inb4 'cast iron skillet'
I've always had bad luck with fresh cast iron, so I'm not interested in that. Just looking for a good nonstick pan. I was thinking about the ones with the hexagon stuff on it, but I just looked it up and its $180, so thats gonna have to wait.
Who got the recs?
That's exactly the issue I'm starting to notice re: my non-stick. I don't even fucking remember what sort of pan it is, most likely a teflon. I'd like to avoid PFAs if at all possible, but if the pan is quality enough I'm not gonna be TOO picky here. Any particular models you like? I would definitely be doing a lot of eggs in it, but aside from that, just sort of general purpose stuff. I don't have a lot of specific things I cook regularly outside of breakfast, the rest of my meals are "huh, what sounds good? lets see what i can make here"
I have no specific model recommendations because usually I buy whatever looks good at a discount Marshall's/TJ Maxx type store or the thrift store. I just gave general principles of pans I've owned over the years, so if you do go non-stick don't go super cheap or super expensive. The thickness on the bottom matters for avoiding hotspots, if you're shopping for cheap pans IRL.
Right now I'm liking my Lodge cast-iron, Lagostina Cast Iron, and Paderno stainless steel for pretty much all of my cooking on skillets. Two of those brands are Canada only (I think) in big-box retailers so I'm not much help on that. It's probably not worth importing something heavy like a pan from Canada lol. Lodge stuff never goes on discount, but the two Canada brands regularly do.
If you don't usually make scrambled eggs or french-style omelettes then it's pretty easy to switch to cast-iron or carbon steel. I'd probably buy a carbon steel pan if I had a do over, even though now I'm very attached to my cast iron pans.
If you do go non-stick, then maybe see if you can find a decent thickness stainless steel skillet to save some durability when you're cooking that "what sounds good" type stuff. Stuff sticking on the bottom of the pan slightly is an opportunity for deglazing that crust back into the sauce (aka splash of wine where you cook most of it off to unstick stuff)