Recommend me new cookware

there is a food board.

seek expertise.

my blessings on your transition.

get a vitamix with the big top.
for beginner, having a vitamix makes it all easier.
throw in a random green leafy veg, a cuke, a teeny bit of garlic and you have a nutritional drink.

Pretty sure they asked for cookware recommendations, not advice on a new blender

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I’ll let others jump in on your regular cookware but an enameled cast iron Dutch oven is a must. You don’t have to get Le Creuset.

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Yeah, you really don’t need or even necessarily want a “set” of enameled cast iron, but a good enameled Dutch oven (I have a Le Cruset and can’t comment on other brands - expensive upfront but I think well worth it), is a good cornerstone of a any cooking collection.

What’s your budget and what types of food do you cook most often?

Le Creuset, all clad. Seems like that made in brand is pretty good too

I got tired of all those adonized coated pots eventually wearing the coating off over time and went through 3 sets before finally going all stainless.

I now have 4 stainless Cuisinart pots from 2 qt. to 6 qt., two larger stainless pots, one 12 quart and one 16 quart.

They will never wear out, don't stick when cooking, but make sure you buy pots with heavy bottoms to evenly distribute the heat and not those thin cheap pots.

My largest pot is a turbo pot and comes to heat very quickly. I do cook large quantities of food very often and will use a heat diffuser between the pots and the gas burner to more evenly distribute the heat and not have any hot spots. That way the pots don't need to be tended to as often as things like beans, stews, gumbos, etc. cook away.

Why non-stick? You only need 1 non-stick item in a pot/pan inventory... an omelette/egg skillet.

Barring that, good cooks don't use non-stick cookware. You can't brown things, make sauces appropriately, etc., etc.

Stainless steel, cast iron, anodized aluminum, and enamel are the best materials. I have some copper, as well.

we also use Cuisinart. They have full sets that you might find on sale at one of the Dept. Stores or amazon. The price isn't as bad as the top of the line stuff, and I like them. Of course there are many better or at lease more expensive brands out there. Google "Top of the line cookware" and be shocked at what it is possible to spend.

If I won the lottery I might buy copper, like Jacques Pepin or Martha Steward use, except you need to be able to afford hiring an assistant to keep them polished. Jacques has an oval copper oven pan with three or four inch side walls and handles on either end that I would love to have. His is always new penny clean, so I guess they throw away the old one and pull a new one out of a box every time he cooks anything in it.

Do you want just good pans, or do you want Top of the line stuff?

I was lucky enough to get a set of Emeril cookware for a song back when All Clad manufactured them and they were high quality. I think I got the entire 8 pc set for like $200. Still have/love them, but the new version is shite. Have a few Le Creuset pieces I enjoy, as well as lots on non-enameled cast iron. I have a few non stick skillets, mostly used for eggs, and some non stick bakeware. There’s really no good answer to your question that is a catch all. Piece it together based on your needs.