This is a beautifully photographed, helpful guide to cast iron cookware with lots of simple recipes. The author goes into great detail about how cast iron pans are made, their history, how to season and restore them, what sizes and shapes are good for what, their health benefits and more. She is a big fan of Lodge cast iron and it almost reads like an ad at times. She then gives recipes for all kinds of things you can cook in cast iron, from chicken to soup to cobbler. While she is gluten free, most of the recipes are not (she says you can substitute GF flour mixes fine in most recipes, while I haven't found that to be the case).

The recipes tend towards Southern style and very simple. The author is a young new mom and I suspect she just hasn't built her own recipe repertoire up with a lot of home cooked recipes yet, but I lean more towards all natural recipes and would have liked more of that style. She has her mother in law's taco soup recipe, for instance, which calls for Hidden Valley salad dressing mix, taco mix (she provides a recipe to make your own, though, I believe), canned flavored beans, Rotel tomatoes with peppers, etc. Her brownie recipe literally says that she doesn't know anybody who makes brownies from scratch (I do) so buy your favorite mix and bake it in cast iron. No nutritional information is provided for the recipes.

That said, the recipes seem simple to execute and they are accompanied by great color photos of every recipe. Jones is immensely likeable and clearly passionate about her topic. The sections on caring for cast iron are also far more in-depth than most cast iron cookbooks. It was quite an enjoyable read, especially with the abundant photos and Jones' contagious enthusiasm.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I feel the need to preface this review with: I own quite a few cast iron cookbooks and subscribe to a cast iron cooking magazine. This is one of the most comprehensive Cast Iron cookbooks I've read in quite a while. It's part history lesson, part care manual, and part cookbook. The sections are well researched and I learned new information in each section. The Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders, Collard Greens, and Buttermilk Skillet Biscuit are now on rotation at our house. Modern Cast Iron offers a healthy combination of healthful and decadent recipes to keep your meals interesting. I look forward to adding more of these recipes into our weeknight cooking.

I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title

A host of very simple (rarely more than 4 steps), quick, southern recipes to make in cast iron. Although a lot of the recipes seemed to boil down to "make this thing, but in cast iron!" (and the brownie recipe was literally "buy your favorite mix and make it in a cast iron pan), there was some good stuff here (especially around care and renewal of cast iron). Looking forward to trying the corn bread.

Great info on the history of cast iron cookware and how to care for it/restore it. I appreciated that a handful of the recipes were gluten-free! I was a little disappointed that some of the recipes called for store-bought, canned ingredients, when it would be just as easy to use fresh or homemade in most cases, but I'm sure readers could figure out those substitutions.

Modern Recipes that are quick and easy for the busy family life using the Cast Iron Skillet! Some really nice and simple recipes for the family on the go! Plenty of Pictures too!

I enjoyed reading the information about cooking with cast iron. I had not realized the health benefits prior to reviewing the book. The recipes look delicious!

I’m so glad I picked up this book because I really learned some things about cast iron cookery that I didn’t know. I found some helpful hints that have inspired me to pilule out my rusty pan, clean it up ( how to advice one book) and create some dishes I hadn’t thought about making before. Cast iron isn’t just for fried eggs anymore, at least not in my house!

I recently bought a cast iron skillet and this book has great facts on how to care for your cast iron skillet. And learning about the history of the cast iron skillet was very informational.

Ultra-informative book using and caring for your cast iron cookware. I'm glad the author spends a good amount of time dealing with seasoning cast iron cookware correctly.

Modern Cast Iron is part history book, part photo book, part recipe book, and ALL beautiful heirloom coffee table book. I enjoyed reading all of the history, cleaning and care tips, and especially the author’s tour through the Lodge plant. Her deep love of cast iron and family tradition truly shines through her words. I can’t wait to make the blueberry cobbler in my own cast iron that once belonged to my grandmother. This book will definitely be on my cookbook shelf for years to come.

I'm so happy I found this book! I recently purchased my first cast iron pan and I'm afraid I was not treating it right but now I now exactly how to care for it and lots of delicious things to cook on it.
Such a helpful book!

This book starts with a lot of back ground from the author as well as the history of cast-iron. This was very fascinating to me, especially since it includes how cast iron is made. I always forget how to clean and season my cast iron so this is an incredible resource. I especially found it interesting about the health benefits that come from cast iron cooking.

On top of that the recipes take me back to home cooked meals my grandmother made. This is the epitome of comfort food. I cannot wait to try Biscuits and gravy, or the southern cornbread. After reading this book, I immediately started researching cast iron to add to my own collection.

Easy to use and recreate for even beginners. Fear may keep you from moving forward and cooking with cast iron, but with this book I am cooking like a pro. With useful tips and recipes, and I am ready to impress my family and create these recipes for summer events, what could be better. No disappointments with this book, it is one to keep and wants you to try more.

This focuses more on the care of cast iron then the cooking. The few recipes are just typical everyday cooking nothing creative. Has the feel of the pamphlet that closes with you new pan.

It’s rare that I try a cookbook off netgalley, but I’m going to need to buy a copy of this one! I love cooking with my cast iron and this book had fantastic tips! All cast iron users need to read through here! I haven’t tried any of the recipes but so many of them sounded great. 4 stars!

Modern Cast Iron is one of those neat cookbooks with lots of practical info on how to take care of your cast iron, in addition to the history of cast iron and a bunch of great recipes. It's a cookbook that certainly is very handy and I loved the photos in the book.

Modern Cast Iron is an awesome cookbook full of great recipes and lots of informations about cast irons (the history of cast iron, how to take care of it, and lots of tips). The recipes are amazing and the pictures are great! I would definitely make every single recipe in this book! Definitely recommend it if you like cooking using a cast iron! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.