For chili, bolognese etc. where you brown a decent amount of meat and want to do everything in one pot a good high sided saute pan or low casserole is ideal. Like this 5qt Fissler.

I have the side handle version of that and love it.

You need thermal mass and conductivity for good browning unless you are willing to spend a lot of time watching like a hawk. So there's a tradeoff with weight vs. food quality. Get something with a helper handle and you won't have problems if in good health.

Do I get ceramic? nonstick? stainless steel?

Stainless if you want to invest in a quality piece, teflon/ceramic is disposable after a few years at best if you actually use it. With the right technique food releases naturally and you get better results than with nonstick because stainless is much better at browning. Also: fond for deglazing and pan sauces (flavour!).

Fish and eggs are the exception, possible with stainless but it's very high skill - a dedicated basic nonstick pan for these makes life easier.