Welcome to the Kitchen

Historic Recipes and Traditions Cooked on Vintage Cast Iron

The Kitchen is where the history of cast iron comes alive. Here we recreate authentic recipes from 1900–1963—the dishes found in farmhouse kitchens, parish halls, county fairs, and family dinner tables. Each recipe is tested and adapted specifically for vintage cast iron cookware.

This is the food that shaped generations. And now, you can cook it again.

Cook With History: What You’ll Find Here

Period-Authentic Recipes (1900–1963)

Explore dishes inspired by:

  • German Catholic farm kitchens

  • Midwest and Appalachian home cooking

  • Church potlucks and parish suppers

  • Great Depression resourcefulness

  • Postwar comfort foods

  • Classic American breakfasts, breads, and desserts

Each recipe includes:

  • Historical background

  • Recommended cast iron size

  • Detailed cooking instructions

  • Tips for heat control and seasoning preservation

By Category

Breakfast & Farmhouse Mornings

  • Skillet-fried potatoes

  • Cast iron biscuits

  • Country bacon & eggs

  • Cornmeal mush

  • Hotcakes on a #8 griddle

Sunday Dinners & Parish Suppers

  • Fried chicken

  • Pot roast

  • Smothered pork chops

  • Country green beans & ham

  • Chicken & dumplings

Breads & Baking

  • Cornbread

  • Skillet rolls

  • Drop biscuits

  • Church-sheet cakes (baked in cast iron)

Farmhouse Desserts

  • Apple brown betty

  • Peach cobbler

  • Skillet sugar pie

  • Molasses cake

Heritage Holiday Cooking

  • Christmas skillet stuffing

  • Catholic feast-day dishes

  • Easter breads

Cook by Pan Size

Use your cast iron the way it was used historically.

  • #3–#5: eggs, biscuits, small side dishes

  • #6–#8: everyday workhorse skillets

  • #9–#10: Sunday dinners, frying chicken, cobblers

  • #12–#14: large family meals, feast-day cooking

  • Dutch Ovens: stews, pot roasts, baked bread

  • Griddles: breakfast, flatbreads, fried cakes

Each recipe will list the recommended size and pan type.

Featured Recipe Series

A rotating collection of historically grounded dishes.

Current Feature: 1940s Sunday Farmhouse Chicken

Pan: Wagner #8 or #9
Era: 1940s–1950s Midwest
A classic German Catholic Sunday meal, seasoned simply and fried in a well-loved skillet.
Cook This Recipe →

Cooking the Old Way: Our Approach

All recipes honor:

  • Traditional ingredients

  • Rural cooking methods

  • Cast iron heat retention

  • Timing and temperature control

  • Preservation of seasoning

  • Authentic, unfussy technique

These are not modern reinterpretations—they are historically faithful recreations grounded in family traditions and documented American culinary history.

Connect With the Museum

Each recipe links to a corresponding pan in the Museum:

  • Skillets from the same era

  • Size-matched cookware

  • Tools used in period cooking

  • Documentation and historical notes

Where to Go Next

Whether you're preserving family traditions, learning to cook on cast iron for the first time, or reconnecting with your heritage, the Kitchen welcomes you.

Bring your appetite—and a good skillet.