The NY Times gets it right!

...on the best types of skillets for the kitchen; cast iron, with or without enamel coatings. In your hardware store for $10, made in Tennessee. Carbon steel also gets high marks, and the low scores go to high-priced Calphalon and All-Clad offerings.

Seems that my grandmother (or great-grandmother) knew what she was doing when she bought the Wagner skillets I still use today. Available now in your local antique or second-hand store. Well, not mine, but you get the picture.