Lucy Vaserfirer's Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook instantly surprised me, Besides plenty of recipes specially adapted for your beloved skillet, this book starts with a practical introduction about everything you need to know about cast iron pans. That includes how to care for them. Whilst I thought I was relatively knowledgable on that subject, it turns out that I still had a lot to learn.

The recipes itself were organized into categories such as breakfasts, snacks and starters, main courses etc. This was practical and makes that its easy to find the recipe you are looking for. Furthermore, what I really appreciated was that weights and temperatures are given in both their American and European counterparts. A lot of books don't have it, and whilst nowadays you can easily Google to find a conversion, this saves so much time and effort!

The recipes itself were okay. They are varied enough to make for an interesting cookbook, however, I feel that the book lacks photos of the recipes. Only a couple of the recipes are pictured, and when that is the case its always the final product. This is regrettable because I believe it would have been amazing to see the work in progress. Especially for those who might not feel fully secure when cooking in a skillet.

My rating for this book is 2,5 out of 5 stars. The introduction was great, but the recipes did not appeal to me very much. Although the book claims to be "loaded with recipes that keep up with specialty diets like paleo and no-meat", I found that most of the recipes did include meat, which makes that I would not recommend it to vegetarians.

If you are the proud new owner of a cast iron skillet. This is the book for you. If you are a seasoned (pun intended) CI user (like I am) you will definitely learn a thing or two from this book. The pictures of just about each recipe are gorgeous. The directions are thorough. The preface. Oh my gosh the preface. Everything you ever needed to know about CI and more. You’re one stop shopping with this book. A lot of the recipes are basic, but if you’re just starting that’s a good thing. Some are a little more unique but that’s what I would expect from a book that’s “Not My Mother’s”. I’m looking forward to making a few of these recipes in the very near future.

This book is an eye opener on what you can use that heavy cast iron skillet for. There is a brilliant section on the modern cast iron skillets available and a brief history of it's past. The images are fun, like the stack of different sized skillets or the bakers rack hanging with a huge variety of shapes and sizes of cast iron, other photos are useful in showing the tools and cleaning implements that should be used, and so very tempting when you dive deep into the recipe pages. Some old time recipes have comical names, ie dutch babies, or strange combinations of ingredients, such as jalapeno-maple butter for your corn cakes but any recipe book that covers such a wide range - from Scotch Eggs to Pot Stickers and Hot Wings to Squash Blossoms - is awesome in my opinion. It sure made me open my cupboard and give my skillets a fresh look.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

Book includes a big section on how to accomplish various cooking methods in cast iron and how to care for your cast iron pans. Also has info on what size cast iron pans are best for what you are trying to make. Wide variety of recipes, including breakfast, seafood, meat, sides, desserts, and spice mixes. Drawback is that there are only a few photos in each chapter, and many of those are of ingredients rather than the finished dish. I think this would be a good book for someone who really loves cooking in cast iron to broaden the recipes they use.

This cookbook offers a fresh perspective on cast iron cooking. It includes a detailed section on the history of the cast iron skillet, vintage and modern skillet, recommended brands, tools and utensils for cast iron skillet cooking. The section also covers tips on heat settings, how to test to see if the skillet is hot enough, and how to maintain and restore cast iron skillets.

This book offers a wide variety of recipes including breakfasts, snacks, sweets & sauces and so on. There are over 150 recipes in this book, all developed and tested by the author. The recipes are sorted according to regions, for example, US, Mexican, European, Middle Eastern and Chinese. Each recipe lists a recommended skillet size and the main cooking method used. The book also includes tips on choosing the right ingredients.

Filled with mouthwatering photos that will tempt the reader to grab a cast iron skillet and try out some of these recipes. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Lucy Vaserfirer, Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very handy book, especially for newbies. I know that the care and keeping of the skillet is always a consideration. The author debunks some misconceptions in that department.

The mark of a true cook is how they handle a cast iron skillet. The ability to use this basic kitchen must have is not something you learn by just wishing. I inherited my grandmother's skillets but was too intimidated by them to learn. I absolutely love this book and would recommend it to every one of my cooking friends.
The author will take you step by step from choosing to using to caring to an excellent choice of recipes designed for the skillets. This book should be sold with every new cast iron skillet!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide a review of Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook. I greatly enjoyed the introduction which provided some history of the cast iron skillet, useful information on cast iron care, and a section of tools and supplies. I have used cast iron skillets over the years but have just recently starting incorporating them into my every day cooking so I greatly enjoyed the wide variety of recipes provided in this book, the clear and concise instructions, and am eager to start cooking and see how they turn out.

When we moved into our new house this summer, I was gifted a box of cast iron by my mother in law. Most had been in her family for generations and were very special to her, including the famous one granny beat a man with.
Whether granny really beat a man or not, these skillets were incredible, but definitely needed some TLC and I had no idea how to even begin to clean and reseason them.
That’s why when I saw this arc on netgalley I knew I needed it, whether I was chosen for an early review or had to wait. Thankfully I was chosen! Thanks netgalley.
This book is useful from page one. It includes rundowns on how to buy your skillet, both new and used; utensils that you’ll find useful; and how to clean them. I’ve apparently been cleaning mine all wrong all this time.
Now, onto the main reason I wanted this book- the section on seasoning. It gives detailed instructions on how to season new skillets and repair and reseason old skillets, including descriptions of the various oils for the seasoning bake. I cannot wait to get these clean, seasoned, and on my stove.
To make these AMAZING recipes, of course. I can’t wait to have my in laws over for a meal cooked in granny’s skillets.
For sure a cookbook I’ll be referring to over and over, both for the recipes and the care instructions.

This book is great for a beginner and an advance cast-iron cook. The first part of the book introduces you to how to care and use your cast-iron then comes the great recipes from breakfast to dessert this cookbook will give you a recipe for every meal.
Let me just say the biscuit recipe alone is totally worth the Kindle price that is how amazing they were. I am not a newbie to cast-iron and have backed several different recipes of biscuits in my cast-iron but nothing like the amazing taste of these.
Recipes are easy to follow the only downside to the books was it just needed more pictures of the finished products.

What a cool cookbook this is! Highly recommended as a millenial myself for the great techniques of using the cast iron - something that is becoming more and more popular these days. My husband loves these recipes!

This was such a neat cookbook! I love my cast iron skillet and it was fun to see new ways to use it. Thanks for the sneak peek!

Not Your Mother’s Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook is a good cookbook. It features lots of recipes. The layout could use some work as it sometimes becomes confusing.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read Not Your Mother’s Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer. The book is split into two main sections, the first section has 5 chapters on fit and draping, the second section covers various projects. Rather unexpectedly, Coffin’s book is all about sewing woven shirts that fit using draping rather than flat patterns, or taking measurements.

In the introduction Vaserfirer discusses why to use cast iron cookware, and which types she recommends. She also details what one can cook in cast iron, and what the various sizes of skillet are suitable for. I particularly appreciated that the skillet sizes were listed in both inches and cms here. She then goes over the various tools and utensils that are useful for cast iron skillet cooking, some of which are also pictured in a keyed photo. An in-depth overview of different cooking methods follows, before a couple of exhaustive sections on cleaning and maintenance, another on seasoning and then finally restoration. The introduction ends with a section full of information on the recipes to follow, and the ingredients they use.

There are six recipe chapters; Eggs and Breakfast, Starters and Snacks, Mains, Sides, Sweets and Bakes, and finally Spices and Sauces. Each recipe has an introduction with serving suggestions and yield, a recommend skillet for preparation, the cooking method used, followed by the ingredients and then finally the directions. The ingredients are listed both in cups and grams or ml, and the size in both inches and cms. Oven temperatures when applicable, are listed both in Fahrenheit, Centigrade and gas marks.

I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet, but the way they are presented is wonderful and I truly wish all cookbooks would list them in the same manner. Even if the recipes haven’t been tested in metric, not having to convert cups to grams is a huge boon, and makes life easier for those of us who prefer to use scales in the kitchen. My only quibble, and it is a small one, is that I would have loved more photos of the finished dishes. Other than than, I think this is a very nice book and I will be attempting quite a few of these dishes once I’ve seasoned my skillet.

Amazing cookbook. Lots of great background information. Everything from cornbread to roasting coffee in a cast iron skillet. Tremendous information on how to select, season and care for CI. Full review closer to publication.

This book is packed with delicious recipes, and it has inspired me to increase my collection of cast iron skillets. I want to try each recipe for breakfast foods, but I was surprised by the number of recipes for dinners, snacks, and desserts I found appealing, too. I appreciate the good index at the end, also. Perhaps I would like to see more photos of the food in the recipes, but that’s a minor caveat in the context of so many delicious recipes. I can hardly wait to get a printed copy of the book so I can keep it and cook from it.

There was a lot of useful information included in the book. Lots of good ideas on nice things to cook too

This was a overwhelming read, which is odd to say as this is a cookbook. The cooking style is presented way too technical for my liking. The amount of different sized pans needed and fancy ingredients are unrealistic for a non-gourmet kitchen. Plus the lack of photographs always rates low on my cookbook ratings and reviews.

This would be more appreciated in a food lover's hands than mine,

Not Your Mother's Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook tells about cast iron basics along with a lovely selection of recipes. Author Lucy Vaserfirer tells about how she fell in love with cast iron cookery, goes onto explain how to season your cast iron skillet, and describes various cooking techniques often associated with cast iron cooking. You will find the following recipes in her cookbook:

Homemade Sage Breakfast Sausage
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy
Furikake Potato Chips
Lucy's Ultimate Five-Cheese Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Chicken-Fried Biscuit Sandwiches
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Filets Mignons with Onions & Roasted Poblanos
Hamburger Steaks with Mushroom & Onion Gravy
Asparagus with Brown butter, Orange & Herbs
Almond Green Beans
Summer Squash Fries
Buttermilk Biscuits
Chocolate Buttermilk Skake with Ganache Frosting (A chocolate cake recipe)
Peach Shortcakes
Lucy's Seasoned Salt

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

cooking, new-skills

Campers and reenactors wake up! Get your cast iron skillets out of the camp boxes and learn how to use them all year round!
Whether or not you've used cast iron for cooking before you will find a lot to learn and apply to your daily cooking experience. The beginning of the book will acquaint the reader with terms and necessities before getting into the recipes, some of which are suitable for historical reenactments.
So whether you hope to learn more about cooking with cast iron in the oven, stovetop, grill, or ala 18th century, this book is the very thing!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press via NetGalley.