For years I've used the standard Farberware non stick cookware and it's been OK. The problem is after a few years I was having to buy new pieces to replace individual pots and pans that were only a few years old, due to the non stick coating flaking off around the edges.

Well I decided to go old school and replaced everything with a set of stainless steel cookware and added in a set of 4 Cast Iron skillets.

I'll add in my thoughts on the Cast Iron down the road as they say, since I haven't used them yet due to my need to season them properly.

The stainless steel has it's pluses and negatives based on my experience with non stick cookware over the years.

The look of the stainless steel cookware has class written all over it. It just looks good compared to almost anything else out there.

The second plus is how fast it will heat up and hold heat compared to Aluminum coated cookware. High on non stick is medium on stainless steel, med heat on non stick is low with stainless steel. You must keep the flame if using gas off the sides of the pan or it will discolor. You don't have to crank up the heat with stainless to get the temperature up quickly.

As far as cleaning goes it's a little more work if food sticks to it. Most of the time just soaking the pan in warm water for a few minutes will loosen things up and a scrubby sponge will clean it up quickly. On the tough baked on stuff, you may have to spend a couple minutes with a non abrasive scrubby sponge and some dish soap getting it clean. You can't use steel wool or a metal steel pad otherwise you'll scratch the surface and that will make it harder to clean in the future. Metal tools are also a no no like non stick cookware due to possible damage to the surface.

Spoons and scrapers made of wood, plastic or synthetic are fine to use with stainless steel.

Overall so far I like using the stainless steel over the non stick variety of cookware I've owned for over thirty years. It has been a steep learning curve as the say getting use to the differences.

Just the thought of all those chemicals from the non stick coating being ingested over the years makes you think twice about the cookware you're using. I read somewhere at temperatures above 500 degrees the non stick coating starts to put off toxic fumes. That can't be good for the user. Even at a lower heat range, what amount of the coatings chemicals are still leaching into the food you're cooking?

I could have bought a good set of stainless steel thirty years ago and never had to replace a single item. I've probably bought at least three complete sets of non stick over that same amount of time.

Just a piece of advice from an old guy how to save yourself some money in the long run.