If you're cooking, I'd definitely use a canister stove. As Lori mentioned, the Primus (I have their Micron and love it) and Snow Peak models are probably best. I know that both are excellent for simmering. They are certainly far lighter and far more convenient to use than the stoves you listed!

I would not get a gasoline-type stove (Whisperlite et al) unless you are planning to do a lot of winter camping in really cold temperatures. Its one advantage is for melting snow in really cold temps. Even so, I'd get a canister stove for 3-season camping. Plus you don't have to pump! Back in the late 1980's I went on a group trip, taking my Whisperlite. Everyone else on the trip had the only available canister stove at the time, the Bluet. By the time I had my water boiling with the Whisperlite, everyone else had finished their meals and washed their dishes! Needless to say, I ditched the Whisperlite after that!

Even for winter camping, quite a few people have switched to using a canister with a remote setup which allows the canister to be upside down. That rig overcomes the big problem with the canister in cold temperatures, the propane part of the fuel mix boiling off first leaving liquid isobutane. There has been quite a bit of discussion about this on Backpacking Light; unfortunately the articles there require a paid subscription.

The one thing you have to remember when switching from horsepacking to backpacking is that you now have to carry everything, so you want far lighter versions of most of your gear. It took me quite a while to adjust, and I still don't know how I staggered all over the North Cascades with a 50-lb. pack! Fortunately, everything except gear (especially skills like keeping warm and dry in nasty weather) is transferable!

IMHO, if you want to cook, go for it! Of course, for more than a day or two, fresh ingredients are too heavy and will spoil. There are lots of great recipes using dry ingredients! There are also lots of great recipes, using supermarket ingredients, on trailcooking.com.

As I've gotten older, I have less interest in cooking and no interest at all in washing dishes, which is why I only boil water and rehydrate home-dehydrated meals in a freezer bag and cozy.

You might want to look over the articles on the home page of this site, left-hand column for ideas on going light!