Cooking Techniques 21 Great Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on May 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jen Causey Cast-iron skillets are an incredibly versatile kitchen tool, able to fry eggs, sear steaks, and even bake brownies (yes, brownies!). And in this roundup, we've gathered some of our favorite ways to use them, from making a wild mushroom Dutch baby for the ultimate brunch to whipping up a skillet fruit crisp that can be adapted for any season. These long-lasting pans can be used to make breakfast, dinner, and everything in between — read on for even more of our favorite cast-iron skillet recipes. 01 of 21 Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits © CON POULOS Bake these tender, buttery little biscuits in a cast-iron skillet, then bring them to the table still in the pan. Get the Recipe 02 of 21 Buttery Cast-Iron Shrimp with Winter Salad Johnny Miller 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 the chicories' bitter edge without losing their color or delicate crunch. Get the Recipe 03 of 21 Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone Abby Hocking / Food & Wine 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. Get the Recipe 04 of 21 Porterhouse Steak © John Kernick For a perfectly tender and crusty steak, chefs and brothers Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio salt their meat up to 12 hours beforehand and let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. Get the Recipe 05 of 21 Skillet Cornbread © Abby Hocking Chef and television personality Carla Hall's skillet cornbread comes together in a few simple steps. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Get the Recipe 06 of 21 Skillet Apple-Ginger Crisp Antonis Achilleos "There are few things better (or easier) than a fruit crisp," food stylist and cookbook author Susan Spungen says. "It's extremely hard to mess it up — even if you aren't a baker." Get the Recipe 07 of 21 Skillet Brownies on the Grill Victor Protasio These brownies take on a deliciously smoky flavor on the grill from "baking" in a skillet set over hot coals. After you're done grilling dinner, prepare to make brownies by adding a few more lumps of charcoal to maintain a grill temperature of around 350°F. Pull the skillet brownies when they're still a bit moist in the middle for a fudgy center and smoky brownie "bark" around the edges. Get the Recipe 08 of 21 Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach Victor Protasio A stellar homemade spice blend amps up the flavor of this super simple meal, which comes together using just one pan. You cook the pork chops in a cast-iron skillet until they're blackened, then remove them from the skillet to cook the beans and spinach. The finished dish goes perfectly with a smoky, dark-fruited Malbec. Get the Recipe 09 of 21 Cast-Iron Cornmeal Cake with Buttermilk Cream Victor Protasio Pouring the batter into a hot skillet ensures the cake has a perfectly cooked, dark golden–bottomed crust with a fluffy interior. To check for doneness, rely on the visual cues for browning — a cake tester will come out clean before the cake is cooked through. Get the Recipe 10 of 21 Kimchi Cheese Jeon (Kimchi Cheese Pancake) Anna Stockwell In her episode of Chefs at Home, chef Rachel Yang makes her own homemade Napa cabbage kimchi, and then shows how to use kimchi at varying stages of fermentation in a range of dishes. One of her favorites is this irresistible kimchi pancake, in which tangy, lightly spicy kimchi is balanced out by plenty of cheese. Get the Recipe 11 of 21 Sausage, Kale, and Potato Skillet Supper Jen Causey "This is a single-serving recipe, but it can easily be doubled — just use a bigger skillet so you have plenty of room," says Klancy Miller, cookbook author and founder/editor of For the Culture. Get the Recipe 12 of 21 Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis For Ashkenazi Jews, latkes are the heart and soul of Hanukkah. Instead of frying batches of traditional pancakes, here the whole lot of shredded potato batter is pressed into a sizzling frying pan and finished in the oven. The oversized pancake emerges golden with a tender center and crackly shoestring curls around the perimeter. Get the Recipe 13 of 21 Tater Tot Casserole CREDIT: © ABBY HOCKING The secret to this casserole is the layer of creamed spinach in the middle. It adds richness to the dish, as well as a nice contrast to the crispy, crunchy Tater Tot top. Get the Recipe 14 of 21 King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Chef Julia Sullivan employs a duo of cast-iron skillets to prepare the tender, crispy-edged mushroom steaks at Henrietta Red in Nashville; one for cooking the mushrooms, the other for pressing them flat so they cook evenly. Buttery roasted almonds balance the sharper notes of garlic and lemon in this rustic French sauce. Get the Recipe 15 of 21 Wild Mushroom-and-Swiss Dutch Baby Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This puffy pancake gets an extra-savory touch from grated Swiss cheese and a hint of Dijon mustard, while a combination of mixed wild mushrooms, shallot, and arugula tops it off. Use room temperature milk and eggs to give the Dutch baby a higher rise than you'll get from fridge-cold ingredients. Get the Recipe 16 of 21 Smoky Skillet-Grilled Chicken with Crispy Bread Antonis Achilleos This hybrid skillet-on-the-grill method lets you capture all the delicious juices that the bird gives off as it cooks, while still allowing the chicken to absorb plenty of barbecue flavor. Smoky charcoal, plus the rich, deep notes of smoked paprika and chipotle chile, add plenty of depth. Get the Recipe 17 of 21 Strawberry-Rhubarb Cornmeal Skillet Cake Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb stud the golden brown top of this simple skillet cake. The mix of all-purpose flour and fine cornmeal gives this dessert a pound-cake-like density, while goat cheese and buttermilk keep the crumb nicely tender and moist. Get the Recipe 18 of 21 Skillet Chicken and Chorizo Paella Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford While Spanish paella is traditionally made in its namesake pan, this cast-iron variation is a great alternative — and it can also go straight from stove to table. The recipe builds layers of flavors as you saute aromatics in the same pan you've used to sear the chorizo and chicken. Get the Recipe 19 of 21 Platanos Foster Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Pastry chef Paola Velez gives Bananas Foster, the classic flambéed dessert, a Caribbean twist by swapping out bananas for plantains and adding warm spices and coconut water to the caramel sauce. Rum raisin ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to the caramelized plantains. Get the Recipe 20 of 21 Carrot and Spring Onion Toad in the Hole Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Cook Varner The traditional toad in the hole consists of whole sausages cooked in an egg-and-flour batter. This recipe delivers a taste of the British classic but stars tender baby carrots and spring onions for a flavorful, vegetable-forward spring twist. Get the Recipe 21 of 21 Queso Flameado Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley In this irresistible snack, charred poblano pepper and pureed cilantro and serrano chiles serve as a built-in salsa, layering spicy, garlicky flavors into the rich, melted cheese. Flaming it with tequila makes the whole thing a little extra. The pickled carrots on top add acidity and brightness. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit