Life
15 Recipes for Your Skillet Because Cast Iron’s Not Just for Your Grandmother Anymore
There is only one thing you need to know about home cooks: Never mess with our cast iron skillets. Seriously. Don’t touch them. Don’t look at them. And please, don’t even think about washing them. If we seem a little protective, it’s with good reason: Come fall, no pan works harder to serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all season long. The one thing it asks for in return? Treat it right.
So let’s do just that. Ditch your fancy bakeware and sauté pans — you won’t need them now. Instead, like many a pioneer woman before us, we’ll turn to our skillet for everything, for baking, frying, and roasting. After all, nothing does old-world cooking like cast iron. Ready? Fire up the stove, the oven — heck, even the campfire. Whatever you have a hankering for, you know your skillet’s got your back.
Image: Pomelo
Perfect Potatoes
Nothing says breakfast like potatoes roasting in the skillet. Crepes of Wrath cooks hers in bacon fat, because duh.
Image: Crepes of Wrath
Sweet Potato + Eggs
Once you’ve mastered the breakfast skillet, take it to the next level with a fried egg on top, à la Love and Lemons.
Image: Love and Lemons
Dutch Baby
Cast iron skillets were practically made for these puffy pancakes. Pomelo serves hers the traditional way, with lemon juice and powdered sugar.
Image: Pomelo
Roasted Red Pepper Scones
Yes, you can bake in your cast iron, too! Joy the Baker whips up a batch of tangy, savory scones.
Image: Joy the Baker
Cornbread
It doesn’t get more southern than cornbread in a skillet…and that’s just the way I like it. Thanks, Crepes of Wrath!
Image: Crepes of Wrath
Fried Chicken
Forget that fryer — your deep, sturdy cast iron is the only thing you need for fried chicken. I Am a Food Blog shows us how.
Image: I Am a Food Blog
Chickpea Skillet Cake
Think of this as a savory pancake — with aromatic za’atar and caramelized onions instead of, you know, butter and maple syrup. My Name Is Yeh has the recipe.
Image: My Name Is Yeh
Lasagna
Need to go from stove to oven? Your cast iron is up for the task. How Sweet Eats shows us how to whip up lasagna with (almost) just one skillet.
Image: How Sweet Eats
Shrimp Paella
Paella is Spain’s answer to risotto — which means you’re going to need some heavy-bottomed cookware on your side. The folks behind A Better Happier St. Sebastian opt for their (you guessed it!) cast iron skillet.
Image: A Better Happier St. Sebastian
Bacon Pizza
Pizza? In a skillet? In can be done — and best of all, you don’t need any fancy clay tiles or brick ovens to do it. How Sweet Eats finishes her pizza off with brussels sprouts and bacon.
Image: How Sweet Eats
Shakshuka
Cooking on a budget? Shakshuka should be your go-to comfort food. It’s essentially tomato sauce + eggs, which is everything we want on a chilly autumn day, anyway. Thanks, Green Kitchen Stories!
Image: Green Kitchen Stories
Steak
Got someone to impress? Treat them to a steak dinner — at home. A Better Happier St. Sebastian shows us how to get the perfect sear.
Image: A Better Happier St. Sebastian
BBQ Nachos
Barbecue. Nachos. Seriously, what’s not to love? Heather Christo whips up our dream movie snack in her trusty cast iron.
Image: Heather Christo
Brownies
Guess what? Cast iron is the new baking pan. My Baking Addiction whips up gooey, chocolaty brownies in her mini skillets.
Image: My Baking Addiction
Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Still hungry? Here’s my favorite way to use a skillet: Make a giant cookie. Half Baked Harvest stuffs hers with chocolate chunks, topped off with caramel apples.
Image: Half Baked Harvest
