Cooking clubs have been around for a while, but perhaps it's gaining much popularity these days because of the economic recession. The basic idea is for a group to pool their resources together, usually contributing a certain amount per week and cook a week's worth of food for the entire group.

According to the Foodie News Blog, there are several thousand cooking clubs in the United States. Cooking Light magazine claims to have started cooking clubs as early as 1999, when San Franciscan Amy Fong got together with other readers to form their own cooking club. According to the magazine, "The idea behind a CL supper club is simple: Because all members share a common interest in cooking and meal planning, creating the menu―and the meal itself―is a team effort."

NPR recently featured a group of New York-based women who joined a book club but found they never read any of the books. They decided to meet each week to cook and formed The Cooking Club. They've since written two books and expanded into a website, where women can gather and talk about their experiences and share recipes.

The money-saving potential of cooking clubs is obvious - buying in bulk can be frugal. Even Sam's Club is getting in on the action by having a Cooking Club section on their website, which makes it easy for members to form their clubs, go shopping and plan their meals. However, in all of the reports, the common element is about the camaraderie built around the cooking. Rosie Romo, a cooking club member featured on KABC LA says, "I think that's the point of it, is that, you know, you get together and you really help one another, and you have a good time doing it."

Labels: Cooking Clubs