Totally agree with what you said about non-stick pans. Sounds like a total scam. I myself did not go with cast iron skillet (only for some outdoor/bbq stuff). But I switched to stainless steal pan from demeyere like 10 years ago. It's still like new and made thousands of meals. Now i'm in a (slow) process of converting all my equipment to stainless steel from demeyer, quality is just that good. Buy for life.