Hosting a cookbook club is a fun and interactive way to get together with family, friends, and neighbors to share and explore new recipes, cooking techniques, and culinary traditions.
The perks? Cookbook Club takes the time commitment out of reading a standard novel and eliminates the pressure of picking the perfect dish to share as the recipes are already supplied.
Ditch the novels for the num-nums and host a cookbook club with our step-by-step guide.
Start your own Cookbook Club.
1. Decide on a book/theme.
- Keep it inclusive. Be mindful that some cookbooks have hard-to-find local ingredients, require fancy kitchen appliances, or take a bazillion steps in the cooking process. Unless you have a skilled group of chef friends, select cookbooks with simple ingredients and procedures.
- Reference your local library's online database. Search for cookbooks that are available locally (with multiple copies) or available on any of the library's streaming apps. Click the links below to borrow your cookbooks directly from Englewood Library:
- Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals by Suzanne Lenzer
- 5 Ingredients or Less Slow Cooker Cookbook by Stephanie O'Dea
- The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen
- Plenty: Vibrant vegetable recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi
- Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
- Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives by Nadiya Hussain
- Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines
- The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime by Ree Drummond
- Brilliant Bites: 75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion by Maegan Brown
- Once Upon a Chef, The Cookbook by Jennifer Segal
2. Choose a dish.
- If your cookbook has multiple sections (ie. appetizers, meats, veggies, desserts), consider if you want to divvy up the categories or go with a free-for-all approach.
- To avoid having the same dish prepared by multiple people, create a shared document where everyone can commit to their dish ahead of time.
- Prepare the dish exactly as the recipe states. This will help set up expectations when you try to re-create the dish after your event.
3. Gather. Eat. Enjoy.
- Have a copy of the cookbook available near your serving area. You can add a Post-it note to each featured recipe or print a list of all the expected dishes with page numbers so guests can reference them as they test each dish. Guests can rate each recipe and go home with a list of their new favorites.
- Encourage guests to bring to-go containers for any leftovers.
Bon appétit!
