Aluminum (hard anodized) is ok if and only if it's super thick and heavy. The biggest problem with most aluminum pans is that they're flimsy so they get hot spots and warp and generally are garbage. All-Clad, Calphalon, and others make very high quality aluminum pans.
I always recommend finding somewhere that has pans for you to pick up and look at then maybe go online to buy them, that way you don't get garbage that photographs well.
I bought some procook professional granite pots and pans which are really nice without breaking the bank.
If money is no object, Creuset is probably the best you can get, you won't just be buying it once, you'll be leaving it in your will!
I'm not a huge fan of granite/stone cookware. I find them to be heavy and slow, which is fine if you're cooking meat but terrible for vegetables.
Stainless steel offers a good weight to heat ratio and it's relatively inexpensive.
For the love of God, stay away from aluminum. Learned that bitch the hard way.
I've been slowly transitioning to stainless steel and ceramic cast iron, the latter being more pricey.
Aluminum (hard anodized) is ok if and only if it's super thick and heavy. The biggest problem with most aluminum pans is that they're flimsy so they get hot spots and warp and generally are garbage. All-Clad, Calphalon, and others make very high quality aluminum pans.
I always recommend finding somewhere that has pans for you to pick up and look at then maybe go online to buy them, that way you don't get garbage that photographs well.