I have had roommates come and go with their teflon pans that scratch up and get ruined so quickly. Roomies have thrown away so many pots and pans, while my cast iron skillets, dutch oven, fajita pans, have all lasted years and years. I hope to hand them down to my grandkids. Now there is something that is built to last. No homestead would be complete with out a set of cast iron cookware!

The cast iron pans and skillets are truly durable...They're great for homesteading, though I wouldn't pack one in my BOB due to the weight...lol..Of course this post is in the homesteading section so +1 on the cast iron

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

I have ot tell you, I use my cast iron skillet more than any other pan!

I used to love cast iron skillets but became concerned when my nickel allergy got so bad.
I couldn't find information on the nickel content of cast iron cookware, so I stopped using it and other metal pots and pans.

Now, I use Pyrex or other glass cookware, and the microwave.

Cast iron is almost pure iron. Nickel is used in alloys to make steel, and is high in content in stainless steels. Pyrex and other glass cookware is almost useless in a survival situation where you have no power or need to bug out. Cooking over an open fire will destroy it.

If you can locate very old (antique) cast iron cookware you should be OK. It is only recent (50 years or so) that alloy metals began to be used in cast iron. I don't believe that nickel is one of the filler metals used in it though.

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

I love cast iron cookware but would hate to pack it around ... maybe just a skillet for defensive purposes .

Excellent source for cast iron cookware is Lodge Manufacturing http://www.lodgemfg.com/. GOOD stuff. They've been making it forever and I don't believe they use nickel filler. If unsure, they also offer enameled cast iron which is pricey, but should work for you if you really miss it. FWIW, don't by directly from Lodge unless you want to pay top dollar ... there are tons of vendors out there selling Lodge at discount pricing.