John wonders, “I have read about the preference to not bother with teflon-coated cookware, because there won’t be any fond to deglaze. I have bought into this and make heavy use of aluminum pans to make sauces. But is that really necessary?”

In my classes I tell students they need at least one non-stick skillet and one “sticky” skillet. For the rest of their pots and pans it doesn’t really matter if they’re teflon-coated or not. You’re quite correct that you need to use a bare metal skillet if you want to develop significant fond, those little browned bits that stick to the bottom of the pan. And, you want fond if you want to make a pan sauce. Sauces serve two purposes, they add moisture to the dish and they add flavors other than just the fond in the form of the deglazing liquid, spices, herbs, and aromatics such as garlic or shallots added to the sauce.

However, if you don’t want to make a pan sauce then non-stick cookware is an excellent choice and is certainly best for things like omelets and delicate fish.

Also, I avoid skillets with bare aluminum interiors when I make pan sauces because the aluminum can react with acid ingredients such as lemon juice or tomatoes. Instead use anodized aluminum pan.

One last tip, although it’s generally worthwhile investing in quality cookware such as All-Clad or Calphalon, one exception is non-stick cookware. Non-stick coatings will wear down and become scratched long before the pot itself wears out, so something like the Wearever Hard-Anodized, which Cooks Illustrated recommends and sell for around $30, is a good choice.