Reddit reviews Cooks Standard 3-Quart Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Saucepan with Lid

I'd say the essentials include a non-stick frying pan, a smaller pot (2-3 qts), a larger pot (5qts+), a cutting board, a chef's knife, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, a whisk, heat resistant silicone spatula, stirring spoons, serving spoon, ladle, aluminum baking sheet, tongs and can opener. With all of the above, I can cook ~ 90% of what I usually cook.

I, personally, don't care much for cast iron skillets. They require too much care and too much oil to keep up to snuff. I prefer a nice three-ply fry pan (This is what I own). A couple splurges on my part were a 2 qt saucier (was on sale for $50) which is great for making sauces of any sort because the whisk can fit in the rounded bottom of the pan. I also like the All-Clad 4Qt. Essential pan, with the tall sides and wide top. It's easy to make something a bit larger with this pan.

Finally, I bake all of my pizza on a cheap round pizza pan. It's not the fanciest, but it gets the job down well.

NICE. I wish I had had more patience for searching out used pieces. I gave in and bought some that I'm sure is sweat-shop produced in China because I am a grocery store person.

I ended up buying this stock pot:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/salt-stainless-steel-stock-pot/3305769?poc=226082&skuId=46799784

Skillet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Q2CX2/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_2_w

And both sizes of this saucepan:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00421AYIG/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_4_w

I kept a cast iron griddle and skillet, as well as one non-stick skillet for eggs. I got rid of all of the rest of it and haven't looked back. The stainless is SO MUCH nicer than my hard-anodized non-stick giant wedding set with useless cookware sizes.

Consider an induction range with a convection oven. I, too, had an electric range until recently. I absolutely despised electric. And I, too, was looking into a gas range... but then I tripped on induction ranges, bought one, and I love it.

I like induction better than gas. I had gas for many years before moving to a home with an electric range. Induction reacts instantly to temperature changes. It heats incredibly fast. The top is nice and flat so it stays nice and clean, where gas ranges tend to get pretty grimy with all those grills and indentations that get burned on grease that is almost impossible to get off. And stuff doesn't burn on to an induction cook-top like it does with electric. There are other pluses too long to get into here.

You'll need cookware that works with it, but we found some great stuff for decent prices, and much of what you have may work just fine... if a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pan, it will work on induction. If it doesn't stick, it won't work. This is the stuff we bought. We like it better than our all-clad stuff, and it costs a fraction of the price: This, this, and this.

Anyway, look into induction. Like this one.

Here's the setup I used for about 8 months in a shared apartment (while looking for the house we bought):

• A decent saucepot with a lid. I like the Cook's standard. 1.5qt if you're just cooking for yourself, 3qt if you want something bigger, up to 3 or 4 people. Quality is comparable to All-clad at much, much less. Soups, stews, curries, deep frying, etc.
  
  
• An 8-inch or 10-inch open nonstick skillet. I personally like Circulon Infinite for this, but really any reputable brand will do. I typically look on Amazon first for a baseline price. This is your workhorse pan; eggs, stir fries (at relatively low temp), pan sauces, sauteeing, etc.
  
  
• A high-sided cast iron skillet. The Lodge Logic 10 or 12-inch models are reasonable. Searing meats, caramelizing onions, roasting chicken, making pizza, bread, and so on. You can also get a combo skillet/dutch oven if you like the idea of having a dutch oven (biscuits, stews/soups, etc).
  
  
• A decent cutting board and a decent knife. I like a Chinese chef's cleaver for general use (carbon steel makes a great easy-sharpening knife, wide blade makes a good scraper/scooping chopped stuff off the board/smashing garlic/ginger/spices, handle is good for crushing spices, and you can open coconuts with them easily). However, I think most people here will recommend you a Victorinox Fibrox in either a European or Japanese/santoku shape. Can't really go far wrong with any of them as far as frugal choices, but I personally don't like the feel of our Fibrox santoku all that much; the blade seems a little too "bendy" and doesn't feel stable in my hand. If you get a Chinese chef's cleaver, I would go with a Dexter Russell. Also get a sharpening stone (a cheap oxide stone for a Chinese cleaver will do fine, or you can get some DMT diamond sharpeners, or get into it and get some Arkansas or Japanese water stones) and learn to use them.
  
  
• If you do a lot of baking, find a Costco Business Center near you and go pick up a set of silpats and an aluminum half-size baking sheet.