Cast Iron

If you are preparing to cook over a fire, then cast iron is a very good choice. It's durable and cooks nice and even. It has weight, so it won't be blowing around in the wind. So long as you keep it seasoned, it will last a lifetime and beyond. Occasionally I take a piece of my cast iron cookware and re-season it in my oven. I melt a little lard in the pan in a 225 degree oven, spread the melted lard all around real good, covering the inside of the pan. Then allow it cook like that for two hours. When it's done, I wipe it out very thoroughly and rinse lightly with water. Pat it dry and hang it. This keeps my pans really looking good and cooking good. If you had nothing but outdoors to do your cooking, then I think you could season them over warm coals too. Cast iron can often be picked up reasonably at garage sales and estate sales. Even if you find them somewhat rusty, they can be brought back to life. Use a steal pad to get the damaged pan smooth, then just repeat this method, until it is looking good again. You want a dull sheen to the inside of your pan.

 

I love my cast iron skillets! I also use lard to clean mine. My favorite one is at least 40 to 50 years old, it was passed down from my great grandmother. It seems like things just taste better on them.

 

Cast Iron it's a versatile cookware and no other stuff even comes close to its league. They are tough as an ox! I can attest it because I have used in the countryside, there is not any cook that it can't withstand: Meat, stews, frying etc. The only issue is that It must be handled with care to not end up with first degree burns.

 

I have a skillet made of cast iron and I can vouch for its versatility and durability. However I don't use it as frequently as aluminium which is lightweight and also durable as well as having the admirable quality of transmitting heat quickly to the food being cooked. Its also easy and convenient to wash.

 

Yes, cast iron is definitely the best for cooking. I own one cast iron skillet as well and it always the skillet I gravitate towards.

 

I keep a 9 in. cast iron skillit on the stove, always. i used a 12 in. dutch oven for nearly everything i cook.

 

Cast iron is durable. I have my great great great grandpappy's civil war mess kit. It is a cast iron 1 1/2 quart pot with three legs. It was at Bullrun and Gettysburg among other places. It took me a long time but I finally found a new pot that is almost just like it and I have to admit it does cook up a nice one person meal on a wood camp fire. I carry a 9 cup aluminum camping coffee pot in my boogie bag though. Like lonewolf said cast iron is heavy.

Since I'm bugged in though I have a full set of cast iron that we use all the time. I fry fish in a cast iron dutch oven and make pancakes on a cast iron griddle. We have two 12" and 1 9" cast iron skillets hanging in the kitchen and two sizes of legged camping dutch ovens in the camping gear. The skillets, griddle and the dutch oven have been feeding me for over 60 years. They belonged to my Mom and are still as good as ever.