I am not a chef, but I do like to cook and I suggest you get the good stuff. I like Le crueset and all clad. You can get cheaper cast iron from lodge.

The prices will seem far from reasonable, but when you consider they're going to last 20 years (or more) they actually are.

I bought some mid range (~150/pot) meyer analon no-stick aluminum pans around 10 years ago and they're starting to wear out now... next time I'm going to stay away from no-stick no matter how tough they say it is.

In biking news, I'm loving this loop:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2953929