Thread count is not a quality score, and it is not meaningless either. What the number counts, how plied yarns inflate it, and the single letter the FTC has written about it.
Nine things decide what a sheet is like to sleep on and how long it lasts. Most of the words printed on the package describe none of them, and some are not regulated at all.
A nonstick box carries more claims than almost anything else in a kitchen store, and almost none of them is regulated. What each term actually means, and which ones tell you nothing at all.
Cast iron, carbon steel, stainless, nonstick and enamel behave differently because of two measurable properties: how fast a metal moves heat, and how much heat it holds. Understand those two things and choosing cookware stops being a matter of opinion.
