Reviews (3)

Too Funny
I havn't had the opertunity to try the recipes yet but this cookbook is a great read.The recipes all look basic enough with a good mix of simple supermarket ingrediants as well as wild game recipes.I have about a 1/2 dozen dutch oven cookbooks and these are by far the best read so far.Unfortunatly despite the listing this is *not* spiral bound and wont stay open while cooking hands free.The second book, "more Cee dub's Dutch Oven and other camp cookin" is still spiral bound.

Best ever cookbook!
Never have I laughed so much as I did reading this cookbook.The stories are great and the recipes are even better.I used this book extensively while camping this year and it was the first time I ever used a DO(dutch oven).When my very picky middle daughter started looking for seconds and thirds at our meals, I knew I had learned a good thing.If anyone is just starting out or even is already using a dutch oven, this book is a must have! (Try the blackberry dump cake, I had'em licking out the dutchy!!)You will enjoy and use this book again and again!

Reviews (3)

Good reading & recipes
This books tells you the basics of how to get started with dutch oven cooking, and includes very simple recipes for novices such as myself.I enjoy this book!It includes humorous side stories which are good reading.

We want More Cee Dub
After reading Cee Dub's first book and then his new Second book, we can only conclude that it is a must for the camp cook.The recipes are delicious, healthy and easy to produce.Cee Dub also indicates how tospice each recipe up with our own preferred tastes.His tall tales makeyou want to read the book in one sitting.However the recipes make youwant to start cooking.Having lived near the area Cee Dub refers to in histravels, I can imagine seeing him out there on the river and in thebackcountry where I work and play.Cee Dub gives little tid- bits of hintsto make every camp cook more seasoned and makes every upcoming trip a featto look forward to.His stories of "pards" gone by touch thesoul of anyone who enjoys good times, friends and family.I would like toknow the "real story" behind some of the antics going on inCeedub' s camps.I doubt people would ever want to leave with such agracious host, great cook, andeven better story teller.Keep up thegreat work, Cee Dub, we will never put you down!

Reviews (2)

good stuff!
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.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (4)

Excellent Cookbook!
I love this cookbook.There is a great mix of traditional with a twist and new recipes.It is great if you want to expand on your cast iron cooking.Most cookbooks offer just the basics that most people who have any cooking experience already know how to fix.If you are looking for standard recipes for fried chicken, corn bread or biscuits and gravy only, you might not appreciate the span of this book.

Useful, not exceptional
I absolutely adore cast iron and I have purchased a few books on the subject as well as experimenting on my own. I found most of therecipes in this book to be just fine but a little "out there" for your average chef with a big black pan and a pile of burning wood. "Souffleed Bittersweet Chocolate Omelet with Hot Fudge Sauce" and "Sauce Remoulade" are great and all, but where's the "Biscuits and Sausage Gravy?" In all fairness, there is a recipe for biscuits which I haven't tried yet. Overall there seems to be a plethora of recipes which are cute and interesting but likely won't be used very often and a there is a dearth of down-home cookin'. I liked "Cast Iron Cooking: from Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish by A.D. Livingston" much better.

Reviews (7)

Buy this book.
I have scores of cookbooks from the likes of Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges and others, and yet this little volume is my absolute favorite, by far, and it holds a revered place on my nightstand.Jack Butler teaches creative writing at the College of Santa Fe and has published in The New Yorker, Poetry and the Atlantic, among others, and was nominated for a Pulitzer.His essays, which precede each of the recipes, are splendidly evocative, soulful, full of humor, and rich with insight about food, relationships, religion and life.Mind you, this isn't the vapid stuff of Chicken Soup for the Soul (though there is a splendid recipe for Chicken Pot Pie), rather, Butler weaves touching and amusing narratives of his family, Southern traditions and travel among the recipes, which come from both his family traditions (he's the son of a Baptist minsiter who was frequently paid with the produce from his congregation's gardens) and his fearless sense of improvisation.You likely won't cook everything in this book, but you'll definitely savor every word, and you'll be surprised at how quickly a cast iron skillet will become one of your favorite cooking tools.This book will become an indispensable part of your cooking library.

Open the door and let him in...
Jack is cool, with the conversational tone of this book, you feel as if he is in your kitchen with you helping you along while you laugh and share a drink. Great recipes. I work at a bookstore and examine all the cookbooks--I'm making this one my personal staff recommendation. There is a lot of love in this book that you can share with the ones that you love. Just pick up a pre-seasoned Lodge skillet (get the 10 inch one and the lid, only 10 bucks each) and this book and get started.
Carpe Diem Jack...Carpe Diem

Another Cast Iron Lover!
At last! Jack Butler is another person who feels exactly as I do about cast iron skillets! When I bought my cast iron skillets I felt as if I were buying a new friend. Because they'll last you for life, serving you faithfully.

Jack recommends NOT buying your skillets "new", but rather getting hand-me-downs, or flea market finds, but nobody I knew had their old skillets anymore. It seems as people get older handling the weight of their cast iron skillet requires more strength than they have. And the ones I found in flea markets never seemed as heavy as the Lodge skillets I'd see at Wal*Mart! So ALL of my cast iron cookwear is made by Lodge manufacturing. I just won't buy any other brand!

This book is NOT just another cookbook! Jack shares many of the stories of his life with us, and he writes in such conversational tones that I felt like he was speaking to me personally. "Thank you, Jack. I feel like I know you!"

The reason I bought this book was because I wanted to learn all I could about "the care and feeding of cast iron skillets" and I had seen Jack on "Home Matters", a Home and Garden tv show I watched religiously. Jack tells all I needed to know about "the creatures" and I was delighted to find someone else who loves them as much as I do. My very first, and largest skillet-a 12-incher-I have actually named! As I used it over and over again, and happily watched it turn jet black, I started refering to it as my Black Beauty, and a beauty it is! I often leave it sitting out on top of the stove, gleaming darkly in the light.

I love the many recipes in Jack's book. Thanks to him I now know how to make a great Chicken Pot Pie, which I've always wanted to know. And there are so many other dishes, too, such as Steak Fajitas, all made in the wonderful cast iron skillet! In fact, Jack has taught me that I can make ANYTHING in my beloved skillets! "Thanks again, Jack."

I found this book to be very touching at times. For instance in the chapter titled "A Grace For The Old Man", Jack talks about his father's death. I flinched and shed a few tears when I read, "My father died last week."You just don't expect that kind of thing in a cookbook. I am glad he shared this very personal event with his readers.

This is a very interesting book to read, plus all those mouth-watering recipes are great. I love the way Jack tells you in such a conversational tone how to make each dish, then follows up at the end of the chapter with it in regular recipe form.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cooking with cast iron. It really is the best cookwear. It's the ONLY cookwear we really need. Just ask Jack! There isn't a thing I would change about "Jack's Skillet". This book is one of my "treasures" that I plan to keep for life.

Thank you.

Reviews (11)

Yummy ideas, but missing instructions
In preparation for a trip to Death Valley for Thanksgiving, I am wading through a number of "D.O." cookbooks.This book has the best recipes by far, as noted by others here, but it doesn't include instructions on how to cook with a D.O. -- i.e. how many briquets to use, where to place them, how to adjust the temperature. Perhaps a lot of "seasoned" river runners like the authors have been doing it so long they assume everyone knows how, but a basic book should include basic instructions.If you're needing that info, check out "Lovin' Dutch Ovens," by Joan S. Larsen.The recipes are more Betty Crocker-ish (and in some cases frightening), but the instructions go over sizes, quantities and temperature control -- a must for most people in the market for a D.O. book.Oh and, BTW, once you know how to cook in a D.O., the reality is you can pretty much cook any ofyour favorite recipes.

Camp cooking at its best
I've looked at a lot of Dutch oven cookbooks, and this is the best one yet. It includes recipes, information and ideas I've not seen anywhere else. I especially liked that Ms. Mills includes directions for conventional oven use. While some of the recipes may be more complicated than some camp cooks want to tackle, there is something for everyone here.
I've tried several of the recipes and featured one, Witches' Brew, in my recipe column. Well worth the money.I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to elevate their camp cooking (or home cooking!) from hamburgers and a can of beans to a meal to remember.

Reviews (6)

Simple, perfect book for basic dutch oven cooking
I just ordered this book and found it to be perfect for just starting out with the dutch oven.The recipes and instructions are simple.Although I like more gourmet meals in the kitchen, I'm still learning at the dutch oven.This book filled with tons of recipes that offer room for experimenting and encourage the cook to be creative.I'm glad I purchased this book for learning how to start dutch oven cooking.

Good info, but missing a certain something...
Overall this book is just fine for someone interested in cooking with a DO. The mix of recipes is fine, but they just seemed to be missing something. They were all more or less of the "huck a good sized hen into the pot and cook for a while until done" variety. All of the recipes look tasty, though I would have liked to have seen a few more meat dishes, especially some more creative ones. Let's be honest, when you pay for a book you'd like to see more than "...put a 5 lb beef roast into a preheated Dutch oven, salt and pepper to taste, cook until done." Give me a little something to work with here! Inspire me! I can already cook a roast like this in the oven. Having said all of that, I would still reccommend this book. The vegetable dishes and desserts look fantastic and I can't wait to try some of them. As an aside, this is the only Dutch oven book I've seen with heart-healthy recipes as well as more traditional fare. Given that the average DO book requires the use of a metric ton of lard, this will probably appeal to a wider range of cooks.

Reviews (2)

A Good 'Take Along' Cast Iron Cookbook
This is an excellant beginners Dutch Oven Cookbook.This book fits inside my dutch oven and I take it with me camping. I had no problem with the cooking temperatures or times given in the book.Excellant advice and somevery good recipes for a beginner.Every fire is different and every DutchOven cooking experience is different. This book will help keep thedisasters to a minimum.

Isbn: 0764537148
Sales Rank: 31480
Subjects:  1. Cast-iron    2. Cookery    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. General    6. Methods - Special Appliances    7. Skillet cookery    8. Skillet cooking    9. Cooking / General    10. General cookery   

Isbn: 0962515256
Sales Rank: 670560
Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Regional & Ethnic - American - General   

Editorial Review

Cast-iron pots have always been the perfect camping cookware, partly due to their heat retention (what other surface cooks so nicely over an open fire?), but also because they fit so nicely into Old West lore. We're all familiar with the classic image of cowboys sitting around the campfire as a cast-iron pot hangs over the coals and slow-cooks a rabbit stew. Now you can indulge your frontier fantasies with this Lodge 6-quart Dutch oven, which can fry, sauté, grill, bake, or roast a host of meats, soups, and breads. The Dutch oven features a flanged lid, so you can place hot coals on the top for an extra heat source. The lid also flips over to serve as a griddle for pancakes or burgers. The oven includes built-in legs that sit comfortably on top of the campfire or in the fireplace, in addition to a hanging handle that hooks above the cooking surface. The oven measures 12 inches in diameter, is 3-3/4 inches deep, and weighs 20 pounds.

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Isbn: 0970975708
Sales Rank: 805406

Isbn: 0870041339
Sales Rank: 544534
Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Dutch oven cookery    4. Methods - Outdoor    5. Outdoor cookery    6. Regional & Ethnic - European   

Isbn: 0882901206
Sales Rank: 265551
Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Methods - Outdoor    4. Regional & Ethnic - European   

Isbn: 007138801X
Sales Rank: 127145
Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Dutch oven cookery    4. Methods - Outdoor    5. Outdoor Skills    6. Outdoor cookery    7. Skillet cookery    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports & Recreation / Camping   

Isbn: 0967264731
Sales Rank: 993696
Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Regional & Ethnic - General