Exciting and more contemplating collection of recipes designed to be cooked using a cast iron skillet. A lot of information about the proper use and care of cast iron, as well as dispelling a lot of common myths regarding cast iron. Great gift when handing down a cast iron piece that's been in the family for generations, or if you're giving a new cast iron.

This book provides great info and background on cast iron care and cooking. I didn’t really need the recipes. And if you’re looking for “cast iron porn,” like I was, keep looking. Still a good read.

3 out of 5

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

I'm looking forward to using my grandmother's cast iron pans after reading this book! (She ony used them for a few recipes, so I hope to have a greater repertoire!)

What can I say but Yummmmmmm
The beer battered Zucchini tacos are probably my favorite, but then I haven't tried over half the book yet, so who know that could change. I loved how easy theses recipes were to follow and that they came out looking like the book. It was a very easy step by step process and I have already recommended the book to a couple of friends ... plus bought the book for my self.
I volunteered to read this book from Callisto Media Rockridge Press in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

This book is perfect for someone who has no clue where to begin when cooking with cast iron, like myself. It really breaks down how to use it for realistic recipes for a busy family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Callisto Media and Rockridge Press for The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook by Tiffany LaForge. This book includes a wide variety of recipes all using cast iron cookware. The recipes are divided up by type, including: Breakfast & Brunch; Biscuits & Bread; Vegetables & Sides; Vegetarian & Vegan Mains; Fish & Poultry; Beef, Pork & Lamb; and Desserts & Sweet Treats. My favorite chapter came before the recipes and is called A Modern Way to Cook. This section explains why to use cast iron, how to use cast iron including how to season, which pan to buy, how to care for your pan, etc.

All Recipes listed in the table of contents which allows you to search quickly, rather than in a list at the beginning of each chapter, or just in the index. I found many great recipes, my favorites include:
- Chicken Sausage, Goat Cheese, and Broccolini Frittata
- Banana and Chocolate-Hazelnut Dutch Baby Pancake
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Honey-Balsamic Glaze
- Rosemary-Parsnip Pommes Anna with Goat Cheese (although I often leave out the Rosemary…)
- Lemon-Parmesan Fried Cauliflower
- Mexican Elotes Creamed Corn
- Szechuan Green Beans (normally my go-to order when getting take out Chinese food, but now I can make them myself!)
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
- Eggplant Parmesan Ratatouille
- Lemon Chicken with Farro and Za’Atar
- Horseradish-Crusted Steaks
- Carbonara Baked Spaghetti
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Skillet Cookie

This book had no pictures of recipes! There was only one picture before every new chapter of one recipe in that section. If more pictures were included this book would have received five stars from me. The recipes are easy to follow. Some of the recipes used hard to find ingredients, but the recipe often tells you where in the grocery store to look for them so that made it a bit easier.

I really enjoyed this cookbook and it got me using my cast iron cookware a bit more. The recipes I tried were all great and the variety of recipes was exceptional. As I said before, this book just needed more pictures!

The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook by Tiffany La Forge is an excellent cast iron starter book. Clear directions, a history of cast iron pans, easy to follow recipes, and enough pictures to make cooking with a cast iron pan not only fun but this book helps remove some of the intimidation factor of cast iron cooking. I highly recommend this book for anyone either just starting out with cast iron, or looking for new recipes.

This book made me so hungry as I read it. I found the recipes easy to follow and each recipe turned out as expected.

A resurgence in cast iron cooking is now taking place. The cast iron pan is not only healthful but practical, long-lasting, inexpensive, and can be used not only on the stovetop, but in the oven, and on the road. The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook has made its appearance at a perfect time. Filled with wonderful, easy to cook, recipes, the book begins with all you need to know about cast iron selection, care, cleaning, and the basics. There are sections on breakfast foods, biscuits and breads, vegetables, fish, meats, desserts, and vegetarian dishes. This book covers all the food groups you might want. Can’t wait to try them in my new cast iron pan.

I adore my cast iron skillet and my housemate’s cast iron dutch oven and I use them several times a week. However, I have friends who are intimidated by their cast iron. When I saw Tiffany La Forge’s The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook on NetGalley, I was excited and hoped to find a cookbook I could share with my more tentative friends. Tiffany La Forge is a pastry chef and food writer. She has a blog, Parsnips and Pastries which I visit occasionally, though i didn’t realize that when I requested the book. This is an honest review.

As much as I love my cast iron skillet, I have a hard time describing to people why I love it. “It just feels right” and “I know how to get what I want from it” aren’t super persuasive to other people. The whole first chapter of La Forge’s book talks about the whys, hows, and heretofores of cast iron cookery and I will now refer people straight to it. I grew up in a cast iron skillet house, so it’s what I know. But other people need to learn. And frankly, I’ve had to unlearn some common misconceptions.
Another reason I like this cookbook is the recipes. She gives a nice spectrum of recipes that ably demonstrate the versatility of cast iron. I really appreciate that she includes a vegan/vegetarian section that is separate from the veggie and sides chapter. She also covers fish and poultry, meats, breakfast/brunch, breads, and desserts. The recipes are mostly creative while not relying heavily on current food fads. The exception is the Coconut Oil Skillet Brownie. Don’t eat coconut oil. It’s horribly bad for you. Coconut oil is great on the outside of your body.

I was delighted that she includes a pizza recipe. I’ve been using my cast iron skillet to make pizza for years and it works so beautifully.

The recipes are well written. She clearly indicates what kind of cast iron cookware you need – skillet, griddle, dutch oven, and so on.

Olive-Rosemary Focaccia
The first recipe I tried was unplanned. I had planned to pair some braised chicken thighs with rice, but found I was almost out, so I decided to make Olive-Rosemary Focaccia and I had everything on hand. Warning, the dough is very slack, so don’t let that freak you out. It was delicious and has now gone into a regular rotation. I made it again last week, but topped it with thinly sliced cherry tomatoes, rosemary and salt.

Rosemary-Parsnip Pommes Anna with Goat Cheese
If you have a mandoline, this recipe is a must. And if you like to cook, you really should have a mandoline. Potatoes, parsnips, goat cheese and rosemary are all big favorites in my house. Also butter and salt and pepper. The pommes Anna was decadently crisp and melty. The bottom made an amazing crust. I loved the way the flavors came together.

I would definitely gift this book to a new cast iron owner, or someone looking to expand their recipe repertoire. I haven’t made them yet, but the beer battered zucchini tacos are going to happen soon.

This is a great book for someone completely unfamiliar with cast iron cookware. The tips at the beginning were very helpful but someone already familiar with cast iron would probably find all of it redundant as it is very basic information. I'm a busy mom with little time to cook, while the book's recipes are to be made in one dish, the cast iron pan, a lot of them are a little more involved than I expected. Also, the ingredients list for a lot of the recipes aren't things you would normally find at a neighborhood grocer. I live in a rural area so some of the ingredients for the fancier dishes were hard for me to find. The few recipes I tried ranged from okay to delicious but warning to parents: very few of these would work for a picky palate. The simplest ones I tried were the Turkey Tamale Pie and the Cajun Andouille sausage and shrimp quinoa skillet. Both were tasty but required a bit of prep. All in all there are some good recipes and a good mix of simple and more challenging recipes. Highly recommend for those new to cooking in iron cookware.

A MUST HAVE for anyone who owns cast iron cookware!


This book is not only full of incredible mouth watering recipes but includes a history of cast iron cookware, a section debunking popular myths (several of which I believed myself) about cast iron, and a how to guide on caring for the cookware!

This is your one stop for all things cast iron!

Outstanding introduction to Cast Iron Cookery

Tiffany La Forge had me at cast iron. I've been a big fan of cast iron for years, but my standard go to recipes were either cornbread and meat dishes (steak, roasts, etc.) This book opened my eyes to other options - - especially with the addition of description for each recipe indicating vegetarian and/or gluten free options.

In addition to yummy sounding recipes, the author includes a wonderful section on how to maintenance your kitchen's best friend - myths and facts on how to take care of your cast iron products.

I would have loved to see more pictures though. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend this cookbook.

A wonderful book. There is an incredible variety of recipes. You can find classics like Strawberries and cream shortcake or not so classic, like Five-Spice Banana Cheesecake Egg Rolls . I've tried and enjoyed the Lamb shepherd's pie with cauliflower-potato mash and the Sweet potato-beef chili . Both recipes very flavorful. Each recipe has a story behind, which I love. Next to the recipe titles is noted if the recipe is gluten free, or grain free, 5 ingredients, etc.
Also lots of handy substitution.
At the back of the book you can find Measurement Conversions and Volume and weight equivalents.
Very few pictures, which is sad. But I did find some of the recipe pictures on the author's Instagram account and blog.

I received a free digital copy of The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

If you like cast iron cooking, this will definitely be a book to expand your horizons. Usually when you buy device or product type cookbooks, like Cast Iron or slow cooker or rice cooker, etc, it seems like they offer the same classic recipes rehashed over and over, so if you have one you don’t need another. That is not the case with this truly “modern” cast iron cookbook, this is not reprinting of the classic “Lodge”- type recipes and family classics. Instead, recipes range from a Green Shakshuka, to Naan bread, to skillet lasagna and Zucchini Tacos with Goat Cheese, there is a great variety in the types of recipes and in the cuisines that are on offer. There are varying effort levels in the recipes, some simple 5 ingredient type dishes and others that require a bit more to put together. This is definitely a versatile Cast Iron cookbook . A good cookbook for anyone who uses cast iron from the complete newbie to the seasoned pro.

For me, a sign that I like a cookbook is when I stick in abundance of bookmarks in for all of the recipes I want to try. This morning, I made the Chicken Sausage, goat cheese & Broccolini Frittata from The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook. The results were 👍🏻👍🏻. The recipe was easy to follow with straightforward ingredients. And there are leftovers for me to snack on later! . This book by Tiffany La Forge of the blog Parsnips and Pastries (follow her on instagram at: @parsnipsandpastries) features tips on caring for your cast iron cookware as well as a wide range of recipes. So many of the recipes appealed to me! There are flavor profiles that span the globe. Next up I want to try the Coconut Milk French Toast with Caramelized Pineapple or the Scallop Piccata.

The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook is a new cookbook and technique manual for using, caring for, cooking with, and enjoying cast iron cookware by pastry chef, food writer, and blogger Tiffany La Forge. Due out in paperback 21st May (or available now in ebook format) from Rockridge Press, it's 162 pages. The ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents including interactive recipe and chapter headings.

I inherited my grandmother's cast iron dutch oven and skillets which had belonged to -her- grandmother. They're still exactly as useful and in the same condition as when my great-great-grandmother used them. I love that connection. The problem is that apart from frybread, cornbread, pinto beans, and fried potatoes, I never used them. This cookbook has already changed that. I really enjoyed testing some of the recipes in this collection.

The book begins with an introduction and short history of cast iron cookware, and iron's suitability as a material with regard to durability. There are tutorials for choosing pans and what styles and weights are commonly available. There's a good tutorial on conditioning and caring for the cookware followed a really sensible guide to reducing food waste and kitchen economy. These pages fill out 15% of the total content of the cookbook.

The recipes are arranged by category: Breakfast & Brunch, Biscuits & Bread, Vegetables & Sides, Vegetarian & Vegan Mains, Fish & Poultry, Beef Pork & Lamb, and Desserts. I really appreciated the inclusion of plant based dishes. These are -hearty- mains that even my meat loving family really devoured (without complaining).

The recipes are given with English (American) measurements. There is a very minimal conversion table included at the back of the book with metric equivalents which is nice, but readers would be as well off with a google converter. It's a nice gesture, though.

I tried three recipes in preparation for writing this review.
[blockquote]
Cheese Pupusas with Curtido : The prep for this dish was fairly involved and took more than 24 hours... but definitely tasty and very filling. I was unaware of the existence of curtido (or pupusas) prior to this cookbook.

African Chicken Stew : I was surprised how easy it was to source the ingredients for this dish. It reminded me a lot of black eyed pea gumbo with chicken instead of pork/seafood. Really delicious. There's cilantro as a garnish. I'm the only one in my family who loves cilantro, so it does work quite well without.

Reuben Grilled Cheese : Divine. This will be a staple at our house. Also, the tip to use a 10 inch skillet as a press when grilling the sandwiches in a 12" skillet is inspired. Works perfectly.[/blockquote]

There are a lot of different cuisines represented here. There are very few difficult to source ingredients.

We're definitely going to try more of these recipes. Well written book, tasty recipes. I've dinged half a star for the near-total lack of photographs. For cooks who -need- photographs for serving ideas, this will be a disappointment.

Four and a half stars.

The author introduces you to the different types of cast iron cookware, how to season each pan, how and where it may be used - from the stove to a campfire - and how to maintain the cast iron pans. How you store and maintain a pan will extend its’ lifespan, some pans have lasted since the 1800s and are still in use!
The first section of the book introduces you to breakfast recipes, a Green Eggs and Ham Frittata with parmesan cheese, kale and green peppers that may be cooked in the oven and a skillet in about 35 minutes. The Maple Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal has toasted rolled oats, cinnamon, a milk, egg, and maple syrup custard, and buttery berries all baked in a skillet in the oven until it’s golden brown and creamy. The Coconut Milk French Toast has challah bread, carmelized pineapple and a custard - like coating over the bread that will melt in your mouth!
The Skillet Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel is a one skillet treat that is mixed up and cooked in the oven for 35 minutes.
The Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Honey-Balsamic Glaze contains roasted Brussels Sprouts and a sweet, savory glaze that can be whipped up in about 35 minutes.
There are a host of flavorful, vegetarian and non - vegetarian entrees such as Felafel Burgers with Mint Sauce that take 15 minutes to cook, and are easy to prepare, A Sweet Potato Enchilada recipe that uses sweet potatoes, black beans, Monterey cheese, limes, corn and corn tortillas to create a mouthwatering, sweet burst of flavor, and a Horseradish Crusted Steak recipe that sears a ribeye steak, and coats it in a panko and horseradish crust in about 15 minutes!
The dessert recipes include Campfire S’mores Banana Boats with melted chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers cooked in foil, a Skillet Three Nut Baklava Pie that uses phyllo dough, honey, eggs, walnuts and pistachio nuts with a a honey custard sauce that takes about an hour to prepare, and seconds to devour!
You will enjoy picking out fun and flavorful foods to cook in your Cast Iron skillet!

I have to admit I’ve been intimidated by cast iron cooking for a while. But gradually as I learn more about it and have found out how to take care of it and keep it seasoned, I find myself picking it up much more frequently. So when there is a new Cast Iron Cookbook available I always tend to want to grab it!

First off at looking at the cover of this book, I immediately wanted to pick it up and see what it had inside. It was pleasantly appealing and the dish on the front cover looks delicious. That's always something that persuades me in the beginning when looking for cookbooks.

As we get into the cookbook, it is divided into eight chapters. A Modern Way to Cook, Breakfasts & Brunch, Biscuits & Bread, Vegetables & Sides, Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes, Fish & Poultry, Beef, Pork & Lamb & Desserts & Sweet Treats.

The first chapter of this book, A Modern Way to Cook has a ton of useful information. From basics, brands, techniques and how to season your pan, it’s definitely a great place to start if you are new to Cast Iron Cooking. As for the recipes, there is a great variety to choose from. I liked that each recipe at the very top under the recipe name has size and type cast iron you should use, along with labels if the recipe is a one-pan dish, vegetarian, gluten-free, quick & easy, etc... It also has servings, prep time and cook time. The recipe's ingredients and instructions are clear and concise. Many of the recipes have tips at the end for substitutions, ingredients, etc.

Overall I really enjoyed this cookbook and have several recipes from each chapter bookmarked to try soon. If I had one complaint, it would be there are not enough pictures of the recipes. This book only has one picture per chapter. I would have liked a few more scattered within the book. It’s not something that would deter me from buying this book, there are many wonderful recipes that makes this book worthwhile. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to try cast iron cooking.