A method for processing steel slags and optionally iron carriers such as, e.g., electric furnace slags, converter slags, dusts derived from steel production, mill scale or secondary metallurgical residues, in which the molten steel slags or iron carriers are supplemented with chromium ores or chromium-containing and/or nickel-containing dusts in order to adjust a slag basicity of 1.2 to 1.6, whereby the bath temperature is maintained at above 1600° C., in particular between 1650° C. and 1800° C., and a carbon-containing iron bath is provided or formed. In addition to environmentally safe slags, a high-grade ferrochromium alloy may be recovered, thus enhancing the economy of the method.