Today, we're talking about the most perfect cookware material on Earth: Stainless steel. Before you smash that comment button, I want to make it clear that I'm not disparaging cast iron. I would never do such a thing.

My 30cm cast iron skillet is my very large, heavy son and I love him dearly (he turned 8 in July, thank you for asking). Here's the truth, though: Stainless steel is the only truly all-purpose cookware material you can buy, which is why I recommend it above all others.

Applying a thin coat of oil to your cast iron after cleaning is an essential step to keeping it pretty and functional. There's nothing wrong with pouring it straight from the bottle, but you can over-pour and, if you don't fully wipe up the excess, end up with sticky residue.

It's a pretty popular culinary opinion that everyone should own a cast iron pan, but I am of the opinion that everyone should also own a mini cast iron pan. Like its classic 30cm counterpart, the mini has a myriad of delicious uses from appetisers to dessert.

In general, I don't use nonstick cookware, but there are some instances -- such as cooking the perfect over-easy egg, omelettes and thin pancakes -- where nothing else will do. I do not, however, recommend spending a ton of money on one.

Video: Seasoning cast iron with flaxseed oil isn't super new -- Sheryl Canter first wrote about it on her blog seven years ago -- but it has some serious fans. Both Cook's Illustrated and The Kitchn are believers, with the former saying it created "a sheer, stick-resistant veneer, that even a run through our commercial dishwasher with a squirt of degreaser left them totally unscathed".

Just like cast iron, a carbon steel pan needs to be seasoned before its first use. Oil is a must-have for the process, but Cook's Illustrated recommends an additional surprising ingredient for prepping your pan: Potato peels.