Helpful info for newbies like me on how to season, use, and care for cast iron, along with a ton of recipes (some that you'd expect, like southern cooking staples, and some unexpected, like Chinese dishes). Flagged quite a few to try.

I do a lot of cooking and love to find new recipes. However, I do not use my cast-iron pans very often. I have certain recipes that I always cook in cast-iron, but I’d like to branch out and use them more often because the food always comes out so good in them. This is a great, well-rounded cookbook to help me in that endeavor.

There are a couple of things in the beginning of the book that are different from what I have been told about cast iron in the past. For example, the author suggests that when re-seasoning the pan you clean it with course sea salt then clean it out with a mild detergent. I have been told that using detergent will ruin the pan, so have never done it. I also don’t re-season, so maybe that’s really where the difference comes in. Another difference is that her seasoning sounds significantly thicker than mine. I guess I feel like the pan is dirty if there’s a thicker layer of grime on it. I’ll be sure to re-read this section in the future when I’m using my pans more often.

My Kindle version is very convenient, as each recipe is listed in the front of the book with a link, so all you need to do is click on the recipe you want and it brings you right to it. I like that at the beginning of each recipe there are categories that the recipe falls into, such as vegan/vegetarian, quick & easy, or one-skillet meal. The timing is broken down into 3 categories: prep, inactive, & cooking. The commentary before each recipe is interesting and personal. Each recipe includes various little helpful tips.

Chapters:
1. Getting to Know your Cast-Iron Skillet
2. Breakfast and Brunch
3. Breads
4. Skillet Sides
5. Vegetarian Meals
6. Seafood and Poultry
7. Meat
8. Dessert

There are convenient Measurement Conversions and Resources included in the back of the book.

The recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients that can easily be found in my local grocery store. There are so many recipes that I want to try. I had tell myself to stop adding bookmarks. The ones I think I’d like to try first are:

Cherry tomato and basil quiche
Upside-down apple cake
Pull-apart garlic knots
Crispy sweet potatoes
Macaroni and cheese
Chicken piccata
Sesame chicken

The one thing I think is missing from this cookbook is pictures. There is a picture before each chapter, but I prefer pictures of each recipe and this book didn’t have that. This could be due to having the Kindle version, but it would be nice to see more of the recipes.

Overall, a great cookbook for anyone interested in cooking with cast-iron. 4.5★

Cast-Iron Cookbook for Beginners is divided in two parts. The first provides useful information on cast-iron cookware which I wish I had available when I started cooking with it a few decades ago. It tells you about the different types on the market, what you should consider in buying them, and most importantly how to condition and maintain them. If that is what interests you this book will be helpful. The second is a cookbook with recipes for cooking with cast-iron. The recipes are drawn from the author's southern heritage and other sources. They are on the whole, ordinary. In the collection you will find how to make her grandfather's sweet potato casserole with small marshmallows (doesn't everyone have that dish for Thanksgiving?) You can also learn how to make grilled ham and cheese with mayo instead of butter; or how to make what she calls Alfredo sauce with whipped cream to get your kids eating vegetables. And then there is vegetable and beef soup made with hamburger meat, vegetable soup mix and chicken stock. These recipes will no doubt appeal to some readers, but experienced home chefs will be looking for more exciting dishes with which to use cast-iron cookware---and I am one of them!!

Awesome cookbook! I love using my cast iron and I'm always looking for some great cast iron recipes. There are recipes for breakfast and brunch, breads, sides, vegetarian dishes, seafood and poultry, meats and desserts and the recipes in this book sound amazing! I can't wait to make some of them! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This couldn’t have come at a better time! I’ve been wanting a cast iron but all know to make is cornbread or steak. At first glance I headed over to the table of contents and I’m surprised & excited to see recipes such as - stuffed shells, lasagna, pizza, cake, and a stir fry. So many options and the ingredients are items already in your fridge or pantry and looks easy to follow. I wished there were photos of the meals but I’ll be be purchasing this and a skillet! Thank you to Callisto Media, NetGalley, and author Elena Rosemond-Hoerr for this ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

I got this cookbook because I own a cast-iron but I don’t know how to take care of it. I have been doing it all wrong apparently so it's a good thing I got this book. The book starts by giving you information about cast iron pans and how to clean, care for, and season them.

While I haven’t made any of the recipes yet, there was a nice variety. I really liked that the recipes were labeled if they were vegetarian or vegan. Also there was a whole section of vegetarian meals which I find a lot of cookbooks don’t have vegetarian sections. FYI I am not a vegetarian but I like a lot of vegetarian meals.

Overall, this was a nice and informative cookbook. It will be great for anyone new to using a cast-iron skillet.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

I couldn’t wait to start reading this book and going through all the recipes.
I’ve only had my cast iron skillet for a couple months and after reading through this book I’ve learn a lot about how to care for my skillet.
Oh yes I am definitely going to be trying a ton of these recipes if not all of them.
I am so excited.

Cast Iron for beginners
By: Elena Rossmond/Hoer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this book just a few days past the publication date. I wanted to give it a real shot. We made six items over the weekend in my cast iron skillet. They were all great. Easy to follow and cleanup wasn’t to bad. This book was perfect for beginners but I can definitely build from the books suggestions. Great book and easy to follow instructions.

Another Cast iron cookbook I was happy to review. I am getting obsessed with finding amazing recipes for cast iron and this one is no different. First it come with how to season the cast iron yourself (as all cookbooks should). This book also highlights recipes that are specially for a 12 inch skillet.

Some recipes I am loving are some that you don't see in other cast iron cookbooks. Garlic Naan, Classic Latkes, and Bread Pudding. There are plenty of the standards too though so you won't be missing those! Definitely a staple in my cookbook library.

Cast-Iron Cookbook for Beginners is a tutorial and resource guide plus recipe collection by Elena Rosemond-Hoerr. Due out 14th July 2020 from Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 251 pages (for the ebook copy) and available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook is available now). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The book begins with an introduction and short history of cast iron cookware (and the mighty skillet), and iron's suitability as a material with regard to durability. There's a tutorial for choosing and what styles and weights are commonly available. There's a good tutorial on conditioning and caring for the cookware followed by a really sensible guide to cast-iron dos and don'ts.

The recipes are arranged by category: Breakfast & Brunch, Breads, Skillet Sides, Vegetarian Mains, Seafood & Poultry, Meat, 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 google conversion. It's a nice gesture, though. The ingredients are listed in sidebar format along with special info in the headers like: vegetarian, quick & easy, one skillet meal etc.

There are a lot of different cuisines represented here, most with a southern USA twist. There are very few (none, really) which require 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.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Great cookbook! My husband and I recently acquired a 10' cast iron skillet and we have been pretty excited to use it. This cookbook is great about breaking down care & instructions for cast iron, and the recipes are perfect (a good range of difficulty levels and flavors) and specific. I have a feeling we will be making the Monster Skillet Cookie for our first go! The only drawback is that there isn't a ton of pictures, it'd be nice if there had been one for each recipe. The pictures that are there are great though.