How (and Why) to Start Your Own Cookbook Club
Plus, gift ideas for the home cook (and coffee lover) in your life.
In this post:
Bethia shares insights from nearly 10 years in a cookbook club.
We recommend a great gift for local coffee enthusiasts.
Plus, there’s a new Burmese market to check out.
How (and Why) to Start Your Own Cookbook Club
By Bethia Woolf
I have been a member of a cookbook club since November 2015. Coincidentally, next year we will celebrate our 10th anniversary with our 100th cookbook.
Whenever I tell someone that I’m a part of a cookbook club, I usually have to explain the concept. Essentially, it’s a book club combined with a pot luck dinner. Every month we pick a cookbook to read and cook from; we then gather for a dinner where we each bring one (or more) dishes from that book. While we eat, we discuss the recipes and the book. We discuss which recipes we would make again and whether the instructions were easy to follow. Then we socialize, enjoy the meal and pick our next book.
My friends approach the cookbook club with a variety of motivations. Some are looking for dishes to add to their regular repertoire and find gems that their family will enjoy. Some are looking for the best version of favorite dishes or the ultimate cake. We often revert to type and some are notorious for always bringing a dessert or salad. The male contingent in our group stereotypically leans towards meat dishes. I use it as an excuse to cook things that my family would not enjoy, and to challenge myself with something outside of my routine or to try a new ingredient or technique.
There are so many things I love about our cookbook club, in addition to a regular excuse to socialize with some of my best friends. I like that you really get to “test drive” a cookbook. Normally, if you buy a new cookbook, you make one recipe from it or just put it on a shelf and maybe never cook from it again. Rarely would anyone get to try 10 recipes from the same book.
I’m a much more confident cook now than I was a decade ago. In 10 years of our dinners I've improved my skills in the kitchen by embracing the challenge of cooking from many different authors and cultures. I've also learned a lot about the process of how cookbooks are written, and the unfortunate reality that some recipes are obviously not well-tested or even proofread.
There are recipes that I never would have tried myself—those that someone else made for the cookbook club and are now firm favorites. I’ve also expanded my repertoire of ingredients and cooked cuisines that I had no experience in before.
Over the years we have made many many recipes, but there are a few that have gained legendary status in our cookbook club—like the banana bread pudding from “Victuals,” roasted carrots from “Via Carota” and “The Short Stack Cookbook” baked beans. There have been a few clunkers, too, but here are some of our favorites over the years:
Our Favorite Cookbook Discoveries from Cookbook Club (and some favorite recipes)
“Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” by Betty Hallock and Josef Centeno (nachos, pecan pie)
“Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes” by Ronni Lundy (banana pudding)
“Small Victories” by Julia Turshen (meatballs, pot pie, lasagne, chicken soup)
“Smitten Kitchen Keepers” by Deb Perelman (green spaghetti and eggplant with Israeli couscous)
“Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home” by Eric Kim (maple glazed spam, smashed potatoes, creamed spinach)
“How to Eat a Peach” by Diana Henry (roasted tomato, fennel and chickpea salad)
“Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life” by Emily Kaiser Thelin (walnut roll)
“Jubilee” by Toni Tipton-Martin (potato salad)
“Go-To Dinners” by Ina Garten (pork tenderloin—this is such a great method)
“Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz (almond poppyseed bundt cake)
Tips for Starting a Cookbook Club
Pick your people: When recruiting people for a cookbook club, think about who will host. Will you alternate hosting or will one person habitually host? Try to find people who enjoy cooking and are interested in trying new recipes. We find that 8-10 is a perfect size group to try a good range of recipes, without it being overwhelming. We and so we can also all fit at a table together. Next, pick a book and date for the first meeting.
Keep it manageable: We meet on a Monday night so that people have the weekend to shop and cook. Remind your friends that you don’t need to scale up or double recipes. It has been our experience that there’s always plenty of food.
The library is your friend: We borrow books from the Columbus Library to keep costs down, and because it’s hard to know how much you will like a book before you cook from it. (I like to look through it to see how many recipes are appealing and seem realistic to make before I consider buying.) When choosing a book, we always check how many copies the library has and place holds on the CML app. For this reason, we generally focus on books that have been out for a year or two and not new releases. If someone hasn’t been able to get a copy of the book in time, we often share photos of recipes.
Book variety matters: Each year, we try to include a variety of books ranging from those really aimed at home cooks to more cheffy books to books focused on international cuisines. Every holiday season we pick a baking book. This year was “Bodega Bakes.”
Stay organized: We use a Google document to keep track of who can attend and who is bringing what dish. This has been invaluable as it helps to avoid duplication and also means that we can aim for a balanced meal with a mix of entrees, sides and desserts. The spreadsheet also serves as our RSVP list, so we know how many people to set the table for. We also keep a paper notebook with what people made and what books we have cooked from and it can be useful for future reference.
Be a considerate guest: Bring a serving spoon for your dish, and offer to help the host clean up and load the dishwasher. Offer to come early to help them set the table. Finally, bring a container or two to take some leftovers home.
Even More Cookbooks We Recommend
If you’re looking to expand your cookbook collection or gift a cookbook to someone else this Christmas, Columbus Food Adventures has collaborated with Prologue Bookshop in the Short North to offer a curated selection of some of my favorite, new-release cookbooks. For each of the selected volumes purchased, both Prologue and CFA will donate $5 to Columbus Food Rescue.
The picks are:
“What Goes With What” by Julia Turshen
“Marcella’s Italian Kitchen” by Marcella Hazan
“Indian Cooking” by Madhur Jeffrey
“Chinese Enough” by Kristina Cho
“The Bean Book” by Steve Sando
All can be purchased at Prologue or through its online shop.
Looking for a gift for that Columbus food lover that has everything? The Columbus Foodletter is full of insider-y insights into the local food scene, including tips on where to eat out, where to shop and what to drink. Consider gifting an annual subscription today!
Gift Idea: Florin’s Christmas Coffee
By Erin Edwards
Need a gift for the coffee enthusiast in your life? Located in North Linden, the neighborhood coffee shop Florin Coffee (874 Oakland Park Ave.) roasts their own beans and packages them in the cutest darn aluminum cans—ideal for keeping the oxygen at bay and recycling once you’re done. (A purchase of whole beans comes with a free drip or cold brew, too.)
This season, Florin is offering a Christmas Coffee roast that would look great on any kitchen counter on Christmas morning and taste even better in your cup. This medium roast hails from Papua New Guinea’s South Waghi Valley and offers tasting notes of “dark chocolate, cinnamon and comfort.” Just add flannel pajamas and a seat by the fireplace.
If you’d prefer a gift that keeps on giving, you could gift your coffee lover a subscription for whole beans from Florin. Options include three, six, nine or 12 shipments, and the recipient can choose which coffee roast they prefer. Shipping is free, too.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
Known for its excellent view along the Scioto Mile, Milestone 229 announced this week that it has failed to come to a lease agreement with the City of Columbus and will close permanently after 14 years. Its last day of business will be Dec. 31.
Did you know that Columbus now has a Burmese market? Mountain Asian Market, located at 3649 W. Broad St., has a variety of imported Burmese foods like pickled tea (laphet), snacks, noodles and mohinga seasoning. They also have some Vietnamese and other Asian goods.