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Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly
From the road-warrior band of Sisters on the Fly, heirloom and contemporary recipes that are simple to shop for and prepare on the road, for the backyard grill, or in the kitchen, using cast iron cookware. Includes engaging stories, recipes, and action photos of the SOTF in their homes and out on the range in their trailer caravans.
With a motto of, “We have more fun than anyone,” Sisters on the Fly member Irene Rawlings introduces readers to the culinary comfort of cooking with cast iron inside Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly . Harkening back to the days of car travel before the interstate highway system made it easy to get to today’s popular camping spots, Irene offers heirloom and contemporary recipes presented alongside engaging stories and action photos of kindred Sisters cooking deliciously flavorful meals with readily available ingredients over campfires and at their home ranges. Special to this collection, Rawlings explores the basics of cooking with cast iron for 100 tasty main dishes, delectable sides and appetizers, scrumptious biscuits and breads, to-die-for desserts, and luscious libations.
From Un-Stuffed Cabbage and Camp Dutch Oven Roast to Chicken-Cashew Pasta Salad, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and Miss Verbena’s Pimento Cheese, as well as favorites including Cowgirl Bean Bake and Bertie’s Quick Peach Cobbler, Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly is a photographic cookbook travelogue complete with informative sidebars covering everything from poison ivy to a broken heart, along with tips for purchasing, seasoning, cooking with, and caring for cast iron. Share in the Sisters’ love of cooking with cast iron inside Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly .
With a motto of, “We have more fun than anyone,” Sisters on the Fly member Irene Rawlings introduces readers to the culinary comfort of cooking with cast iron inside Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly . Harkening back to the days of car travel before the interstate highway system made it easy to get to today’s popular camping spots, Irene offers heirloom and contemporary recipes presented alongside engaging stories and action photos of kindred Sisters cooking deliciously flavorful meals with readily available ingredients over campfires and at their home ranges. Special to this collection, Rawlings explores the basics of cooking with cast iron for 100 tasty main dishes, delectable sides and appetizers, scrumptious biscuits and breads, to-die-for desserts, and luscious libations.
From Un-Stuffed Cabbage and Camp Dutch Oven Roast to Chicken-Cashew Pasta Salad, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and Miss Verbena’s Pimento Cheese, as well as favorites including Cowgirl Bean Bake and Bertie’s Quick Peach Cobbler, Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly is a photographic cookbook travelogue complete with informative sidebars covering everything from poison ivy to a broken heart, along with tips for purchasing, seasoning, cooking with, and caring for cast iron. Share in the Sisters’ love of cooking with cast iron inside Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly .
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2013
31 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Irene Rawlings
11 books1 followerIrene Rawlings has been an author, editor, curator and art reviewed. She hosts an award-winning radio show syndicated throughout the Rocky Mountain West, and is the author of two other books: Portable Houses and The Clothesline"
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 26, 2016
I've been enjoying this cookbook a lot. There's a culture of cast-ironers, and I like these sorts of people.
So pluses for this cookbook are:
*Culture
*Recipes are yummy, and ya know, meant for cast iron
*This book is good for my level of experience with cast iron, and seems like it would still be helpful to someone who was more advanced.
Minuses:
*Recipes are submitted by 'sisters', and so they vary greatly in difficult, writing style, amount of detail, ease of following the recipe, you know, everything.
*The sisters kind of pressure you to cook on a campfire, but I like my oven and stove just fine.
So pluses for this cookbook are:
*Culture
*Recipes are yummy, and ya know, meant for cast iron
*This book is good for my level of experience with cast iron, and seems like it would still be helpful to someone who was more advanced.
Minuses:
*Recipes are submitted by 'sisters', and so they vary greatly in difficult, writing style, amount of detail, ease of following the recipe, you know, everything.
*The sisters kind of pressure you to cook on a campfire, but I like my oven and stove just fine.
January 3, 2018
I seasoned my cast iron pan and can't wait to try these recipes.
June 7, 2013
Here is a potentially interesting book, albeit with a fairly irritating and possibly pointless wrapper. Sisters on the Fly? What are they and how will they show me the best way to make use of my Dutch oven?
Well let the book do the talking: "Sisters on the Fly are the little girls who in the 1950s and 1960s climbed into the backs of the station wagons that would pull their families’ Airstream trailers on cross-country vacations that instilled a sense of adventure without really having to “rough it.” Now, they are finding vintage trailers through want ads, in junkyards, in farmers’ fields and on the Internet. They are restoring those trailers to their original glory and creating uniquely decorated “homes on the range” in which to start a brand-new page of travel memories." Any clearer? Probably not.
In any case, it didn't seem to bring anything to the party for this reviewer. Fortunately the book's content managed to shine through regardless. Starting with a "Cast-Iron College" the reader is given a fairly detailed overview and series of lessons to the delights of cast-iron (cookwear) cookery, a subject often written off by the inexperienced on the perceived grounds of complexity. Maybe this will inspire you to try a new cooking technique or perfect an existing one?
Straight after that it is on to the recipes, split into key chapters with faux-cutey names like "Lunch on the River" and "Luscious Libations". Whilst harmless they just grated with the "shock" of the strange sisters packaging. This reviewer has tried to focus purely on the cooking advice and recipes as they are of a good, high standard - yet if the book had been purchased one could imagine cutting out or taping over some of the more irritating sections…
Looking through the recipes, certainly many caught this reviewer's attention and added themselves to a mental "to try" list for the future. Great food photography helps draw you in and then once you are hooked you will find the instructions to be reasonably easy to follow. The "usual niggles" exist in this book too, namely the sole use of U.S. imperial unit measures and no at-a-glance estimated preparation and cooking times are given. This publisher is by no means the only "offender" here with this though.
The book ends with a conversion table (if the conversions were shown with the recipes it would have been so much more user-friendly), a series of resource guides and a very extensive index. Looking back at this book, this reviewer is mixed. It certainly has the potential of being a great five YUM (star) book, being a different, positive ambassador for Dutch oven cookery, yet the "packaging" and "styling" managed to really put this reviewer on the back foot. You might like it and dig the whole thing… if in doubt, check it out before buying it blind.
Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly, written by Irene Rawlings and published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 9781449427368, 212 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Well let the book do the talking: "Sisters on the Fly are the little girls who in the 1950s and 1960s climbed into the backs of the station wagons that would pull their families’ Airstream trailers on cross-country vacations that instilled a sense of adventure without really having to “rough it.” Now, they are finding vintage trailers through want ads, in junkyards, in farmers’ fields and on the Internet. They are restoring those trailers to their original glory and creating uniquely decorated “homes on the range” in which to start a brand-new page of travel memories." Any clearer? Probably not.
In any case, it didn't seem to bring anything to the party for this reviewer. Fortunately the book's content managed to shine through regardless. Starting with a "Cast-Iron College" the reader is given a fairly detailed overview and series of lessons to the delights of cast-iron (cookwear) cookery, a subject often written off by the inexperienced on the perceived grounds of complexity. Maybe this will inspire you to try a new cooking technique or perfect an existing one?
Straight after that it is on to the recipes, split into key chapters with faux-cutey names like "Lunch on the River" and "Luscious Libations". Whilst harmless they just grated with the "shock" of the strange sisters packaging. This reviewer has tried to focus purely on the cooking advice and recipes as they are of a good, high standard - yet if the book had been purchased one could imagine cutting out or taping over some of the more irritating sections…
Looking through the recipes, certainly many caught this reviewer's attention and added themselves to a mental "to try" list for the future. Great food photography helps draw you in and then once you are hooked you will find the instructions to be reasonably easy to follow. The "usual niggles" exist in this book too, namely the sole use of U.S. imperial unit measures and no at-a-glance estimated preparation and cooking times are given. This publisher is by no means the only "offender" here with this though.
The book ends with a conversion table (if the conversions were shown with the recipes it would have been so much more user-friendly), a series of resource guides and a very extensive index. Looking back at this book, this reviewer is mixed. It certainly has the potential of being a great five YUM (star) book, being a different, positive ambassador for Dutch oven cookery, yet the "packaging" and "styling" managed to really put this reviewer on the back foot. You might like it and dig the whole thing… if in doubt, check it out before buying it blind.
Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly, written by Irene Rawlings and published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 9781449427368, 212 pages. Typical price: GBP15. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
April 26, 2013
Lovely book that's not particularly useful to me.
I've been interested in cast-iron cooking for some time, and this book does teach you how to acquire, use, and care for cast-iron cookware. In addition to a few introductory pages, there's a resource guide in the back to help you find new or used pans.
But mostly, it's a book of recipes. Despite the fact that they're laid out well, with many beautiful pictures and thorough instructions, there are only a handful I'd make. There are two major types: stovetop recipes and Dutch oven recipes. The latter tend to be fairly complicated, and I don't think the book gives sufficient instruction for how to use a Dutch oven. For one thing, there's a chart at the beginning that lays out how many coals to use above and below Dutch ovens of various sizes to reach certain temperatures, but many of the recipes give you the pan size and number of coals to use, rather than the temperature to go for - inconvenient if, say, you own only one Dutch oven and want to adapt a variety of recipes to use that size. At any rate, the book gives you better preparation for skillets and stovetop use than for Dutch ovens, which I was still left a little confused about.
Secondly, this is not a health-conscious book. For someone like me who makes an effort to follow the Paleo diet and is gluten intolerant, there are only a few recipes I'd actually eat. (Those ones are very interesting and I probably wouldn't have come across them anywhere else, like Pork and Blueberry Sausage.) Now, of course, that does leave me excluded from the target audience of most major cookbooks, but it's not unusual to see ingredient substitutions in other cookbooks. Not here.
There are some non-cast-iron recipes, including deviled eggs (which could be confusing, since you're not supposed to boil water in cast iron) and a section of cocktail recipes. The latter is supposed to contribute to the laid-back "country sister" feel of the book, which never quite caught on for me, but I still appreciated the section and found some new ideas. The book is also well-indexed, by type of dish, name, and ingredients.
To summarize, I had fun browsing "Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly" and I'm excited to get started with getting my own cast-iron cookware - though I might take the lazy route and buy pre-seasoned. It's not a book I'd keep in the kitchen or reference often, though.
- Preview copy courtesy of NetGalley
I've been interested in cast-iron cooking for some time, and this book does teach you how to acquire, use, and care for cast-iron cookware. In addition to a few introductory pages, there's a resource guide in the back to help you find new or used pans.
But mostly, it's a book of recipes. Despite the fact that they're laid out well, with many beautiful pictures and thorough instructions, there are only a handful I'd make. There are two major types: stovetop recipes and Dutch oven recipes. The latter tend to be fairly complicated, and I don't think the book gives sufficient instruction for how to use a Dutch oven. For one thing, there's a chart at the beginning that lays out how many coals to use above and below Dutch ovens of various sizes to reach certain temperatures, but many of the recipes give you the pan size and number of coals to use, rather than the temperature to go for - inconvenient if, say, you own only one Dutch oven and want to adapt a variety of recipes to use that size. At any rate, the book gives you better preparation for skillets and stovetop use than for Dutch ovens, which I was still left a little confused about.
Secondly, this is not a health-conscious book. For someone like me who makes an effort to follow the Paleo diet and is gluten intolerant, there are only a few recipes I'd actually eat. (Those ones are very interesting and I probably wouldn't have come across them anywhere else, like Pork and Blueberry Sausage.) Now, of course, that does leave me excluded from the target audience of most major cookbooks, but it's not unusual to see ingredient substitutions in other cookbooks. Not here.
There are some non-cast-iron recipes, including deviled eggs (which could be confusing, since you're not supposed to boil water in cast iron) and a section of cocktail recipes. The latter is supposed to contribute to the laid-back "country sister" feel of the book, which never quite caught on for me, but I still appreciated the section and found some new ideas. The book is also well-indexed, by type of dish, name, and ingredients.
To summarize, I had fun browsing "Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly" and I'm excited to get started with getting my own cast-iron cookware - though I might take the lazy route and buy pre-seasoned. It's not a book I'd keep in the kitchen or reference often, though.
- Preview copy courtesy of NetGalley
March 28, 2013
With a motto of, “We have more fun than anyone,” Sisters on the Fly member Irene Rawlings introduces readers to the culinary comfort of cooking with cast iron inside Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly. Harkening back to the days of car travel before the interstate highway system made it easy to get to today’s popular camping spots, Irene offers heirloom and contemporary recipes presented alongside engaging stories and action photos of kindred Sisters cooking deliciously flavorful meals with readily available ingredients over campfires and at their home ranges. Special to this collection, Rawlings explores the basics of cooking with cast iron for 100 tasty main dishes, delectable sides and appetizers, scrumptious biscuits and breads, to-die-for desserts, and luscious libations.
Maybe I'm too picky, but when I read the title of this cookbook I expected exactly that--cast-iron cooking. I did not expect so very many recipes for everything from pimento cheese, pasta salad, a salad made with Rice-a-Roni of all things, unbaked pies, and punchbowl cakes to lots and lots of alcoholic drinks. If it had been titled something to do with camp cooking it wouldn't have bothered me so much. It just seemed an inordinate amount of recipes that either weren't cooked at all or they were cooked in something other than cast iron. THIRTY-ONE (yes, I counted them) recipes for drinks, and most of them were alcholic. It left me very disappointed.
Most of the actual cast-iron recipes look very good. Some are "old friends" so to speak, and some I really want to try. However, this cookbook left me unimpressed overall.
I received a digital copy of this book from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley.com for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Maybe I'm too picky, but when I read the title of this cookbook I expected exactly that--cast-iron cooking. I did not expect so very many recipes for everything from pimento cheese, pasta salad, a salad made with Rice-a-Roni of all things, unbaked pies, and punchbowl cakes to lots and lots of alcoholic drinks. If it had been titled something to do with camp cooking it wouldn't have bothered me so much. It just seemed an inordinate amount of recipes that either weren't cooked at all or they were cooked in something other than cast iron. THIRTY-ONE (yes, I counted them) recipes for drinks, and most of them were alcholic. It left me very disappointed.
Most of the actual cast-iron recipes look very good. Some are "old friends" so to speak, and some I really want to try. However, this cookbook left me unimpressed overall.
I received a digital copy of this book from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley.com for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 8, 2013
Read my full review @ http://bit.ly/YX5PQQ
My opinion: What a fun and unusual cookbook this was. The sisters loaded it down with unusual, "down to earth", good Midwest, Western and Texas style recipes. I was in love. Utilizing nothing but cast iron skillets and dutch ovens in the cooking process. The pictures of the dishes were spectacular and well represented for the number of recipes in the book.
I think if I had one criticism of the book, it would be that some of the dishes were maybe a bit more difficult to prepare due to using charcoal briquettes in the preparation. I would have been ok with it had they supplemented those recipes with oven directions, but they didn't with several of them. I must state that these are recipes to be used in camping cooking, as well.
My opinion: What a fun and unusual cookbook this was. The sisters loaded it down with unusual, "down to earth", good Midwest, Western and Texas style recipes. I was in love. Utilizing nothing but cast iron skillets and dutch ovens in the cooking process. The pictures of the dishes were spectacular and well represented for the number of recipes in the book.
I think if I had one criticism of the book, it would be that some of the dishes were maybe a bit more difficult to prepare due to using charcoal briquettes in the preparation. I would have been ok with it had they supplemented those recipes with oven directions, but they didn't with several of them. I must state that these are recipes to be used in camping cooking, as well.
July 10, 2013
I aspire to be a SOTF,(Sister On The Fly) if ever my life releases me enough to go away. Having reread the first book many times, I was thrilled to buy this companion book. It is full of wonderful recipes, with a feminine pleasing twist, to cook in your cast iron, preferably over an open fire.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews