Online options for connecting through food

Let’s face it, we are all stretched for time whether it be family, work or any number of responsibilies which limit the opportunity to go out and do something just for ourselves. Exploding all over social media lately are online options that allow us to participate without leaving our home (and even watch at a later time or date).

Can’t take a cooking class IRL (in real life), chefs and authors are bringing themselves into our homes via Facebook live, Craftsy classes and other mediums. Today, I will share a few of those options and if you know of others to add to this list, please leave a comment here or email me at jenny at eatyourbooks dot com.

Gabriele Corcos has a new Cook-Along Facebook Live series: CounterTalk Live. Episode 4 will be this Tuesday and is a pizza party cook-along featuring recipes from his first book, Extra Virgin, Recipes and Love from our Tuscan Kitchen. Download the recipes, shop for your ingredients this weekend and be ready to cook along Tuesday. You can find out more at the CounterTalk Live website and on Gabriele’s Facebook page for this series. A link to the recipes are included in the emails you will receive once you subscribe. Tuesday’s recipes are (and are available for download):  

• PIZZA DOUGH
• PIZZA MARGHERITA
• PIZZA NAPOLETANA
• PIZZA BIANCA PROSCIUTTO E RUCOLA
• PIZZA AL CARPACCIO
• PIZZA A COLAZIONE 

Don’t forget to enter our contest for Gabriele’s new title, Super Tuscan which is open to US members until February 6th at midnight.

Katie Workman and Robin Miller  have launched their new cooking show through Craftsy entitled Real Life Cooking and the first episode can be viewed free! More information on the show from the Craftsy site: “As food celebs and cookbook authors, Katie and Robin appreciate fancy food but, as working mothers, they also appreciate the need to just get dinner on the table. Watch these two serve up practical ways – leftover makeovers, ground beef transformations – almost anyone can get a fast, easy and delicious dinners on the table in no time flat. Sit back and get inspired as these zany hosts approach cooking with a dash of practicality and a heaping scoop of humor.”

Craftsy has many cooking and baking classes available from our favorite chefs and authors including Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Rick Rodgers, Gesine Prado and many more.

Mouth Full? A food storytelling show with snacks… sometimes will be a Facebook live series featuring personal stories that have a food or beverage element. The show is open to anyone with a food story. The first show is scheduled for February 22nd with 6 wonderful storytellers: a chef, a cookbook author, a food-travel blogger/influencer, comedian, and two professional storytellers in the first show.. Find out more on their Facebook page linked above and at the website.

Cook the Book with Denise and Jenni is a cook-along Facebook show that I have mentioned here at EYB before. Recipes from certain cookbooks are featured and the authors of those cookbooks cook with Jenni Field of Pastry Chef Online. The Facebook audience can cook along as well. Find out more here. 

Mavencook is a new platform for cooking together (Asha Shivakumar the author of Masala & Meatballs will be celebrating her cookbook with Mavencook in an event in San Franscisco on February 10th). Mavencook brings interactive cooking workshops from around the world directly to you. When I have more information I will provide it. 

Last year, we featured a few of our favorite podcasts including Level Teaspoon and Cookery by the Book. In  2016, Darcie compiled a helpful list of podcasts for us that were available at that time. 

And don’t forget we have our two cookbook clubs The Eat Your Books Cookbook Club and the EYB Cooking through Ottolenghi’s Sweet – that you can join. The Cookbook Junkies is also a group where one can share their passion for cookbooks as is the forum here. 

What do you think about this new trend? Any other online options that we should know about?