How to Host a Cookbook Club
A tiny glimpse of my extensive color-coded cookbook collection that sits in my office.
I love cookbooks. My collection is easily in the hundreds. I love to read them, borrow them, study them and love learning from them. Some of my best cooking tips have been in the sidebars of cookbooks where authors will add a little “cook’s note,” an interesting fact, or helpful hints that are in between the lines of the recipe instructions. But the problem with having hundreds of cookbooks is that there is NEVER enough time to make all the recipes. Enter: The Cookbook Club.
I learned about cookbook clubs a few years ago and immediately made it a life goal to start one. Simply put, there’s no right or wrong way to host a Cookbook Club but there are some basic guidelines. After doing some research and thinking on it a bit, I came up with my own formula (below) but you can tweak this flow in a way that works for you and your friends.
I’ve tried to anticipate as many Qs as I can but I’m always happy to elaborate. What other questions do you have about Cookbook Club? Drop me a message at @littlehouseonthehudson on Instagram or send me a note littlehouseonthehudson@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!
COOKBOOK CLUB 101
I print menus for guests to refer to as they dine and that recognizes each chef for their dish(es).
A snap at the end of a delicious dinner from our June Cookbook Club meeting earlier this year.
I mix reusable and disposable serving pieces to simplify set-up and clean-up and keep floral / plant arrangements small to maximize space for guests.
What IS a Cookbook Club?
A Cookbook Club meets regularly to cook and enjoy recipes from a single cookbook at each gathering and then share, reflect and discuss the book. It’s a great way to enjoy trying out a number of recipes from one cookbook at a time and enjoy a delicious and ample meal with friends who love food!
How Many People Participate?
The magic number is somewhere between 12 - 16. Too many people and it gets a little clunky to find the space and overwhelming with too much food. Too few people and you don’t get to try enough recipes. Plus, undoubtedly kids get sick, babysitters cancel, business travel beckons, schedules get packed… not everyone can make every club meeting. With this many members, you’ll probably land between 8-12 attendees at every meeting, which is really where you want to be in terms of size and scale.
A Pimm’s Cup featuring fresh cucumber from the garden serves as the welcome cocktail to greet guests as they arrive.
Set the table in advance but wait to print the menus (if you so choose) until a few hours before the evening as there may be last minute changes!
Guests are offered an amuse bouche as they arrive. This is spicy tomato jam served on a cheddar crisp cracker with baby basil. The take home gift that evening was a small jar of the same spicy tomato jam.
Where Does Cookbook Club Take Place? Who Hosts?
Any where you want! I love to host so we typically host them at my home but we’re going to rotate a few times per year to other people’s homes who want to dabble in hosting fun. Not everyone loves to host or has the space to do so comfortably so it shouldn’t be a prerequisite for entry!
How Often and When Does Cookbook Club Meet?
This is up to you. Monthly and quarterly are both great options. We meet every other month — so, six times a year. It makes it frequent enough that we get to do this regularly but not so often that it feels like a hard thing to find room for in the schedule. Plus, with it being every other month, it gives us all something to get excited about and look forward to because it feels like something special on our calendars. It also allows us to celebrate the change of seasons in the recipe selections we choose. We use Google Doodle polls to zero in on dates that are ideal and select the date that has the most number of attendees free.
How Do You Select a Book?
When Cookbook Club launched, I selected the first title (Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman) because it had just recently been published. (We had a two year delay thanks to Covid!) After that, we discuss the next book at Cookbook Club and use a Google Form to vote for favorites if we have a number of contenders. Ideally you want to choose a book that’s available at your local library but some people will undoubtedly want to buy the books, too (myself included)! We’ve also talked about doing Cookbook Club nights where you may honor one chef who has a number of cookbooks a la participants can choose “Anything Ina (Garten)” or “Anything Ottolenghi,” for example. This stretches beyond one book but honors the cooking style and genre from a single chef.
I love to offer a little take home gift to extend the fun from the evening so I always cook up one extra recipe from the book to give to attendees as they leave.
As guests arrive, place cards are ready to grab to accompany their dishes so everyone know’s what’s what.
Guests bring their dishes ready to serve along with their own serving utensils.
How Many Recipes Does Everyone Make?
Everyone makes at least one recipe from the book. Some people like to make more and that’s really up to the participants. At our Cookbook Club, I usually choose to make two things from the book. Plus, I like to offer a little bonus or surprise! In my pre-kid life, I used to love going to eat at fancy restaurants and was always delighted when they’d send us home with a little treat to enjoy the next day. So that was an important part of what I wanted to add to my Cookbook Club. I usually look for a recipe in the book that I can make ahead so I’m not trying to do too much on the day of the event. At the end of the evening I hand out the little presents and take pleasure in the surprise each time. I’ve made mini lemon turmeric tea cakes from Alison Roman’s Nothing Fancy, garlic scape compound butter from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons and last night I sent everyone home with a small jar of spicy tomato jam from our most recent selection, America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Summer Cookbook. And, since my garden is in full bloom, everyone also got a little cup of Sungold tomatoes to celebrate the season, too!
Do You Double Recipes? How Do You Make Sure There’s Enough for Everyone?
You make the recipe as is. Most recipes serve 4 or more which works out fine but if the recipe calls for serving 12 or eight it doesn’t matter - just follow it as is. There’s always so much food we undoubtedly always end up with plenty of leftovers for all.
How Do you Make Sure Everyone Brings Something Different?
Two words: Google Docs! I made a template that outlines what people will bring, if they’ll be bringing any wine/drinks to accompany their dish, and offers a space to share notes. It’s also a great place to note any allergies so that people can be mindful if there’s an allergy in the group to avoid recipes that contain those ingredients and/or alert the group if there’s an allergan in one of the dishes.
Does the Host Supply ALL the Drinks and Serving Dishes, etc.?
Not quite. Everyone is responsible for bringing their own serving dishes and serving utensils. I usually create a crowd-pleasing welcome cocktail for guests to enjoy when they arrive and put out a mix of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage choices along with a big pitcher of water. (I love using this beverage dispenser for water from Magnolia’s Hearth & Hand line at Target and this hammered silver beverage tub to hold cold drinks and wine). I use melamine dishes for plates so they’re (A) easy to pop in the dishwasher at the end of the night, (B) work inside or outside depending on where we sit and if we move around, and (C) reduce the stress if anyone drops anything. I also use disposable cups and silverware because my regular set wouldn’t accommodate everyone and it makes cleanup much simpler! For napkins, I swear by triple-ply, decorative disposable dinner and cocktail napkins. Ones like these from Caspari or Vietri are the best! They hold up a little more than regular napkins and they add a pretty element to the table.
Where Does Everyone Sit?
Anywhere you can find a seat! Ha. We can fit about 10 at my dining room table. So far we’ve made it work but there will undoubtedly be an evening where we split up around the house and sit in different areas. Cookbook Club doesn’t have to be formal. Lean into the size of your club and figure out what works best for you. I usually put utensils and extra napkins on the table in a single vessel for diners to grab as they sit down to eat.
How Do You Know What’s What When Dishes Arrive?
I use small table tent place cards to label all the dishes and I also love to print off menus for the table to help everyone refer back to what’s on their plate and take home as a little memento, should they choose!
How Long Does Cookbook Club Last?
About 3 - 4 hours. I start Cookbook Club at 7:30 sharp, realizing that most people can not get anywhere “sharp” anymore. From 7:30 - 8pm I offer welcome cocktails and light snacks to allow guests a cushion of time to arrive. Everyone should really commit to come no later than 8pm and be ready to eat for the benefit of all the guests. After all, we’re waiting on all the dishes to arrive — not just the people! We typically wrap up around 10:30/11.
Does the Food Have to be HOT When You Serve It?
Hard no. Before guests arrive, I usually preheat an oven to “warm” or a low temperature to allow guests bringing dishes best served hot / warm to reheat and/or stay warm during cocktail time. Otherwise everyone is welcome and encouraged to bring their dishes ready to serve at room temperature. If you’re really worried a dish won’t taste great served in that method, my best advice is choose a different recipe that you feel good about!
We try to choose cookbooks that honor the seasons that we’re in and feature fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Dishes can be set out at room temperature. If a dish will truly lose its integrity not served hot or cold, keep it warm in the oven / stovetop or in the freezer until it’s time to serve.
Allow a grace period for guests to arrive. We enjoy the cocktail half-hour / hour before dinner just as much as the meal itself.
What Do You Wear?
That’s up to you entirely. Our club uses it as an excuse to get a little dressed up beyond the norm but that’s entirely up to you and your participants. Leggings and sweatpants attire would be just as welcome. :)
What if You Don’t Like to Cook?
Maybe join a different club? Kidding. Cookbook Club is likely most enjoyed by friends who truly love to cook but some people aren’t as comfortable or want to participate even if they aren’t as big (or as confident) a cook as others. That’s A-OK! Fellow club members can steer them towards “no bake” recipes or simpler dishes (or cocktails!) that are easier to prepare and spark joy, not dread. I would never want to exclude anyone from Cookbook Club simply because they didn’t feel confident in the kitchen. That’s the WHOLE POINT… Celebrating food, learning together and from each other!
How Do You Handle Leftovers?
Everyone is encouraged to BYOT (Bring Your Own Tupperware) for this sole purpose! After the meal is over, everyone goes around and helps themselves to a leftover plate to bring home.
How Long Does it Take to Clean Up?
Cookbook Club is the dinner party you never knew you wanted because clean up is A BREEZE. Since everyone comes and leaves with their own serving pieces, the only dishes you end up with are the dozen or so plates you’ve used and any additional serving vessels you might have pulled out for cocktail hour or to make your own dish. Everything else gets recycled and/or disposed of easily. We’re usually cleaned up in 20 minutes or less.
