Cast-Iron Cooking: From Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish [Paperback]

A. D. Livingston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1991

Nothing cooks like cast iron, and Livingston tells you why, with seventy-five delicious recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I hide my favorite frying pan whenever my mother-in-law comes for a visit," reveals Livingston ( Good Vittles ) in his preface. Why? Because "the woman means well, but, of course, scrubbing a cast-iron skillet is wellnigh (but not quite) the worst thing that you can do to it." Livingston is right, yet his pages are so filled with backwoods machismo that his book could as well be titled Iron Man Cooks with Iron Pan . A Southerner fond of hunting and fishing, the author is most at home on a campsite, not in the heat of a kitchen. For example, instructions for sourdough biscuits baked in a cast-iron Dutch oven detail raking coals over the lid--but give no instructions for adapting the recipe for a conventional oven. Most camp cooks don't use cast-iron cookware, due to its heavy weight; for those who cook in a well-stocked cabin or trailer, cast iron is well suited to searing fish and game. Livingston helpfully outlines techniques for blackening foods, from chicken, beef and hamburger to redfish. He knows the lore and care of cast-iron equipment, providing instructions for seasoning (or "sweetening") cast iron to ensure that it serves as virtually a nonstick surface. And his list of mail-order resources for cast-iron cookware is comprehensive. Still, how many consumers will take the time to prepare a recipe for "Sheep Stew" that calls for 60 pounds of fat lamb, just for starters? Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Cast-iron cooking may be the wave of the past, but A. D. Livingston has brought it back to the future. This book’s a dandy, packed with great information and criminally delicious recipes, all well sprinkled with Livingston’s peppery wit. So long, wimpy pots and Teflon skillets! Cast iron is back!”
—Patrick McManus, author of The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw

“A kitchen without cast iron is like a schooner without sails. A. D. Livingston has got his ‘old black magic’ down to an art—a simmering, aromatic art.”
—John Egerton, author of Southern Food

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558211152
• ISBN-13: 978-1558211155
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,282,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get the most from your cast-iron cookware, July 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Cast-Iron Cooking: From Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish (Paperback)

Mr. Livingston does an admirable job of explaining how to use and care for your cast-iron cookware. Whether using a skillet to scramble a few eggs for breakfast, or preparing for a LARGE crowd in a special piece of cookware, this book covers all the bases. If you've never used cast-iron cookware, this is a good introduction to the subject-- cast-iron cookware is different from the other products on the market. If you are a cast-iron afficionado, this "sermon for the choir" will give you some new ideas for good things to do with your treasured skillets and dutch ovens. Warning: the recipes are not all low-fat, low cholesterol, trendy, 90s kind of recipes. They are, however, good! This book would make a great add-on gift with a cast-iron skillet

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good stuff!, August 13, 2003

By 

GEM (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cast-Iron Cooking: From Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish (Paperback)

Livingston is fun to read - an ol' guy with down-to-earth smarts who has an appreciation for the subtle humor this subject offers, and a gift for phrasing it - you can tell you'd like to have him for a friend.
but not as much info on using cast iron cookware on a daily basis as i'd like - lotsa outdoor stuff, backwoods cookery, etc.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, April 21, 2011

By 

R. Cooper (Utah USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cast-Iron Cooking: From Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish (A. D. Livingston Cookbook) (Paperback)

The book has alot of good info. and recipes. But if you are looking for pictures this book just has drawings of a few pieces of cast iron. Having said that I still like the book for the information it gives and some good recipes. Its also has a recipe for Bison and Venison and other wild animals cowboy cooking, cajun cooking, mexican cooking ect... An enjoyable read.