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…
Ehhhh, even crappy nonstick will last years upon years as long as you do not use metal utensils or clean aggressively. (at least the kind of ‘cheap’ that’s still somewhat maybe worth spending money on… there is always absolute made for trash garbage under capitalism…)