Those cooks who have had experience cooking in cast iron will want to pick up a copy of The Encyclopedia of Cast Iron: Over 350 Recipes for the Cast Iron Connoisseur (350 Delicious Cast Iron Recipes). The most positive aspect of this book is that it contains dozens of good recipes that are cooked in cast iron and the fact that the recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions.

However, there are some definite drawbacks to the book. Unfortunately, there is no information on cooking, cleaning, and caring for cast iron. First, This cookbook assumes that the reader is knowledgeable about using their cookware (those who are unfamiliar with cast iron should probably skip this one). Second, while there are dozens of good recipes, there are no comments at the beginning of the recipes to let readers know a little about the dish they may want to cook or hints about the origin or helps to make a successful dish. It is actually just a bunch of recipes put together in a book that are all made in cast iron cookware. Third, even though there are a lot of recipes, there are only a few photographs in each chapter, so cooks won’t have any idea how most of the finished dishes are supposed to look like.

All told, this is one that most cooks, unless advanced in cooking in cast iron, will probably want to skip.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

There is a short introduction to this Cast Iron Encyclopaedia that briefly mentions seasoning the cookware - I had hoped for a little more in the introduction for an 'encyclopaedia' to tell me more of the merits of using cast-iron, its history, perhaps some pictures and descriptions of the different sorts and sizes.

This book has the following 7 recipe sections:
Breakfast
Breads & Flatbreads
Vegetables
Beef, Veal. Lamb, Pork & Rabbit
Poultry
Seafood
Desserts

First off the recipes have imperial measurements (cups) and Fahrenheit temperatures, though there is a handy metric conversion chart of the rear of the book. Included is the servings size, active time (I assume this is prep) and has a Total Time rather than cooking time. There are numbered steps to follow. Only a handful of recipes have a colour photograph included.

Overall, its interesting but its lacking pictures, facts on why use a skillet, timings seem odd, so I'm rather underwhelmed with this cookery book.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Some great ideas for how to use and what to make with the cast-iron skillet.

This cookbook had very easy recipes. I highly recommend this book. It's worth buying. I loved how easy the recipes were.

I loved that this included not only a bit of the history of Cast Iron but recipes as well. The perfect adaptation to kitchen cookbook collection.

The ultimate cast iron guide and cookbook features 350 delicious and diverse recipes. A great gift for home cooks or for yourself. Great photos and easy to follow book. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The Encyclopedia of Cast Iron is a detailed cookbook that explains how to use cast iron skillets. It includes recipes for meals made with these cooking instruments and details everything needed to make creative meals.

I love my cast iron, and this book helped me reach for it more than ever. There are a ton of recipes (over 350!), and they cover a lot of ground while managing to primarily use ingredients that are easy to find in your average US grocery store. This is a well-devised cookbook that would benefit anyone who isn't afraid to whip out their cast iron. I do wish there was a little more info on cast iron care, history, really anything other than recipes-- I prefer more of a one stop shop in my cookbooks. But there are seriously so many recipes here that I can't even be bothered by the lack of other info.

Say yes to the cast iron...

I grew up cooking with only cast iron. Then, it was years of everything else, but now, its back to cast iron in my repertoire. So, this was the perfect book at the right time.
Highly recommend this book for cast iron recipes.

Before reading this book I can say I knew barely anything abut using my cast iron pan. This book gave me so many tips on more recipes that I can use in my pan and how to look after it better.

Did you know all the different kinds of meals you could make in a cast iron pan? I sure didn’t and I’m southern! My cast iron is for meats and cornbread. Well it was before this book!!! Holy cannoli! What an eye opener!

The Encyclopedia of Cast Iron is a huge comprehensive resource with recipes for -everything- cast iron and part of a series a encyclopedia kitchen resources from the same publisher. Due out 12th November 2024 from Cider Mill Press, it's a solid 560 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is a no-frills, utilitarian collection with a huge range of recipes and written specifically for cast iron utensils. There's not much introduction about care, maintenance, use, or selection of cookware before jumping into the recipes directly. For selection and usage/maintenance, consult another source (or the myriad youtube videos available).

The recipes are arranged thematically: breakfast, breads & flatbreads, vegetables, beef veal lamb pork & rabbit, poultry, seafood, and desserts. Each recipe includes a bullet list of ingredients in a sidebar, yields, prep times, and step-by-step instructions. Recipe ingredients are given with imperial (American) units. There's an abbreviated metric conversion chart in the appendices. Most ingredients will be easy to find at any well stocked grocery store in North America. Nutritional info is not included.

The recipes are good, basic, casual family style recipes, but it was nice to see a wide range of culinary influences (Asian, European, South American, TexMex, Middle Eastern) and not just "American" standards. The author/publisher have also included sauces and partial ingredients in the last chapter which are featured in the recipes (including a good one for sourdough starter, and a couple more for salsa, pico de gallo, etc.).

Graphically it's simple but appealing. About 20% of the recipes are accompanied by one or more color photos. There is a cross referenced index (absolutely necessary with a book of this size).

Five stars. This is a well written reference, and will be a flagship go-to in the kitchen library. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition as well as for home use, smallholders, and cooking aficionados.

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

This book is a must have! There are so many recipes, with many cuisines covered as well. You will reach for this book again and again. There are beautiful pictures (never enough pictures, but still really good photos). The choices seem endless and you will enjoy them all over and over again.

I am someone who owned a cast iron pan but it sat unused because I was so intimidated. This recipe book changed that! I tried so many of these recipes and they all turned out amazing! I even bought. Copy for my sister for a Christmas gift! Thank you net galley for the ARC of this gem!

Great look at all the various uses of cast iron. I've been using them all my life and learned a few things.

I think I need a cast iron now! I never realized how versatile it was--the few times I've used one was mainly for breakfast items and it always remain on the stovetop. The recipes inside looked totally delicious and versatile. There's surely something for everyone in here.

I would have preferred to have more information on how to take care of a cast iron, but I do appreciate that there are recipes not only for dinner but for other meals as well.

The Encyclopedia of Cast Iron focuses on the diverse recipes using a cast iron.

The Sections are
Breakfast
Breads & flatbreads
vegetables
Beef, veal, lamb, pork & rabbit
Poultry
seafood
Desserts

Each recipe has yield, active time, total time, ingredients, and directions. Most have photos of the recipe. The directions are very clear to me, but I think on the beginner level they might need more direction. There are a multitude of different recipes from classics to foods from all over the world.

As for the information on cast irons, I feel like it felt short slightly. There wasn’t enough on the care and types for someone who is a beginner.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is loaded with recipes! There are so many in here to try. If you or someone you know is a cast iron fan then it is a great choice!

I really love that there are so many recipes and a good variety or recipes in the book. It will get me using my cast iron pans a lot more for sure. The recipes are written out nicely and easy to understand. Most of them are pretty simple recipes as well with ingredients that are easy to find which is a huge win n my book.

The pictures that are in the book are beautiful but don't expect one for every recipes. I can understand with so many recipes why each doesn't have it's own picture but I will saw I am a very visual person and prefer a few more pictures. That being said, there are lots of recipes without images that I can't wait to try!

As someone who owns a cast iron but is intimidated by it, this cookbook was meant to find me. The Encyclopedia of Cast Iron is filled to the brim with recipes all across the board. These recipes reflect the food from many cultures, and range from simple to complex. The cookbook is organized by breakfast, protein styles, desserts, and even recipes for sauces, stocks, and more.

This would be a great book for someone who already loves to cook, or for someone just starting out. As I mentioned, the recipes in this book range from simple to complex and encase cuisines from many cultures. Everyone will be able to find something they haven’t cooked before. I am looking forward to trying some of these recipes out and using my cast iron more!