THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

Pick your favorite cooking vessel, the one you would grab if a comet was about to hit your house and it will be all you have to cook in for the foreseeable future. This is mine, the "everyday pan" if I remember right. I can cook just about anything in it, deep sides for liquid, enough flat space at the bottom to do pancakes, steaks, veggies, etc. You only get to pick one!!!!

Cooking? Cooking? With a thread title like that?  No Toyotas? BullE36 M3.

The 11", 110+ year old Erie cast iron pan there on the left. I don't have a picture since I brought it back to glory. 

Is there really any other answer? I could see maybe my wok as an option B.

Are there any pans more versatile than a good heavy cast iron pan or a heavy well aged wok?

Curious if this is a canoe. 

In any case, I don’t own one, because I don’t have to pick just one, but it would be similar to what lobster pennies poster. Gotta be able to make popcorn, bacon, pancakes, and grilled cheese. 

Cast iron 

My cast iron, no question. 

My big double handle cast-iron frying pan, no question.

Another vote for my big cast iron. I use it daily.

This is my lodge 12sk, bought from a second hand store. Love it, favorite pan ever, but wouldn't be my choice for an only one, even though I have a lid that fits. I can't see making soup, or boiling a pound of pasta in it. 

Still cast iron, and I rarely use it, but I would have to choose my Dutch oven.

It usually sits on top of a cabinet.

I have this.  Not going to take a pic because mine looks the same.  To be fair the only other pot/pan I have is a small pot for doing pasta in.  I could do it in the cast iron pan if I needed to though.  I can't cook eggs, pancakes, deep dish pizza, etc. in the pot. 

As soon as I got the cast iron pan, I immediately got rid of all the other pans except the one pot.  I haven't missed them once.  The amount of space it freed up in the cabinet was very welcome.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

This is my lodge 12sk, bought from a second hand store. Love it, favorite pan ever, but wouldn't be my choice for an only one, even though I have a lid that fits. I can't see making soup, or boiling a pound of pasta in it. 

Big stainless wok 

You guys aren't making much tomato based sauces without one of these:

Though if I could only have ONE kitchen implement it would likely be my Instant Pot.

I refuse to play by your rules, I have a truck and a willingness to disregard my safety so I'll grab as many pots as I want.

Admittedly it would still just be my cast iron pan and large stew pot because I'm pretty sure I don't need anything else.

ZOO (Forum Supporter) said:

You guys aren't making much tomato based sauces without one of these:

I make pizza/pasta sauce in my cast iron pan all the time. 

Big-ass Lodge frying pan purchased from an "Amish" store in 2002 on a vacation to western New York state...

Cast iron dutch oven. Can cook over a fire. Can roast. Can fry. Can be used as a serious weapon. So can the lid.

bgkast (Forum Supporter) said:

Big stainless wok 

I have this same pan. It's the best. 

Our cast iron, but it's a smaller one. 

There are a few cast irons I'd like to add to the collection and then I could get rid of most of our other pans. 

Sur Le Table is going out of business and people have been lining up to buy high-end stuff at decent prices, so if you don't have a favorite, maybe now is the time to get one. A 12" AllClad skillet is a pretty good option for a do-it-all.

My ultra cheap stainless pot I’ve had since college.  Dishwasher safe.  Haven’t seen anything like it in stores for years, except maybe at IKEA.  The all clad and caphalon stuff can still be found new easily.

LeCruset 12" enamel cast iron skillet.

If I'm doing something that I don't want to stick without a ton of fat like eggs or pancakes, Green Pan ceramic non stick.

Yes, I realize that's two.

Microwave. Ill show myself the door.

I assumed their would be a lot of cast iron. My first choice would have been a Dutch oven if I had one. Although I like the giant wok idea also.

I have an affliction for cookware like most have on here for hoarding cars. Not anything necessarily fancy. One of my kitchens had two eight foot closet rods for a pot rack and I could have filled four.

When I moved into the current house which has a tiny kitchen I had to downsize. Found out I could get by on three or four, haha. The rest are stored somewhere in the garage.

So last nite it just popped into my head what if I had to go from four to one? Hence the thread.