Cook in small batches - I am told (and my anecdotal experience supports the claim) that cooking tools break from # uses, not from # units like tools with a use bar. It's sometimes annoying and more time consuming to make stews 10 or fewer at a time, but you will see your pot break twice during a session.
As Scarlett said, cooking in small batches or one at a time helps a great deal. I just made a little over 30 each of secret sauce, sweet and sour sauce and then tangy sauce one at a time, and I broke my saucepan twice in the process.
I have no idea why cooking singularly breaks stuff quicker than cooking using the max batches, but it would be great if the max batch option broke stuff like the single cooking action.
Okay, maybe I didn't phrase that so well :P I do know why my tools don't break as often as they could (Because I cook in full batches) but I'm too lazy to do the one by one thing ;) I've ground a lot of badges over my time here, and this one I'd like to get done through cash, since that's possible xP
Liza, you set the price really high! Gurrrl. Don't want to cut your tie, but you can buy for as low as 50 currants per broken one, as I've seen. I've seen them usually around the 50-1,000 currant price range. Thought the lower it is the better it is, honestly.