INFODUMP
things i said i'd send you
Sorry for the wall of text. Click the play button and Nai will read it to you (ethical ai voice generated from my own voice model (yes, really))
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Regarding pans, Carbon steel is close to ideal. I know many like stainless because it requires less work, however i think the effort required to have stainless not mangle every protien that comes into contact with it is actually more, there just isn't a long term seasoning layer that people mystify so it is cognatively easier to justify.
carbon steel has the same ability to season as cast iron. but is much less heavy. it is possible to get good carbon steel, but because it can warp i have always prefered cast iron to carbon steel.
The Strata pans [www.stratacookware.com] are carbon steel clad on aluminum. This lightens the pan overall and improves heat distribution somewhat dramaticly. As warping is a function of uneven heat distribution this means it does not warp. I've had mine (10inch and 8inch) for over 6 months now and have had no problems with them at all. 
dish washer is anethma, they must be hand washed. after washing (soap and scrubbing are fine, avoid long soaks as it can result in rusting ) ideally heat the pan to remove all surface moisture, and apply a wiping of oil for next cook session.
if your cooking is heavy in acidic foods this is the only reason to not use carbon/cast iron pans (stainless/ceramic coatings are prefered). altho, maybe the free iron ions are good for you specifically. I have done stirfries with tomato without issue, but i wouldn't do a long simmering spagetti sauce with it.
The strat pans were the only carbon clad pans availible at all at the time i have gotten them, and they are still what i would suggest, however it would be negligent of me not to mention there is at least one other manufacturer who produces a similar pan now. Misen [www.kickstarter.com/projects/misenkitchen/the-misen-carbon-nonstick-pan] this one has a lot of marketing hype on the page. it is a 3 layer ply pan, with aluminum and carbon steel on the outsides, the strata uses a stainless bottom, aluminum, and carbon steel top. functionally they will be roughly the same in practice, but the fact that misen is conspicuosly comparing their pan to everything but strata's is annoying. they also are pushing "non-stick" - carbon steel isn't quite non-stick if you are comparing to teflon coatings. you can't fry a dry egg on it like on brandnew teflon and expect to get it off the pan without scrubing and soapy water.
Regarding Knives and sharpening. Firstly on knife front, i suggest a japanese or german steel. Victorianox is good entry level and I'd never say otherwise. but for entering the level of worldclass knives but not into artisian territory - Yaxell Mon [www.yaxell-knives.com/mon] is the series I have, and have suggested to others. I've had mine for 3 or 4 years, and have put it in the dishwasher a lot of times (not super ideal) and the only issue it has had is some fatigue of the handle (drying out) which is mostly cosmetic. If you hand wash it this will likely not happen.
There is a small level higher in carbon steel knives, however because these knives can rust, can be effected by acids and sulphrous foods, and are more often than not hand forged, i'd consider this the dividing line into artisian territory. there is almost no benifit to them beyond having a beautiful hand made object. if you want to go this direction, [japanesechefsknife.com/collections/carbon-steel] this page has the information about steels to look for and a selection of "reputable" crafts people in the space. they are often short run series, one offs, and so pointing to a line of knives or even a specific maker becomes exceptionally difficult.
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Sharpening. 3 routes are suggestable. I will go in order of ease of use.
1) [www.horl.com/us/en] : WARNING do not be deceived and think you can get a cheaper alternative for this. the devil is truely in the details for this kind of sharpening system. there may be some premium alternatives that work just as well, but digging into all the ones i have none are as safe, have replaceable sharpening pads, lack wobbling matting surfaces, etc. you don't want it unscrewing itself or the magnets coming unattached while sharpening with this kind of sharpening. the problems with this variety is it does poorly on small knives. the edge needs to clear the magnetic base to work.
2) [www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Precision-Adjust-Sharpener/dp/B08L72P245] : there are more expensive of the same style that work great, but cheaper is dangerous territory. These fix the angle of the small stone as you sharpen so you can't get a bad angle while sharpening. replacement stones can be expensive, and because they are so small they will wear out at some point, but unless you are sharpening every day, or dozens of knives a week it isn't likely to be an issue. there is a bit of a learning curve and it can be intimidating. setting it up is also obnoxious as it requires a strudy table or counter to mount to and is large enough not to have set up all the time. The only real functional issues are the sweeping arm may have issues with excessivly long blades and the blade clamp may have issues with very small paring knives
3) get gud. [www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRWN1PV/] This is the one sharpening stone to have if you only ever want one. the diamond grit is unlikely to wear out unless you really try to ruin it. it will remain very flat. it has two grits with next to no grit contamination (a problem where the fine side of two sided stones have coarse grit in the mix because they aren't cleanly manufactured) of very usable sizes. the coarse side is good for fixing very dull knives, and the fine creates a good working edge which works well off the stone for food prep. it will not take you to autistic sharpening nirvana, but it is very functional and the easiest stone to learn on because how hard it is. the world of "stones" is wide but the ones i'd suggest if going deeper would be [www.amazon.com/SHAPTON-Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium/dp/B01FYEYKD4] I have a nearly full set of them, but rarely use more than these two. a leather strop with diamond compound is suggested by many in this category, but isn't neccessary except for things like straight razor, wood working chisles, scalples, etc, where a prefect near atomic edge is desired.
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large links may take long to download. idk.
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami [large-LINK]
Daemon - Daniel Suarez [large-LINK]
Freedom™ - (direct sequel to Daemon) - Daniel Suarez [large-LINK]
Destination: Void - Book 0 Pandora Sequence - Frank Herbert [large-LINK]
The Jesus Incident - Book 1 Pandora Sequence - Frank Herbert [large-LINK]
The Lazarus Effect - Book 1 Pandora Sequence - Frank Herbert [large-LINK]
The Ascension Factor - Book 1 Pandora Sequence - Frank Herbert [large-LINK]
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