I should have added that the red dot in the middle of a T-Fal pan serves a practical purpose: it darkens to let you know when the pan is sufficiently preheated to start cooking.

Thanks all. I always thought T-Fal was a cheapo Walmart brand but apparently not. I'll check it out.

T-Fal may have a range of products; I haven't researched it. Our largest skillet is pretty heavy-duty-feeling and came with a glass lid. A set of three smaller skillets we have are lighter in weight. Even the largest one (bought at Costco, I think) was a great price.

We are happy with our circulon infinite.

the replacement cooktop we got is has induction heating. the only pot we had that would work was the cast iron skillet. so, all the designer cookware went out, and we bought new induction comparable cookware.

stuff is expensive, even from marshals. if you think you may upgrade to induction,, buy comparable cookware

We went through the same process about 7 years ago. Got rid of our old anodized Calphalon and replaced it with stainless All Clad. The key is that the cookware needs to be constructed with some iron. The test is easy, if a magnet firmly sticks to the bottom of the pan it works with induction.

Get whatever non-stick pan is currently available at Costco. Their buyers seem to follow Cook's Illustrated quite carefully, and recommended products seem to show up at Costco quite regularly. Right now, my standard pots and pans are All Clad (with the stainless exterior so they can go into the dishwasher) and my non-stick pans are T-Fal from Costco. I replace the non-stick pans every 2 years or so.

And FYI- I've owned All-Clad non-stick pans. They heat slightly more evenly than T-Fal, don't last any longer.

Tefal Ingenio. It's a modular set of pans with detachable handles, so you can store them easily and use them in the oven or fridge. I was a little sceptical originally, but they have been fantastic. All with induction bottoms.