So the idea of “buy it for life” is to buy items that are durable and last for a long time, things you could buy once and have your whole life, which can save money and be good for the environment
What are some of the top items you recommend for this?
Never scrap cast iron pans! You can damage factory seasoning and then it will rust in a second.
Easily dealt with by seasoning yourself. It’s not hard to get a nice initial season, then add some bacon for the good stuff.
It is impossible to replace factory seasoning at home. Cast iron is pale grey metal, black stuff you see is seasoning. Once you scratch black stuff until you see grey, your cookware becomes useless pile of rust.