Cast Iron, Aluminum, or stainless steel?

[steamjam1]

I'm just curious what others think of this:

I *NEVER* use aluminum cookware. Everything I have in my van for cooking/eating is either stainless steel or cast iron. I cant taste the difference when anything is cooked on aluminum.. yuck... Can you? Do you season your pots/pans?

 

[rvpopeye]

Cast Iron , yes.
Stainless , no.
I have an old cast aluminum dutch oven that was my grandmother's but I left it with a good friend because , well camper and too much stuff = bad juju.
But I remember many meals cooked in it that are my memories of my grandmother . I was real small but it always tasted goooooooood ,
maybe that was the aluminum but it's grandma to me !

 

[John61CT]

Yes seasoned cast iron.

I have a few copper clad with SS that are good

 

[Almost There]

Seasoned cast iron fry pan, an antique cast aluminum fry pan that only gets hauled out if I'm cooking for a bunch and a stainless steel pot set.

I finally gifted my enamelled pots last winter. They'd been my camping pots for decades but with me full-timing I got to keep the good stainless in the camper so the old orange and white enamelled ones were not needed anymore and taking up space.

 

[highdesertranger]

stainless and cast iron only. I always season cast iron. they only time I seasoned stainless is when I recycled a fry pan that someone was going to toss. they brunt something in it real bad it seemed to have gotten into the pores. so I washed it multiple times until I couldn't get it any cleaner then I took a sanding flap wheel on my angle grinder and got the rest of the black spots out. then I took 600 wet and dry sandpaper and worked it until all the scratches were gone. then I washed it real good and fired a bunch of bacon in it. it came out great and to this day it is my go to fry pan and that was 20 some years ago. highdesertranger

 

[lenny flank]

I do most of my cooking right in the can. That always riles up my health-conscious friends who tell me it will kill me in 30 years or whatever. But I've been doing it since I started backpacking some 40 years ago, and have had no apparent ill effects.

I also have a plain ole ordinary nonstick frying pan from Walmart, and an aluminum saucepan which I use mostly to boil water.

It is a myth that cooking in an aluminum pot leaches metal into your food.

 

[John61CT]

Even letting acidic sauce sit?

 

[TMG51]

Cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron
And cast iron

 

[Mike Yukon]

Aluminum typical camping gear cook set.
Aluminum pizza pans for pizza, bread or cookies.
Stainless for percolator (used on campfires)

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Cast Iron and Stainless for me. I absolutely hate Aluminum pans, I took a bunch of pans when my grandmother died and the few aluminum ones in the bunch went down range for target practice. About all they're good for in my book.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Cast iron for most cooking.
Titanium tea pot for boiling water for coffee and oatmeal.
MSR stainless steel nesting cook set pots (2).
Aluminum pressure cooker used every once in a while as a slow cooker.
Titanium tea pot for reconstituting dried and freeze dried foods when backpacking.

 -- Spiff

 

[karl]

Cast griddle, dutch oven, fry pan
stainless 2 qt for water, soups, acidic food.
Stainless tea pot

 

[lenny flank]

Even letting acidic sauce sit?

Yes.  The oxide coating protects it.

 

[DuneElliot]

I have a few of each. Ceramic-coated aluminum frying pans, three cast iron pans and stainless steel cook pots. I struggle with the cast iron as it is so heavy and gets too hot to handle some times so not sure I plan om keeping it, but then I doubt the ceramic non-stick pans will last real long. Guess I have the space for now to keep them all.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

 I struggle with the cast iron as it is so heavy and gets too hot to handle some times so not sure I plan om keeping it

These are worth their weight in gold for cast iron.  Solves one of your two issues with them.  
https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-ASHHM1...&sr=8-5&keywords=lodge+cast+iron+handle+cover

If you don't mind the upfront investment, this company got it's start up capital on kickstarter, over a million bucks was raised.  They set out to make the perfect cast iron pan, similar to how they used to be made 100 years ago.  It's smoother grained (easier to season) and lighter weight, 25-50% less than normal cast iron pans.

I wanted one a year ago when I first heard about them and kept checking back in on them but they were sold out constantly.  Just checked again to see they are finally in stock.  I'm gonna order one and will write a post on it once i've used it for a few weeks.  I own two old ones I picked up at flea markets and love them, but this one has had me intrigued since I first read about the quest the two brothers went on to create a pan equal to an old wagner cast iron pan. 

https://fieldcompany.com/p/cast-iron-field-skillet/

 

[DuneElliot]

Thanks but since I have so many I really don't want to buy any more right now. I have more than enough pans to get me by...and they were all free.

 

[Almost There]

I struggle with the cast iron as it is so heavy and gets too hot to handle some times

I use the cast iron fry pan for a weight to do arm curls and lift exercises...saves me from having to carry weights as well in the van.... I used to use my gallon water jugs as well!!

I have handle pot holders that slip on the handle as well as pot holders but I like those silcone handle covers...they'll be on my wish list for when I get back stateside.

 

[La Tortuga]

I'm just curious what others think of this:

I *NEVER* use aluminum cookware. Everything I have in my van for cooking/eating is either stainless steel or cast iron. I cant taste the difference when anything is cooked on aluminum.. yuck... Can you? Do you season your pots/pans?

I use cast iron and stainless steel.  In fact I have several "old" cast iron skillets and a couple of all clad skillets I need to sell.  I just couldn't leave them and now I need to downsize and I need the money.  If anyone is interested, please contact me.  I am currently in Ehrenberg, AZ.

 

[jimindenver]

I have started replacing my non-stick fry pans with Stainless steel because I am tired of replacing them. Most of my cookware is thin enameled pots needed for use in the solar ovens. I can't use cast iron due to lifting restrictions, otherwise I would love a real dutch oven to stack coals on.

 

[KroFlite]

A cast iron frying pan for over the campfire and stove and a cheap Teflon over aluminum 2 qt. pan w/cover for over the stove.  That's all I carry on my trips, and it seems like enough.