Many people are confused when they first take up cooking. Besides learning the art and techniques of cooking, there is a confusing array of cookware. The simple fact is a good chef needs good cookware. Technique is meaningless without the proper tools.
When trying to determine the proper pots and pans for you, there is an endless array of choices in this category. Most of it is celebrity endorsed gimmicky trash. The first thing you want to look at is the thickness of metal used to construct the pans. Thin metal burns food, it's impossible to cook with thin metal pans. They don't retain, and get way too hot to fast. The thicker and heavier your pans are the better. Thin pans also warp and bend from the heat of cooking giving them a very short life span.
Next you need to look at materials you have three main choices stainless steel, aluminum, and cast Iron. Stainless steel is the best but can be very expensive; it also tends to heat a bit unevenly. Aluminum is cheaper but requires more maintenance. You also need to avoid cooking certain types of food in aluminum pans. Aluminum will react to acids, not only ruining the taste of foods but also in some cases poisoning the food as well.
A great solution and the one I recommend is stainless steel clad aluminum; this cook ware combines all the best aspects of both materials. The ease of maintenance of stainless steel, combined with the lower cost and heat distribution of aluminum. Cast Iron is high maintenance but it is the only way to cook certain dishes, so you will need to buy at least one nice sized cast iron pan. Avoid non-stick pans; you will only need one small non-stick pan that will use to cook eggs. Other than that non-stick is a waste of money.
You will need one large stock pot, a few smaller pots for cooking pasta. A Dutch oven is one of the best things you will purchase for your kitchen. Look for a nice high quality set of 3 sauté pans. Find a nice quality small non-stick pan to cook eggs; you will only ever cook one egg at a time so use that to determine the size you need. I would purchase one medium and one large cast iron pans. Cast iron is great for cooking steaks and chops so keep this in mind when choosing your pans.
Technique is nothing without the proper cookware. Take the time to learn what you need and how you will use it. Don't fall for gimmicks; simple is better. With the proper cookware the quality of your cooking will improve drastically.
