Hi Christian -

I'm with you that ideally I can only afford the best but right now it's not the time to spend several hundred

Probably would buy some Cuisinart stainless for starters (pot + pan), then later I'll try to get an All Clad 10" pan. For my soups, I really can't see how I need All Clad - pretty much any pot would do alright, and for other meals I have very nice special clayware stuff, etc. but it won't be moving with me (for the time being). I just need a minimal set to be able to cook some food for a while

Thanks again
Ivo

ps I liked Calphahon because it's heavy gauge, seems solid and I expected good heat distribution at a very reasonable price