We wanted to hear about your favorite pieces for grilling and smoking or if you have any go-to dishes to whip up in the spring. You were baking up biscuits and cornbread and serving them with a side of fond memories. Needless to say, we want to be at your cookout!
My late husband was a chef, and when he wanted to make something very special that needed good, even heat control, he’d turn to cast iron. He’s been gone over 20 years and thanks to Southern Cast Iron, I’ve rediscovered cooking and baking in cast iron. I’ve always known that cooking in cast iron on the stovetop was great, but I didn’t realize how great it was for baking. Biscuits are my go-to cast iron baked item. I recently bought a scone pan, and it works wonderfully for scones. And the griddle is perfect for Welsh cakes. I could go on but you get the idea. EVERYTHING tastes better and comes out more beautiful when cooked in cast iron.
—Jessie Roberts
My Lodge 5CP2 has five good-sized cactus shapes, excellent for making cornbread! I got it secondhand, so I don’t have any idea how old it is—looks old. Works amazingly well!
—Donna Morris
I was blessed to marry into a family of wonderful Southern women who used their cast-iron skillets at multiple meals. Buttermilk biscuits and true cornbread (not the sugary boxed mix I grew up on) were staples in their households. A delight was extra leftover biscuits for a snack, and if you were visiting the family farm, those biscuits made the best dough balls for putting on your fishing hook out at the pond. A bite at your hook from the fish was guaranteed. I learned to make both the biscuits and the cornbread, but they are never quite as good as those I remember.
—Patricia Milstead
If you’d like to see your own letter featured on our website, submit your response to our latest newsletter prompt on our “Calling All Readers” page.
Find even more inspiration in our latest July/August 2024 issue!
