To me, someone who celebrates a bit more of the spectrum than most: Metal hot. Make food hot.
Non-stick means easier cleanup, but my wife seems to think cast-iron is necessary for certain things (searing a prime rib roast, for example.).
After I figure those out, then I gotta figure out gas vs. electric vs. induction vs infrared…


Non-stick is terrible for anything that needs real frying, because the non-stick coating breaks down at high temperatures (generally manufacturer recommendations are to keep the pan under 400f / 204c. I’ve had the coating start browning and changing at lower temperatures than that.
I have cast iron pans, but I can’t be bothered to maintain them so they mostly sit in the cabinet. I need to sand and re-coat mine currently, as they’ve got some rust spots, and I don’t really use them.
I swear by steel pans. They work great on any stove type (gas, electric, induction, doesn’t matter), have enough heft but are lighter than cast iron, and they can handle high heat and even be baked so long as the handle is also steel. The trick to stainless is making sure it’s hot enough for water to dance on, and nothing will stick. I tend to use a bit of oil and then a bit of butter when cooking in them and they’re practically non-stick that way anyway, just give it a rinse and wash while it’s still hot and everything comes right off.
Plus, there are some foods you actually want to stick a bit sometimes, like when you’re searing meats and later using the glaze from the pan for a sauce.
If you’re using steel and accidentally leave it and stuff is stuck to it, no need to panic, just put some water in the pan, heat it up (preferably with a lid on), and once it’s hot, everything should come off easily.
Edit - one trick to cooking with a stainless steel pan that I’ve found specifically when cooking with oil (olive oil generally) - When the oil becomes thin and moves around the pan easily you’re generally good, but if you leave it sit on medium heat until the oil makes a sort of sine wave pattern where the edges of the pan start to curve up, you’re set, nothing will stick.