Sorry, not replying to everyone individually, because I did not at all expect so many replies.

Thank you all for your recommendations, for now I did go with a Tefal set with ceramic coating.

I'll however keep all the amazing recommendations in mind for the future or when family & friends are asking for my input.

And to the stainless/cast iron crowd - I hear you and maybe in the future I'll go for a stainless pan - for now I'll non-stick with the ceramic ones. I'm already convinced with pots, but never got to try it for pans and am not in a point in my life to throw a good bit of money at a pan that I maybe never use because I don't like it.

I bought one from this website and am very happy.

https://sandundstein.de/

I wanted to be able to send it back and let them recoat the pan. It would cost 15 Euros plus delivery for their own pans I think.

The anti stick is very good and harder because of ceramic ingredients.

They say you're able to heat it to 220C and since you can remove the handle, put it in the oven.

It's 100%made in Germany.

Edit: they say no pfas and usable on induction. Temperature allowed is even 260C

[lengthy post about trying to use stainless steel instead and how it won't stick if you heat it up properly but everything will be more crispy rather than smooth like eggs]

Harecker are German made (not just a European brand that in reality produces everything in Asia). Really well made.Their coating is a semi-ceramic non stick coating that works quite well and is PFAS free. Sadly no removable handle,though.

Demeyere ? https://demeyereco.com/demeyere-pans/

Whatever you do, just avoid any coatings, they say its non toxic only to find out years later they were wrong (sometimes intentionally), what you want to use is high grade stainless steel or cast iron. Only "coating" that is okay is enamel (like Le Creuset pots have), you have that on your teeth as well. Disadvantage of these above is you have to learn to use it. They need to be warmed up slowly which can be annoying sometimes, but on the other hand you have non-toxic pots that lasts for life.

In my experience Tefal is a good choice. Last long (my pan is at least 6 years old now and working perfectly), stays stable (handle didn't get wobbly much, just had to tighten a screw once), good quality and weight to it.

I'm happy enough to recommend those along!

Debuyer are fantastic. https://www.debuyer.com/

Le Creuset pans do all of that. You can get ceramic coated and cast iron.

Highly recommend Fissler https://fissler.com/ for european made kitchenware. Sure, they are a bit pricey, but you can be sure, they can be used in longevity. Also they come with a long warranty (up to 25years in some cases) depending on the product.

Fiskars pans are nice, made in Finland

@ikirin I have two from https://hoffmann-germany.de/ and I love them. Completely manufactured in Germany and you can even recoat them if ever needed.

I have a RÖSLE pan and it's the one that last the longest. Double to three times longer than TEFAL and all other pans I had in the past.

Staub and Emile Henry are mostly made in Europe. Le Creuset has moved a fair bit to Asia. Heard nothing but rave reviews about De Buyer.

Can't really compare but Silampos have a great reputation in Portugal: https://www.silampos.pt/pt/

The shop link: https://www.silampos2.pt/en/

I have this from Monix an works pretty well and are durable: https://monix.es/en/products/mineral-frying-pan
Also, if you want and affordable inox pan, I just bought this one from Arcos and is awesome: https://www.arcos.com/products/sarten-acero-inoxidable-serie-samoa-inox-24-cm-726300

Anyone here working in a kitchen? What makes good kitchen equipment in general? What should I look out for?

Highly recommend Staub the french company if you're looking for something that doesn't have a plastic non stick coating

Not an expert, but my best cookware is made by Smeg and Alessi, but while the former's pots have a "Made in Italy", marking, the latter don't, so I'm not sure about them. They do have a factory in Italy, but you know...

Maybe RIESS Austria. Expensive but good quality. https://www.riess.at/en-GB

I can recommend Eva Trio (Danish company) with ceramic non-stick. Good quality, and decently priced.

Not made in EU, but made in Europe. I definitely recommend Spring, professional grade kitchen utensils (worth the money, in my opinion): https://www.spring-brandshop.com/en/

Portuguese made and also good quality: https://www.silampos2.pt/pt/?set=entrada

Also Portuguese made, but more affordable: https://loja.celar.pt/