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As a closet chef, I take my kitchen and equipment very seriously. The first thing you want to avoid is any artificial non-stick material. It’s completely unnecessary aside from the potential health concerns. We have been duped over the last 50 years that these pans are needed to cook non-stick, and it’s simply not true.

You already mention that you have cast iron. If properly seasoned and cared for, it can be as non-stick as any Teflon material. This means that you build up natural polymers through various methods and don’t remove them. This entails cleaning your pan with a simple scrub brush, water, and no soap. You aren’t going to get food poisoning from this as you are heating your pan during cooking far beyond anything necessary to kill germs. Also, for pans that are seasoned, do not cook acidic foods in them. No wine, vinegar, citrus, etc. Save those recipes for your stainless pans.

Another mistake people make when cooking is having their heat much too high, which causes food to stick more readily. If you go to a fine restaurant, you’ll notice their gas stove flames are usually on medium. They will use a grill to sear, then move the food to a pan. You can have a cast iron grill pan for this purpose. Generally, if a recipe calls for high heat, you want to keep your setting around 3/4. Medium-high would actually be medium. Medium would be around 1/3. Flip fried food as little as possible, allowing it to cook to a point where it releases on its own.

If you want a pan for general use aside from cast iron, carbon steel is your best bet. It seasons like a cast iron pan, but is much lighter and easier to handle. My favorite is this:

De Buyer MINERAL B Round Carbon Steel Fry Pan 12.5-Inch

For the rest of my cooking gear, I use All-Clad. It’s pricey, but it’s a one-time expense and you’ll pass them down to your children. I use the All-Clad D5 series.

My cast iron pan is a unique piece. My great-great-great grandmother owned it, and lugged it from New York State to northern Michigan as pioneers to homestead there in 1870. Unlike newer cast iron pans, the bottom is smooth, not rough. This is my go-to biscuit and pot pie pan, and often times substitutes for my De Buyer.

Don’t skimp on cookware. Buy right and buy once. Your job in the kitchen will be infinitely more efficient and less stressful.

Bkmrk.

Another mistake people make when cooking is having their heat much too high, which causes food to stick more readily.

You need a "smoking hot" pan for some foods like Chinese fried rice, fajitas, etc. Otherwise they will stick, and will not cook fast enough for meats and vegetables to get the sear and tenderness you're looking for. The steam creates a barrier between the food and cooking surface. Rice will literally bounce up and down at around 400 deg.