Personally, I go cast iron if it's low acidity, stainless for acids and my sauce pot.

Cast iron does take a little patience, but it's really just an extra step of drying immediately after you wash it, and if necessary, a quick wipe with an oily paper towel. 20 extra seconds max. You can do the whole seasoning in the oven thing, but it isn't necessary.

That said, if you don't want to think about it, your best bet is maybe a ceramic pan - they still need to be babied like Teflon, but they'll last longer.

Carbon steel is pretty nice. It has similar characteristics as cast iron but weighs a lot less. Ceramic coated stainless is good for when you’re cooking acidic foods. I use stainless for things like soup or oatmeal or pasta. Cast iron for eggs, pancakes, meats. Got rid of all the Teflon coated stuff ages ago. Still have to get rid of all the black nylon cooking utensils (often made with recycled plastics of questionable origin).

Cast iron is way easier to maintain than the cast iron hardos make it seem. Most new cast iron is gonna come pre-seasoned, so all you really need to do is a light touch up whenever you clean the pan out: after washing with hot soapy water, stick the pan back on the stove over high heat for a couple minutes to dry it completely, then drizzle in a teaspoon or two of neutral oil, and spread it around into a super thin layer with a paper towel. Take it off the heat once it starts smoking. That's it.

I like carbon steel these days since they're a bit lighter than cast iron and easier to handle, and the maintenance is pretty much the same. And like with cast iron, you can easily find a $30 pan that will last a lifetime, if not multiple.

It's more that PFAS waste streams, if left untreated, can pollute great swaths of land and water.

Teflon itself is incredibly inert and will pass through any digestive system fully intact. It's the PFAS you have to worry about, and that's only if you're ingesting or breathing it.

So, Teflon pans aren't hurting you directly. Just indirectly. Slowly. As it destroys farmland, crops, animals, and water sources all in the name of capitalism and the ability to make a product that is considered disposable instead of lasting forever.

PTFE breaks down when under sustained high heat, leading to fumes that can make you sick. PTFE chains are too long to get stuck in the body from my understanding. The main issue with PTFE pans is that producing PTFE creates a lot of toxic byproducts that are extremely damaging to the body