A couple of cookbook reviews

I love to read cookbooks. I almost never follow the recipe exactly, unless it's for scratch baking... I read them to get inspired.

Some of my cookbooks are specifically for cast iron cooking. But since you can cook just about anything in cast iron, they don't necessarily have to be. Some might ask if the "cast iron" recipes can be cooked in other cookware-- it could, but why would you want to?

Some of my cookbooks are specifically for crock pots. But, anything that can be cooked in a crock pot, can be cooked in a cast iron pot on low heat. In fact, dutch ovens were the original slow cooker.

My first cast iron cookbook was "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies," and that's what I highly recommend for the beginner. It explains in detail how to select, season, and care for cast iron, as well as a well rounded variety of basic recipes to get you started.

Another cookbook I like is "Jack's Skillet," written in story form, by a guy who loves to cook in cast iron. He tells stories about his life, and incorporates simple but delicious recipes into his stories.

"The Cast Iron Chef" is small, but packed with easy and delicious one-pot recipes, with instructions for indoor or outdoor cooking.

"Cast Iron Cooking" is more upscale. Written by a professional caterer, the recipes are gourmet and more complicated. They look good though.

I most recently bought "Cast Iron Cuisine: From Breakfast to Dessert," which is a little different from the average cookbook. To me, it's been as much a cooking school as a cookbook, since there were ingredients and equipment that I'd never heard of, and had to look them up.

The recipes in this book are unlike anything I've seen before, such as the "Noble Pot Roast" which takes 5 days from start to finish.

Most of the recipes don't take that long, but the idea is that good food takes time; Cutting corners will get you a meal, but it won't be the same. There are breakfasts, main dishes, breads, desserts, even dog treats. Many recipes are for wild game, but I can always try them with a different meat.

If you are passionate about cast iron cooking and want to learn new ideas, then you will like this book. If you hate to cook, then you probably won't; But then again, you probably wouldn't be reading this blog either.

I have other cookbooks, and as I go through them, I'll be posting more reviews.