one). I fry a lot in this pan, my enamelled dutch oven, as well as in my stock pot.
If you are looking for a large pan, stainless, as everyone else has said. But look for something called a jumbo cooker. It will have a lid, the walls are straight and deep, and the floor is therefore bigger than same sized sloping skillet.
Canadian site, but this is what I am talking about: https://www.amazon.ca/Cooks-Standard-Classic-02523-Stainless/dp/B01M7RNLXV/ref=asc_df_B01M7RNLXV/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=293019361904&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1685280259825753409&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqm...
I love my stainless skillet, but I do wish I had got one with a lid.
In early Jan 2021, I read a CNN article (I know, I know...) about "CNN's Nonstick Pan Of The Year 2020" ... and it was a T-Fal Ultimate Hard-Anodized Titanium Nonstick 12" , 2.5"-sided skillet with tempered-glass lid. It was like $55 on sale for $35 so I bought it. I loved it so much I bought a set of them.
Right now I just went on Amazon again and it's literally the best price it's ever been, $22.74 ...
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXLOVU2/
I don't know if the economy is slowing down sales but I just checked the set I bought:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KSN8XY/
Is like $80, I paid WAY MORE, I have no idea why these are so cheap right now but I love mine - they are way higher quality than the price would suggest.
Not for nothing, but as mentioned before - Non-sticks last a-couple-few years in most circumstances. Even the best wear out. This is why you either just buy a cheap one from Walmart as needed (I mean they have them less than $10 and they use almost the same materials as the expensive ones - Do expensive ones have perhaps better metal alloys or heavier gauge etc. sure ... but it's still going to be a nonstick frying pan etc.) or get a decent set - I particularly like T-Fal's "Ultimate Hard-Anodized Titanium Nonstick" - it's about $120 right now for a 12-piece set (they have bigger sets and stand-alone pieces) ... And they're extremely high quality for the price, you should be able to get 5 years minimum , 10 if you're like me and you don't mistreat them. This one I also own and it's on sale right now and it's really fun to cook with. Used it yesterday. Worth every dime of $33ish...
I get the same with my stone based coated cookware. Nothing sticks and so easy to clean. Much better than teflon fme.
I could only find new ones without the duck, and a chicken one on eBay.
This Ozeri is pretty nice for the price. The nonstick can take some abuse and the base won't warp if heated empty easily. It's not really meant for the oven and dishwasher is strongly discouraged are the downsides.
I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXLOVU2/
I saw it in January 2021 , on CNN's website it was listed as "Pan of the Year 2020" and it was on sale for $35 - right now Amazon is telling me $53 so I'd shop around but I just got done using mine. It feels WAY HIGHER QUALITY and more expensive than a $35 frying pan. It's hard-anodized aluminum so the metallurgy should last forever and the "Titanium" part is the premier nonstick coating T-Fal offers. It has a tempered glass lid and 2.5" high sides so you can literally cook just about anything in it ... rice, pastas, steaks, chicken, soups, whatever. I am making Manhattan Clam Chowder in the Slow Cooker and I just started out cooking some bacon, then adding a chopped onion in, then a bunch of carrots and celery with them, cooking them all together before adding them to the slow cooker (and the other ingredients) and just needs a paper towel to swipe out.
I know you can spend more but I don't see why, this one is THE BOMB. I liked it so much I bought an entire set of matching ones.
Ozeri Stone Earth Frying Pan: https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-PFOA-Free-Stone-Derived-Non-Stick-Coating/dp/B00BK89AYS
I got one for Christmas and have been impressed by it. Nice that it doesn't have toxic non-stick coating and it is also easy to clean.
These pans are great. I don't think investing money in pans is a big deal, especially considering your situation. I'm not expert but they have worked great for me. You still have to put something in it before using but it's heads and above the non stick pans I had before. 12" Stone Earth Frying Pan by Ozeri, with 100% APEO & PFOA-Free Stone-Derived Non-Stick Coating from Germany https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GG5FBKW/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_RB13BJ40E48S35VYRE2M?psc=1
I highly recommend this T-Fal.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXLOVU2/
I got it for $35 on sale the first week of Jan 2021 and liked it so much I bought a matching set of pots and pans for about $130 (that does down to like $103 on sale occasionally, so I'd shop around)
This frying pan is AWESOME. Hard-anodized aluminum so it will last forever, the "Titanium" part is not actually any Titanium but T'Fals premium nonstick coating ... the sides are 2.5" high so you can cook just about anything, plus a Tempered Glass lid. It was "CNN's Frying Pan Of The Year" if that means anything.
But I really like it and it's not expensive and I feel like it's absolutely worth the $35-$55 price (I got mine for $35, shortly after I saw it on Amazon for $55, now it's showing me $42.88 so you never know)
For your situation, I would strongly suggest this:
https://smile.amazon.com/T-fal-Ultimate-Anodized-Nonstick-Dishwasher/dp/B00EXLOVU2/
Amazing and extremely versatile, very fair price- although look around, when I got it (around January) it was closer to $35 than $45.
This is a very high-quality frying pan/skillet/cooker/whatever you want to call it, with a high quality lid. The outside of this is hard-anodized aluminum - which means it will last you a lifetime. The inside is a very high quality nonstick coating and if you don't abuse it, it will last you 5 years easy, more if you're careful. (Most people don't realize that even the best nonstick coatings on the planet only last a certain amount of time - 1 year if you abuse it and dishwash it, 3 years if you're normal, maybe 5 years if you're gentle with it and handwash it [as I do all mine] - but still, the coatings are only so durable, and they will eventually wear off.]
Cast Iron is very good for many things and it will last your lifetime and many others, but it's definitely not the thing I'd suggest for someone as a "buy this one, general purpose, to use for everything" ...
The T-Fal I showed you has a very decent shape - nice high sides so you can cook all manner of food, the glass lid is very high quality and will let you cook many things and they're very simple to use and user-friendly.
The 5-quart All-Clad saute pan has a 12" cooking surface. I have this one, great pan. Seems it may be discontinued though. The 6-quart is available, but a bit larger and quite a bit more expensive.
Check the factory seconds prices, there may be a cheaper option.
Off topic: Does reddit just randomly give awards to new posts? This post was a minute old and it got this silver helpful award. I see this a lot on new posts, just thought it was strange.
I got an 8-inch and 10-inch set from Calphalon to replace the same set of pans that finally wore out. They lasted me 5-10 years before the non-stick started to wear out. The new model seems even more solidly built than my last set. https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Piece-Classic-Nonstick-Grey/dp/B01APP1X2I
I got this cooks standard disc-bottom one from amazon for $25 a few years ago, it's 11" though and $35 now. It's pretty heavy I would guess about like a 12" cast iron, it seems to weigh right in between my 10" and 15" ci skillets and heats up in a time right about in the middle of those 2 as well.
Also unless I'm completely not thinking of something a fully clad saute pan might not really give any advantages for the money.
I do it all in the same pan, super simple. This is the pan I use and this recipe nearly fills it but never overflows. I like the shallower pan because it’s easier to brown and stir in than the big stock pots.
I'll vouch for Calphalon's non stick pans as well. I've had mine for a little over 4 years now and they have held up well. As others said, they do not last forever no matter how well you take care of them. If you have a TJ Maxx in in your area that is where I got mine but it's always hit and miss as far as what is in their inventory. These are the type I have
I love my 9" cast iron and cook with it almost daily. That said, it's heavy af for its size which makes it cumbersome in the kitchen. Yeah, you can use cast iron for eggs and pancakes and whatnot, but why do that if you've got room and capital for a decent non-stick pan? I bought this pan over two years ago and it's still one of my primary workhorses in the kitchen. I'm not overly abusive with it, but I do use a metal spatula as my primary manipulation implement and the coating is still in good shape. It's a sturdy, resilient non-stick at a very reasonable price.
Hah, I feel like anybody cooking for more than 5 years has a kitchen of mostly BIFL.
But if I had to pick one thing, it'd be a multi-ply stainless steel saute pan with a lid.
recently got this two piece at an incredible deal
Great pan for the money, super thick and heavy so it won't warp. Dishwasher safe, and a lifetime warranty. All metal construction -- obviously oven safe
Big fan of this stainless tri-ply 5qt 11inch deep skillet w/lid, it covers a lot of uses with one item (at 1/3 the cost of all-clad): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00421AYK4 You can saute, sear, braise, you can even make spaghetti (reasoning being, with a wide pan you can immediately submerge the whole noodle in relatively little water so they cook for evenly and less water = heats faster plus leaves you with more concentrated starch-laden water for thickening sauces).
See if you have a TJ Maxx or Homegoods in your area, good place to get the little things. 5-6 pack set of bamboo spatulas/spoons/scrapers for $4. Often good deals on glassware, bakeware, hot pads, kitchen towels, silicone utensils.
Sometimes good deals on good cookware, but it's hit and miss, you've got to know what to look for. I'm not a fan of the bonded base-plate pans, though bonded bases work fine for something like a stock pot. For pans, look for those with a consistently thick material.
Depending on the type of frying pan you have, a large saute pan might help as well. They are usually steeper sided and come with lids as well.
Other than that, I agree with the suggestions on something to braise in, and a dutch oven would work great for that.
Get a really good non-stick pan, and then expect to replace it every couple of months. http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Ozeri-PFOA-Free-Stone-Derived-Non-Stick/dp/B00BK89AYS
Alternatively, just sacrifice some eggs to the surface of the pan. Or wipe a minimal amount of oil over the surface of the pan using a paper towel. Also, make sure your pan is preheated before adding your eggs.
Olive oil may be a "good fat", but overt fats are the densest source of calories in any diet, but also the easiest to just remove altogether.
I just picked up an all clad 5qt sauté pan w lid. It's model #4405.
It's fairly pricy at $200 via Amazon, but I used it for the first time yesterday and it works wonderfully. I have no regrets about the cost. It's something that'll last a lifetime, or close.
http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stainless-Tri-ply-Cookware-5-Quart/dp/B005EXVX90
Silicone spatula/spoon thingie for most things
Heavy wooden spatula for dutch oven (stews, tomato sauce, etc) or high heat applications (bacon!)
Metal fish turner for delicate/precision work (lifting dumplings, etc)
Wok turner for...wok work (I feel like Fozzie bear now)
I have a couple wooden spoons, but I basically only use them when I need an extra implement, they're never my first grab.
My boyfriend recently bought me a 5-quart stainless Cuisinart saute pan. This one to be precise. It is pretty large for my tiny kitchen, but it is a fantastic pan! I've used it a few times so far, making butter chicken, chicken parm, and sauteing various veggies in it. It heats evenly and holds it nicely. It's not too heavy, but definitely has some weight on it because of the thickness of the bottom, which is what you want. I went with stainless because unless you're only working with eggs or fish, non-stick is just not as good and doesn't produce the goodies that stainless does. It also comes with a lid (plus!), and the edge of the pan is a little sharper than you'd like to run your fingers along, but it's effective when you're pouring anything out of it, no drips! All in all, I like it a lot and would pick it again.