1. A good, sharp chef's knife. Nothing fancy, I use a Dexter that I got for like $20 and have it resharpened. You can get a lot nicer, but you don't have to. The first kitchen I ever worked at (20 years ago) used knives almost exactly like this.
   
   
2. A good meat thermometer. I use this one which works similarly to a ThermaPen but without the ridiculous ~$90 cost.
   
   
3. A good cast iron skillet can be pretty versatile. Cast iron holds heat very well, which means that it's great for stuff like searing steaks.
   
   
4. Some cheap, non-stick frying pans. I recommend getting cheap ones because once the coating starts coming off (and it always does at some point, it seems) you're going to throw them away and get new ones. You can spend $300+ like I did once and get high-end stuff like All-Clad or whatever, but even if you're super careful and use only wood and silicone utensils to cook on it, it'll still start peeling its coating, and then All-Clad will say you used metal silverware on it and your warranty is invalid, blah blah blah, and that's more hassle than you need. Just get cheap ones.
   
   
5. Now THIS is where you can spend some legit money. A tri-ply, high quality frying pan without a non-stick coating. These are great for making pan sauces while you cook, etc. I made a chicken, garlic, and olive oil with a red wine vinegar based pan sauce with this pan (well, and some baking dishes) that was incredible. All-Clad is the industry standard but the Tramontina stuff is 1/2 the price or less and built to near the same level of quality.
   
   
6. A nice, enameled Dutch Oven, whether it be from Le Creuset or Tramontina, these are the best for stews, soups, chili...etc. Hold heat forever, well built, and easy to clean.
   
   
7. A good fish spatula, which I almost never use to cook fish. It's actually just the best shape for omelets, eggs, whatever. Flipping anything in a pan with a utensil like this is awesome.
   
   
8. A thick ceramic baking dish for making things like lasagna or casseroles or even just roasting meats/veggies.
   
   
9. Believe it or not, cookie sheets covered with heavy duty aluminum foil are how I do a lot of my oven roasting of small things, like diced veggies or potatoes. They work perfectly and being so large they're able to be spread out so they get roasted on all edges for a little extra flavor. Brussel sprouts & diced bacon in a cast iron skillet to start and then dump them onto this and blast them in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes and you'll have a great side dish.
   
   
10. No matter how careful you are, you're going to get something caked on or get a dish so dirty you think it's uncleanable. For that, I recommend Barkeeper's Friend which is an awesome powdered cleaner. Add a little water, use a paper towel and this stuff to make a paste, leave it in the pan for a few minutes, then rinse. I have yet to see this fail. Awesome stuff. Saved some pans.
    
    
    There are lots of other things I use daily:
    
    

• Good kitchen towels
  
• Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
  
• A good dish scrubber for cleanup
  
  etc.
  
  But the point I guess I'm making is that you can get lots of good, cheap stuff to start with.
  

"Oven safe up to 400 degrees F"

That tells me there's a coating on it that when it gets too hot, gives off fumes. I would stay away from this one.

My recommendation is something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-91601-02-Hummington-Eco-Friendly-Multi-Size/dp/B00H9U7Y5S/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1452959859&sr=1-2&keywords=green+ceramic+pan

The ceramic pans are AWESOME

Unfortunately, non-stick, by its very nature, is not long lasting. There are some things that you can do to extend the life of the pan, however.

The first is to only use wood utensils in the pan (even silicon and rubber can leave behind trace amounts that can reduce the life of the pan). Second, never heat the pan up past medium and don't leave the pan on the burner without food for more than 5 minutes while you're pre-heating the pan. And also, try to introduce oil/fat into the pan and coat the pan with a thin layer before anything else.

As far as recommendations are concerned, I recently picked up this:

Gibson Home 91601.02 Hummington 2-Piece Ceramic Non-Stick Fry Pan Set, Green

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H9U7Y5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They probably won't last more than a couple of years, but at $16 for both, I think $8 a year is a good deal. I've had them since Christmas and they still work like the day I got them.