Is ceramic a good option? Search engines have recommended “Silit Silargan“ apparently has a metal core with ceramic coating, explicitly claiming nickel-free.
I will be evaluating SolidTeknic's Non-Nickel Stainless Cookware in the coming future.
Most stainless pots and pans leach trace amounts of nickel, which is a toxic heavy metal linked to hormone disruption, especially in women (PCOS).
These pans, on the other hand, use a single piece of 18/0 ferritic stainless steel, that's 18% chromium and 0% nickel.
The other 78% of the pan is an alloy made from mostly iron, but it's been "sealed' by the chromium to form a passive oxide exterior which prevents leaching and rusting.
In other words, these pans should only leach 10s of mcg of chromium, which is an essential trace mineral to which we can tolerate north of a 1000mcg a day.
The reason this is unheard of is because conventional stainless steel, with nickel, is much more pliable and polishable, so it's attractive to manufacturers.
18/0 ferritic stainless is a royal pain to work with, but this startup might be onto to something.
Discussion
In theory, but ceramic coating comes off quick and fully ceramic is a nightmare to cook with.
Still, I might evaluate Xtreme at some point.
I've used a bunch of ceramic coated, favorite being Made In, but they never last and you have to replace them every 12-18 months.