15 Classic Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated October 22, 2019
© John Kernick
Use your cast-iron skillet morning, noon, and night with this collection of sweet and savory skillet recipes, from tender porterhouse steak to a cast-iron blackberry galette.RELATED: The 8 Best-Rated Cast Iron Skillets for Every Kitchen
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Grilled Lamb Chops with Cucumber Relish

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A grill pan or cast-iron skillet is a quick way to cook lamb chops. Chef Renee Erickson serves them with a sweet-savory Moroccan-inspired relish that includes pine nuts, golden raisins and lemon. She recommends eating the chops with your hands. "The bones should be picked clean," she says.

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Skillet-Baked Pear-and-Apple Crisp

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In the fall, James Boyce picks the apples and pears for this cinnamon-spiced crisp right behind the restaurant. With Kentucky bourbon country only five hours north, he occasionally swaps out the Cognac here for bourbon.

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Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits

© CON POULOS
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Bake these tender, buttery little biscuits in a cast-iron skillet, then bring them to the table still in the pan.

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Skillet-Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Basil

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Chris Cosentino remembers charring tomatoes when he was a line cook under chef Mark Miller at Red Sage in Washington, DC. "Mark always said, 'It needs fleck,' " Cosentino says, referring to the blackened bits on the skins. "The fire brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes."

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Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Potatoes

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Chef David Kinch loves to say that this hearty combination of crumbled chorizo, chunks of crispy potatoes and eggs--all cooked together in a big cast-iron skillet--is his Mexican-Californian twist on rosti, the classic Swiss fried-potato breakfast.

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Crushed Beets with Herbs and Arugula

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In this unusual dish from chef Marcelo Betancourt, beets are boiled skin-on until cooked through, then lightly flattened and pan-seared until crispy. Crushing the beets gives them an excellent, extra-tender texture. If you accidentally break a beet into pieces while flattening it, don't worry.

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Guest-at-the-Doorstep Apple-Berry Charlotte

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Classic Soviet cuisine abounded in nifty quick recipes for unexpected guests. This puffy dessert requires only sliced tart apples, a few handfuls of berries and a simple batter.

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Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Lentils and Walnut Vinaigrette

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This luscious roast chicken is weighted down and cooked in a cast-iron skillet so the skin is extra-crispy.

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Cast-Iron-Grilled Romano Beans with Garlic Aioli

© Con Poulos
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Chef Sarah Schafer makes this starter over the fire-pit grill at her beach cabin and serves them right out of the skillet. Any other meaty, flat bean can be substituted for the romanos.

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Supercrispy Pan-Fried Chicken

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Instead of deep-frying chicken in a vat of oil, Angie Mosier prefers pan-frying, which creates delightfully crunchy and moist chicken without requiring quite so much oil. "For a covered-dish dinner, there's nothing better than a tray of drumsticks, which are easy to eat standing up," she says.

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Skillet-Roasted Lamb Loins with Herbs

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Cathal Armstrong's family always celebrated the end of Lent with lamb, and preparing the meal became an all-day event that left the adults "snoring on the couch." Cathal's preparation for lamb nowadays isn't exhausting at all: He rubs the loins with herbs, garlic and shallots, then ties them up, sears them and finishes them in the oven. The result is succulent, delicately flavored meat.

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Skillet Corn Bread with Figs, Feta and Rosemary

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Marcia Kiesel studs corn bread with sweet, chewy figs and salty feta. Baking it in a cast-iron skillet gives it a delicious crusty bottom.

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Buttery Cast-Iron Shrimp with Winter Salad

Johnny Miller
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Shrimp are seared and glazed in chipotle-honey butter in this warm seasonal salad from chef JJ Johnson. He serves the shrimp over gently sautéed radicchio and endive, which mellows their bitter edge without losing their color or delicate crunch.

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Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone

Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
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This galette is great baked in a cast-iron skillet because it’s easy to transport and serve. The secret to the sturdy crust is the buttery brown sugar oat crumble, which absorbs the jammy blackberries as they bake.

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Porterhouse Steak Recipe

© John Kernick
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For a perfectly tender and crusty steak, brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio salt their meat up to 12 hours before and let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. This step seasons the meat to its core and pulls out moisture for a better sear.

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