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How-To Tips to Get You Started Cooking With a Friend

Ten Simple Steps to Start Cooking With Friends


1) Find a cooking match. Look for a friend who compliments your cooking skills, goals and style.

2) Set realistic goals. What kinds of food and quantities do you want to make? Don’t tackle too much.

3) Stock your kitchen with basic supplies. You’ll need freezer-safe containers and bags to bring the food home.

4) Set a cooking date. Find a date and time that works for both of you. Figure on two to three hours.

5) Decide together what you want to make. Will you focus on freezer-to-oven weekday meals, soups, Sunday dinners or breakfast?

6) Choose your recipes. Decide what you’ll be cooking in advance.

7) Divide and conquer. Make a grocery list and split it equally. Ideally, shop the day before. Or, have one person shop and the other reimburse the shopper. It can also be fun to go to the grocery store together. You never know what will inspire you!

8) Choose a kitchen. In whose kitchen will you be cooking? Don’t let a well-stocked yet outdated one intimidate you. The kitchens with the most soul are the ones that are well-used by friends.

9) Be organized. Before your date, unload the dishwasher and make room in your freezer for the new food.

10) Have fun & enjoy. Share stories, laugh, chop, stir and simmer. Enjoy the end result as you pack up the day’s rewards & savor what cooking with a friend has brought you.

More How-To Tips:

Seven Things to Keep in Mind When Looking for a Cooking Partner

Eight Tips When Cooking Soup with a Friend

Ten Tips on Hosting a Cooking With Friends Club Soup Swap

Six Steps to Freezing Food

Eight Tips to Baking Cookies Together

Cooking Compatibility Quiz



Cooking with Friends is an interactive community of people who cook together as a creative outlet and as a way to grow and enhance friendships. We are a resource for cooking dates, recipe swapping, equipment sharing and more. Search the site for advice, inspiration, ideas and big batch recipes that will help you cook with your friends!