Title:	Cast-Iron Cookbook for Beginners: Easy Recipes for the Greatest Skillet of All
	Author:	Elena Rosemond-Hoerr
	Published:	July 14, 2020, Rockridge Press
	No. of Pages:	182
	Cover Price:	$17.99 Paperback, $6.99 Kindle

---

While cast-iron cookware has a bad reputation and is considered high maintenance, anyone who actually cooks with it knows that it is better than almost any other cookware, partly due to its heavy weight and non-stick properties. So if you happen to be a beginner using cast-iron and want to learn to use it to advantage, you’ll want to pick up Elena Rosemond-Hoerr’s cookbook Cast-Iron Cookbook for Beginners: Easy Recipes for the Greatest Skillet of All. This excellent cookbook is filled with excellent recipes that can all be cooked in a 12” cast iron skillet.

This cookbook has dozens of mouthwatering recipes; most are quite easy, and most have minimal ingredients. There are a lot of vegetarian recipes, as well as plenty of recipes using chicken, seafood, and meats. Rosemond-Hoerr has even included breads, which turn out extra good because the cast-iron helps form a crisp crust. At the beginning of the cookbook there is enough information on maintenance of cast-iron to insure cooks will be able to use the pans for generations.

Some of the best recipes in the cookbook include Tortilla Española, Chorizo and Cheddar Potato Hash, and instructions for making the best fried eggs on the planet. Chili Garlic Shrimp, Sesame Chicken, and Honey Mustard Pork Chops are already favorites. Because the author is southern, she has included some excellent grits recipes, and several fabulous vegetable recipes.

The recipes are written in an easy-to-follow manner, and both beginners and those with a little experience with cast-iron will be able to make picture-perfect dishes. Unfortunately there aren’t many photographs (only one per chapter) so “picture perfect” may be different for every cook. That lack of photos is the single negative regarding this cookbook. Most people agree that a cookbook must have photos, and especially where this one is geared to beginners, one would think that photos would be a priority.

Nevertheless, this cookbook will provide lots of good ideas for scrumptious dishes made in a cast-iron frying pan, and readers can take their own photos if they so desire.

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