Everything You Need To Start A Cookbook Club

So many women will laugh and say, “Oh no, I can’t cook,” as if they’ve boxed themselves into a fluffy, decorative stereotype without trying to make an effort to learn, even if that simply means overcoming an initial confusion or lack of formed skill. Sure, not every girl was taught to cook growing up – but if you can read, then you can cook!  

You don’t need to be a chef or know how to make dozens of delicious recipes by heart, from scratch, but rather be willing to explore what your taste buds and your social happenings might like to experience. And recipes literally list every step and measurement, so if you can read, you just follow the recipe! You could also watch some cooking tutorials on YouTube for extra tips. 

Besides, cooking is a skill that comes in handy, be it to make an edible gift for a neighbor, cook delicious food for your kids or loved ones, bring a yummy and homemade contribution to an office holiday party, or stand out to any eligible bachelors at the monthly young adult potluck if you’re single and ready to mingle (a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, after all). 

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What’s a Cookbook Club?

Have you ever heard of a book club or a running club? Right, we’re talking about a social group of people who periodically meet to explore and practice a certain activity or skill. A cookbook club is exactly that, but it’s focused on cooking, exploring recipes, and learning culinary tricks of the trade.

If you’re the cookbook club’s host, you might start the “meetings” at your home and host more often than the other members until someone volunteers their place as an option. Or the group could vote to rotate locations each time you meet (unless it’s easier for you to always host it, if you have the space and equipment). Your club could be just women or a mixed group of guys and girls. And you could decide if you’re open to anyone bringing friends or inviting a new member.

A cookbook club might include women who’ve been cooking all their lives, some who’ve just recently discovered their passion for culinary chemistry, and also those girls who have absolutely no idea what they are doing around a mixing bowl or a frying pan. But not to worry, a cookbook club is not a competition – it’s a creative outlet and a social gathering place to share a love of food and togetherness. Not to mention, it’s a great excuse for social time in the midst of your adult life. We all get caught up in our busy schedules, but we need time with friends, and cooking with others is so much more fun and memorable than just tinkering at the stove all by your lonesome! And let’s not even talk about how depressing it is to constantly be microwaving those bland, frozen meals…

How To Start a Cookbook Club

A cookbook club might sound fun at first, then feel daunting if you think of everything at once without knowing where to start. So here are some tips for constructing your own from beginning to end.

First, if you’re the one starting it, then you’ll probably host the group meetings. Propose the idea to some friends to see who would want to join and make a group chat! It’s understandable to want to invite a lot of people, but you do have to be practical and set a cap depending on the size of your hosting space. Thirdly, decide how often your group would meet (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.). Feedback is helpful to see what is doable for the majority. 

You can decide whether you as a group will cook a new recipe and have everyone bring something to contribute (list a poll in your group chat for people to pick an ingredient to buy and bring), or simply have everyone bring a dish and share how they made the recipe (more like a potluck, easier for a bigger group). You could also pick a different cuisine or theme to explore each meeting. This makes it easier to pick a cookbook/recipe to use. For example, pick Asian and do sushi rolls and stir-fries, or explore different Latino dishes and do tapas style with appetizers, then try charcuterie boards, etc. 

Cookbooks To Explore

Now, we get to the main course! Besides any iconic recipes you might want to learn that are fun to make (and show off), you can also enlist the help of the culinary legacies, the secrets of chefs entombed in the written word, a.k.a. the cookbook. And, of course, there’s Pinterest. 

So, time to crack open the dusty cookbooks sitting on your shelf! Yes, an actual physical book. You can’t have a cookbook club without at least one cookbook present, even if it’s mostly used as the table decoration and you refer to your favorite Instagram food blogger the majority of the time. But don’t stop there. Some of the great classics include Martha Stewart and her wide collection of cookbooks ranging from entertaining and hors d’oeuvres to holiday cooking and grilling. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child is considered one of the greatest cookbooks ever published. The Pioneer Woman Magazine offers hearty meals that warm the heart and home. Of course, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has given us some delicious recipes for fitness nutrition as well as home cooking (you can buy his cookery course on Amazon), and his cookbook Uncharted includes recipes from around the world. If you’re a pasta girl, check out Pasta Every Day. 

If you’re into healthier recipes, or want to be, try out health cookbooks, such as The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners, Whole30 Fast & Easy, and The Gluten-Free Cookbook for Families for gluten-sensitive baking. Dr. Fuhrman’s cookbook Eat for Health is also considered one of the top options for healthy cooking for youthful longevity and weight management. And for our cycle-syncing gals, go download the 28 Wellness app for hormonal nutrition and wellness recipes (use code Anna28 for a membership discount). 

For online references for variety, some great cooking and baking pages on Instagram include Gordon Ramsay (predictably), Professionalchefs, Chef Marcelo Mintz, JS Health, The Pioneer Woman Magazine, Jenna Barnard and her blog Butternut Bakery, Alexia Delarosa, UK food stylist and writer Steph Taylor, and Danielle Walker for grain-free recipes. And, of course, Pinterest has every category of cooking, baking, and food presentation imaginable! 

Hosting Details

Hosting means you have to have sufficient cooking space, the dishes, the cooking equipment, and eating space. Firstly, don’t forget to set up a fun playlist to add to the ambiance! Personal cooking favorites are the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, Frank Sinatra, and the Pink Martini album, which has jazzy Italian, French, and Spanish songs. You could even pick cultural music aligned with the decided cuisine theme for that evening’s cooking!

Secondly, plan your eating space. It could be a table inside or outside, or picnic-style outside, or Bohemian-style inside, complete with rugs and pillows. A low coffee table for the food presentation could be super cozy with a small group!

Pinterest has adorable hostess ideas and, of course, a gazillion of them. If you want to decorate your space and/or table to look cute, you could add:

• a vase of flowers or a pretty table decoration (seasonal décor is such a fun rabbit hole)

• a charcuterie plate 

• a matching dinner plate set with napkins

• a couple of snacks as appetizers 

• a water pitcher with water glasses and wine glasses

No need to shop for a whole new kitchen! If you don’t have a cooking tool, ask the others if they have it and can bring it! But be sure to have:

• A saucepan, a small size to cook small amounts of ingredients

• A medium-to-large pot. I recommend having a small, a medium and a large pot set, just to be safe. I usually use a stainless-steel pot, such as Hamilton Beach’s. 

• A medium-to-large skillet. I love my Lodge cast-iron skillets for sautéing veggies, but some prefer stainless steel pans. If you like cooking Asian food, a large wok pan like this one is handy to have. 

• The usual cooking utensils, such as a ladle, spatula, big wooden spoon, and measuring utensils and cups. 

• Basic seasonings, salt and pepper, and grass-fed butter and/or extra virgin olive oil on hand for greasing.

• I love my air-fryer, but that’s not absolutely necessary unless you want to try air-fryer recipes.

Cooking Movies for Fun Motivation

Besides the random cheesy (though so wholesome) Hallmark production about someone who stole a family recipe then fell in love with a professional rival, there are some fun movies made around the kitchen you could play for your cooking group after you finish eating. Of course, Ratatouille is a classic. Julie & Julia is probably the most captivating cooking film. The movies Burnt (Bradley Cooper) and No Reservations (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are more about the trials of a chef, but at least they’re entertaining! 

If you want something shorter with more real-life settings, you could try The Great British Baking Show or Chopped Chef for an episode here and there to watch together after you enjoy the fruits of your labors (and get further creative inspiration). If you want to learn about cocktails and mocktails (cooking is thirsty work, after all), check out Drink Masters. 

The culinary arts are by no means restricted to women – some of the best chefs in the world are men – but it is a creative art that can be even more enjoyable with your community of female friends. And it can be a great way to meet new friends if your friends bring their friends! And who wouldn’t want an excuse to make and eat delicious food? Say less.

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