With the acquisition of one of my grandmother's 10-inch cast-iron frying pan with a near Teflon-level of seasoning, I now have three heavy-bottomed skillets on my stove right now.
That's a lot of skillets to keep out at all times, but I don't have to explain myself to Anne Byrn.
Byrn, best known for her "Cake Mix Doctor" books, has a new cookbook out dedicated to cast-iron skillets called "Skillet Love: From Steak to Cake: More Than 150 Recipes in One Cast-Iron Pan" (Grand Central Publishing, $30) that will remind you of the joy and versatility of cooking in these hard-working, long-lasting and even multi-generational pans.
As a dessert specialist, the Nashville-based Byrn had to include a few cake and cookie recipes, but she also takes readers through breakfast, lunch and dinner with 150 recipes, from fried green tomatoes to frittatas and hamburgers and scalloped potatoes.
I most frequently use my cast-iron skillet to quickly sear meats. Sausages, steaks and pork chops, I'll cook entirely in the pan, but other cuts, like pork tenderloin, I'll finish in the oven. Byrn's recipe for lamb chops calls for cooking them in batches in the skillet and then serving them with a tomato and mint slaw. You could serve this main dish with hummus and pita bread, couscous or roasted cauliflower.
