Reddit reviews Tramontina 80114/535DS Professional Aluminum Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan, 10", NSF-Certified

PFOA is not used in the coating itself, but rather in the application of it. Commercial cookware should not contain any PFOA, though concern for residual amounts is reasonable. Most manufacturers have stopped using PFOA.

PTFE is generally considered to be safe. Worst you can probably do is heat it up too much. At 450F and higher PTFE, ie. Teflon, starts to outgas and can cause flu like symptoms for a short time.

In conclusion: fear PFOA but PTFE is probably okay. These Tramontina pans are what I usually recommend people get and the are labelled as being PFOA free. Keep them for a year or so and when the coating starts to flake, throw them away and buy again.

Other than that, cast iron?

https://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Professional-Nonstick-Restaurant-Aluminum/dp/B009HBKQ16

They also have this type of non stick at Costco or Sams.

My suggestion is don't go for a set if you already have a functional set of pans. Start with single pans that you want to upgrade, and go from there. So, I'd suggest:

10" cast iron frying pan. This can literally do almost everything that your 10" nonstick can do, and a ton more besides like pan-searing, oven cooking, etc. Keep it well-seasoned and it'll treat you very, very well.

10" triple-ply frying pan. This is great for sauteing, and anything else that you don't want to use your cast iron with. Also good for acidic foods, or ones that would end up sticking with the cast iron.

4-4.5qt saute pan. This is a great do-it-all, and can be triple-ply (better) or just impact-bonded stainless (still functional).

~5-6qt Enameled cast iron dutch oven. Lodge makes a great (cheap) one of these, usually for under $50. It's amazing for braises, roasts, stews, frying, etc. It's literally my go-to piece of cookware in the winter time.

Then just keep whatever you would also use from your current set, and you'll be set for another 10 years. So if you use your 10" or 8" nonstick frying pan a lot for eggs, keep it (or get another one of them to replace it). Also, stockpots all function basically the same, so there's no need spending a ton of money on the good ones. You're just boiling water in them anyway. No, you won't have the perfectly-matching set, but you also won't end up with a ton of crap littering your cupboards that you never use (hello 2.5qt sauce pan!). It's far more a case of function over form.

If you absolutely have to get a matching set (and I'd suggest still getting all of the stuff I listed above in addition to it), look for a triple-ply set to go on sale. I picked up a Kirkland (Costco brand) for ~$180 that I love, but you can find a Cuisinart MCP set or a Tramontina triple-ply set for under $200, and sometimes under $150 if you look hard enough. Avoid anything that says "Impact Bonded Base" as it's really the worst cookware out there. It's stainless steel (which doesn't conduct heat very well) and has an aluminum disc (which does conduct heat very well) at the bottom, but it's only at the bottom. That means that the heat doesn't go up the sides, and your food sticks horribly to the sides. Just say no.

If you guys really like the non-stick, I'd just replace the few pieces that you need to because the other ones are wearing out. I personally like the restaurant-quality pans since it means that they cook well (thick aluminum base/sides), but again, it's all function over form. The raw aluminum outside will look like crap after you start using it (discoloring, scratches, etc), but it'll cook better than any of the other cheap consumer pans. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-80114-535DS-Professional-Restaurant/dp/B009HBKQ16

Tramontina Professional Nonstick

[Tramontina] (https://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Professional-Nonstick-Restaurant-Aluminum/dp/B009HBKQ16/ref=pd_day0_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B009HBKQ16&pd_rd_r=B3ESPAB9VVF09WW86A6Y&pd_rd_w=JG5FL&pd_rd_wg=TWkSi&psc=1&refRID=B3ESPAB9VVF09WW86A6Y)