Feedback for Cooking Club 2013

TeletextPear

Faith wrote: »

The trouble is that most people don't know a week before they post what recipe they'll use, never mind months before.

Great feedback so far, keep it coming .

Maybe instead of asking people to give a rough idea of what they're going to cook, you could have 15 starter slots, 15 mains slots, 15 dessert slots and people choose which they'd like to do when signing up. Then you could alternate week by week between the three.

I'd love to see it continuing for another year, some of the recipes are firm favourites in my house (pasties, lemon drizzle cake) and it's a great source of inspiration for those nights when you don't know what to cook!

Dinkie

I don't make many of the cookery club recipes anymore - partly because some of them were too fancy and required too much effort to make, but mainly because I'm on a diet (2.5 stone lost )... but I still enjoy looking at the latest recipe and its pictures on the Friday.

The healthier recipes I still make - although I keep forgetting to post after making it. I do tend to thank the OP though! A good few of the recipes are regularly on the menu in my house now... some of the others are on my list for the future - so i'd still like to see it stay going.

Malari

I love that it's one of the only forums where you can drag up an old thread without getting chastised. I still feel chuffed when someone comments on a recipe I posted two years ago! I'm writing this while chowing down on Faith's chicken pesto from an old Cooking Club (/not trying to suck up). I sometimes go back a year or more before I end up trying a recipe. If I'm thinking "something different to do with salmon" for example, I'll seach the Cooking Club forum first, even if at the time of posting I wasn't insipred to cook it.

And if I can do anything to help I will too.

hdowney

The Hill Billy wrote: »

I looks like there are quite a few posters in favour of it continuing. I don't want to step on Faith's dainty toes here, but would like to ask...

Would any of the posters who voted for it to continue be willing to help run the Cooking Club?

I would deffo love to help out

I love the Cooking Club. I have so many recipes stored in my folders Fantastic. I even love the Veggie recipes and the crazier the better for me. I love to try new things, even Shark I am 100% behind cooking club and want to help it continue successfully in whatever way I can

Faith

It's lovely to see such positive feedback . It really makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks to everyone for the offers of help. It would be very informal - not moderating, just sending reminder PMs once a month or thereabouts, and chasing up recipes if they're not posted on time.

Sparks

Faith wrote: »

Is there something you'd like to see more or less of?

More unhealthy fun food please
Enough with your Sicilian fennel salads (bleurgh), give me chilli and barbecue and cake and chocolate and curry and deep fried everything wrapped in a tortilla with sour cream on the side!

(ps. I still have a thai soup recipe to write up that I spent a month perfecting - it was what the thai green soup used to be in Miller's Pizza Kitchen, and it only took about a dozen visits back there to get it just right )

The Big Red Button

As someone who's probably never posted in this forum.

I really enjoy it. It gives me great inspiration for my cooking and baking.

I am still very much an amateur - and a poor one - and I don't post, as I simply don't have any recipes to share as yet!

But I've learned loads here, and I follow it closely, and I'm hugely grateful to all the posters here who've taught me so much.

Thank you!!

pleasant Co.

While I still use the back catalogue, I can say without hesitation that I haven't been taken by any of this years recipes. Different strokes I guess I keep visiting the forum all the same.

Honey-ec

Dinkie wrote: »

I don't make many of the cookery club recipes anymore - partly because some of them were too fancy and required too much effort to make.

I'm the complete opposite, I found that this year a lot of the recipes were very basic and, as such, I just didn't have any interest in making them. I love the recipes that are completely out of my comfort zone, not something I'd make any night of the week as it is.

Unfortunately, because there's such a mix of very experienced cooks and complete beginners here, you're always going to get the "These are too fancy!" "These are too easy!" complaints, and I'm not sure there's a whole lot that can be done to counteract that. All I would say on the matter is that I do think the cooking club should continue, and I'll make a point of posting on any recipes that I do cook. It's just that, this year, personally, I didn't bother with a lot of them as they were stuff I'd make myself anyway.

oscarBravo

Honey-ec wrote: »

Unfortunately, because there's such a mix of very experienced cooks and complete beginners here, you're always going to get the "These are too fancy!" "These are too easy!" complaints, and I'm not sure there's a whole lot that can be done to counteract that.

I don't think you need to counteract it. It's a good mix; something for everyone.

Merkin

Faith wrote: »

Good point. I notice the main course recipes that get the most replies are usually simple dishes that you can pick up the ingredients for anyway, and don't take a lot of effort (BaZmO's carbonara recipe, for example). And my OH would not be impressed if I served a dinner without meat!

That's interesting. Dessert and cake recipes get a lot of attention, but I always feel like folk would generally prefer savoury meals. I wonder is there a way to balance the two?

Yes, me too. Maybe on that basis there should be two levels then Faith? Could that be a runner? I'm sure you don't want to convolute things but we could have one maybe for people who would be quite advanced cooks and want to try new ingredients and then one that is not advanced or intimidating where people just want an idea for an after-work, easy to prepare dinner?

It would mean creating more work for you guys that look after things here but I think there are enough supporters of the Cooking & Recipes crew that would sustain both clubs! I also think that because the forum encourages people to cook then having one club with very easy and simple dishes for beginners would be a great way of increasing volume!

leahyl

I really love this forum as I have taken a great interest in cooking shows and cooking books (:D) in the last few years so I love reading the recipes on here from 'real' people if you get me! Granted I haven't tried too many as I don't always have the kitchen to myself but it's great for getting ideas! It definitely should not be closed down! Keep up the good work everyone!

Faith

Merkin wrote: »

Yes, me too. Maybe on that basis there should be two levels then Faith? Could that be a runner? I'm sure you don't want to convolute things but we could have one maybe for people who would be quite advanced cooks and want to try new ingredients and then one that is not advanced or intimidating where people just want an idea for an after-work, easy to prepare dinner?

It would mean creating more work for you guys that look after things here but I think there are enough supporters of the Cooking & Recipes crew that would sustain both clubs! I also think that because the forum encourages people to cook then having one club with very easy and simple dishes for beginners would be a great way of increasing volume!

No, there's not near enough interest to sustain two different cooking clubs. It takes a good two weeks to get 40-odd people to sign up as it is, and getting stand-ins can be quite difficult. We'd like to keep things as simple and straight forward as possible, so I definitely wouldn't be in favour of creating more layers.

The Black Oil

We all discriminate one way or another - same as how we decide which emails we open first thing in the morning. Looking back at the 2010 list I can see a few things that have definitely faded from memory and I can see some of those have also had low responses. Re something being 'too elaborate', for me this was sometimes a practicality and time issue.

More generally, like others have said, some recipes I'd dip into reasonably often. At this stage I'd nearly check boards/tCC first before looking at certain cookbooks I have.

The Big Red Button

I wouldn't agree with making two separate clubs either - seems waaaay too messy.

Might it perhaps be an idea to try out having the forum as a bit of a 'free-for-all' - maybe, for say the first 3 months of 2013, instead of having a set schedule, allow anyone to start a new thread with their own recipe?

The experts amongst us could post up as many recipes as they want, instead of being confined to choosing just one 'cooking club' recipe for the whole year. Which would be awesome for the rest of us!!

And I think it would encourage the amateurs (like myself!) to post up an idea, without the pressure of it being your one week in the spotlight.

If, after three months (or whatever length of time), it wasn't working out, you could always go back to the usual format for the rest of the year.

CombatCow

I love the Cooking Club but prefer to read this post ( http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76297819&postcount=2 ) as I find the main forum too messy with older 2011 posts being pushed to page one and knocking the 2012 recipes out of order etc

Honey-ec

chatterpillar wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with making two separate clubs either - seems waaaay too messy.

Might it perhaps be an idea to try out having the forum as a bit of a 'free-for-all' - maybe, for say the first 3 months of 2013, instead of having a set schedule, allow anyone to start a new thread with their own recipe?

The experts amongst us could post up as many recipes as they want, instead of being confined to choosing just one 'cooking club' recipe for the whole year. Which would be awesome for the rest of us!!

And I think it would encourage the amateurs (like myself!) to post up an idea, without the pressure of it being your one week in the spotlight.

If, after three months (or whatever length of time), it wasn't working out, you could always go back to the usual format for the rest of the year.

Does the Random Recipe thread not kind of already cover that, though?

LaChatteGitane

Honey-ec wrote: »

Does the Random Recipe thread not kind of already cover that, though?

It does. And so far I haven't seen that many recipes in there or I just don't think about looking for that thread.

confusticated

Honey-ec wrote: »

Does the Random Recipe thread not kind of already cover that, though?

And the cooking and recipes forum itself covers it a bit no? I've seen recipes being put up there just because, nobody had asked for them or anything.

applehunter

Should be a cut off every year.

Too many efforts get lost in previous year chat.

Mellor

Sparks wrote: »

More unhealthy fun food please
Enough with your Sicilian fennel salads (bleurgh), give me chilli and barbecue and cake and chocolate and curry and deep fried everything wrapped in a tortilla with sour cream on the side!

I might enter this year, if i do I have something in mind along those lines.
It's a bit small so might need a side.


Failing that i'll go tex-mex with sourcream on the side

BaZmO*

I think it'd be an awful shame to cancel the Cooking Club. I always try to get around to making as much recipes as time will allow me, but I always make sure to comment when I do. I know how much effort goes into putting up a recipe so it's the least you can do.

I love the randomness of it so I wouldn't like to see it restricted to Starters -v- Mains -v- Desserts etc. You can't please everybody so just go with the ones you like. I also love the mix of complicated and simple recipes, each have their place.

If getting the numbers together is getting to be a bit of a hassle what about having a break in the summer? Maybe that'd give people a bit more focus for the second half of the year?

Sparks

Mellor wrote: »

Failing that i'll go tex-mex with sourcream on the side

You had me at tex-mex

Lovely Bloke

BaZmO* wrote: »

If getting the numbers together is getting to be a bit of a hassle what about having a break in the summer? Maybe that'd give people a bit more focus for the second half of the year?

Or maybe dispense with December altogether. That means there's less of a rush on getting the new year up and running, it gives a month and a half for people to sign up, get the lists sorted out and stuff, and December is a busy time for people as it is, without having to do up a recipe, or to make one from here and then post up about it.

We always make the effort on recipes we think we'll like, and almost always post a picture of our efforts too. It's good fun

There are recipes from here that have become "go to" midweek dinners, especially the less complicated ones, for when you don't have much time in the evenings. Others have become "weekend" dinners for when we've a bit more time.

Deserts too, love them all!

I want to make a special mention of Faith, she does absolutely brilliant work in the background in organising this forum, the people, the recipes, the lists, everything. You do a fantastic job.

I'll definitely be signing up for the 2013 version, and I can't wait to see the new recipes in the new year.

This is one of the best forums on all of Boards, and it's very obvious from the number of "thread views" that there are way, way more people looking at and cooking the recipes than just the people who post.

It would be great if all of those people signed up for an account and joined in.

We don't bite (much)!

Faith

TheNinthGate wrote: »

Or maybe dispense with December altogether. That means there's less of a rush on getting the new year up and running, it gives a month and a half for people to sign up, get the lists sorted out and stuff, and December is a busy time for people as it is, without having to do up a recipe, or to make one from here and then post up about it.

We don't run the club in December for the reasons you outlined . We do 40-something weeks, typically ending at the end of November.

blueshed

yes please keep it going, i turn here and the BBC food site for about 90% of my recipes and made the following many times.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055855181

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056221109

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056269873

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055822034

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056022762

Mrs Fox

Please keep TCC going. I look forward to it every week.
It is a bit disheartening when people don't respond or try out your recipe, but like all cookbooks, you realistically only try a handful of the recipes that interests you.
And I'm certain complexity isn't the main problem - just look at Curry Addict's thread on Indian Restaurant Curry recipes. It takes something like 7 days and 7 nights to make and yet it got phenomenal responses.

I've tried plenty of the recipes myself and while I don't post too often (unless I've taken a photo normally of what I've made) I would also love moar unhealthy dishes for 2013! But that's just me, a mix of things could be great.

And just to say, thanks Faith for all your help in pulling all this together, I'm sure it can be a headache at times chasing up people.

fitzcoff

I would love to see the cooking club continue, although I haven't tried a lot of the dishes, as I am a bit of a fussy eater as I don't eat fish and a few other bits,but I check in every week to have a peek.

This year I had a baby in June so pre baby I couldn't face cooking and since June I haven't had time. In saying that we held the christening at home and I cooked quiche and cheesecake from the cooking club.

Thanks to everyone (esp all the mods ) that contributes to the thread each year and I would hate to see if go.

The Black Oil

Delve into the cooking club
It done fed many with great grub
From decadent chocolate, to pulled meat
'Tis always a treat
Thereafter, give your full tummy a nice rub
:pac: