I recently stumbled upon this podcast, and am absolutely addicted! Renee and Sara are unapologetically so honest and genuine in their reviews and thoughts of each recipe and cookbook that they discuss. As an avid baker and mom who cooks for her family or 5, I am always looking for new ideas and recipes. They share what works for their own families and help me determine if it’s something I or my family would love. I have purchased quite a bit of cookbooks because of this podcast, and they have all been worth it. Their cookbook club have done all the hard work of cooking through the recipes and sharing their thoughts, and I truly truly appreciate their efforts. I am sad that they won’t be continuing after this year, but this podcast is such a treasure trove of top recipes, ideas and delightful conversations. Thank you so much, Sara and Renee! From a grateful mom in Redondo Beach, CA!

Love listening to their experience with cook books. Then I know which ones to try to check out from the library and which ones I can skip. Also loving the non cookbook episodes about what they are cooking now and other fun topics. Currently listening to a past one on their favorite cooking tools. A new must listen podcast for me. Thank you ladies! Added 2/19/25–please do not stop the podcast! So sad you are ending. I recommend rotating a guest cohost from your cookbook club every week after Sara “retires” from the show. Then you do not go away

I’m sad to hear that this is the last season of the podcast. It has been instrumental in helping me learn to cook and giving me ideas on how to get food on the table each night. I particularly like the format: the podcast episodes switch back and forth between cookbook reviews and a deep dive on a food topic. Each episode is a well organized yet naturally flowing conversation amongst the hosts, who don’t hold back in sharing their wealth of knowledge. Thank you!

This is such a great podcast and I learn something new every week. I told my husband about it and now he listens too. He’s always saying “Sarah and Renee said….” It’s so funny when he does it. It’s like you guys have been friends forever and you’re coming to dinner.

I love this podcast

Really enjoy listening to this podcast! I’ve bought 3 different cookbooks that were well loved by Sara and Renee (Six Seasons, Indian Instant Pot, and Vietnamese Food Any Day!!). The honest reviews, including what they loved and what they didn’t, makes it feel as though you’re discussing with friends. If you love cookbooks, recipes, and talking about food… this is for you!

This is the best, most relatable and useful cooking podcast out there. I love every minute and have made so many of the wonderful recipes they’ve discussed. Chef’s kiss!

By far the best podcast. I am a new listener and I am hooked! Still catching up with what I’ve been missing. A big thank you from Ohio.

Sara and Renee, your podcast is one-of-a kind with your honesty, how involved and passionate you get about cookbooks and recipes, and the variety of topics and cookbooks you discuss. I am a greenhorn cook, and you’ve inspired me to try new recipes and cuisines. Your Cookbook Club is also an amazing idea to connect with friends, and I hope to start one with my friends and family soon!

I just found this podcast a few weeks ago and I’m loving it. Such a great conversational style in sharing perspectives – – thanks so much for taking the time to do this!

I’ve really enjoyed listening to this show. Hearing Renee and Sara talk about cooking gets me excited to cook too, and they give a lot of great recipe ideas.

I am so glad I found your podcast. I love listening to the details of the recipes you’ve made and hearing about the hits and misses in each one. I’ve tried so many new recipes in the cookbooks I have that you’ve reviewed, and I got some great ideas about no cook meals and holiday meals, and tips and tricks, like Rao’s meatballs!!. I also find this show soothing and relaxing, and kind and funny and it helps me unwind after a busy day. I also appreciate that you are reviewing books from a variety of diverse cuisines. My faves are Samin Nosrat, Eric Kim, Gregory Gourdet, Melissa Clark, Julia Turshen and Deb Perelman. I would be interested to hear your review of any Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. Thank you for this lovely show!

I love this podcast. Sara and Renee are so relatable. As a mom of young kids, I love a podcast by other moms who love to cook but keep things realistic and talk about whether recipes are feasible to throw together on a weeknight. I’ve loved trying the recipes and cookbooks they recommend.

Thank you for this podcast! I relisten to episodes and learn so much. It’s just fun. I wish you a healthy and productive new year. Sincerely, Alyson Cohen

I recently discovered this podcast and have been binge listening! This is a Podcast for working moms who love to cook from scratch and cook from and read cookbooks and who are also mindful of budgets and health. The hosts are very experienced home cooks (as am I) and the structure of the shows is very informative. I have also book marked and made many other suggested recipes that they mention. Made The Smitten Kitchen Confetti Cookies just today based on their love of them! I wish I had more friends like Sara and Renee who find time to cook from scratch and take on challenging recipes not because we have more time, but because we love it so much we make the time. A cookbook that I have had over 15 years and go back to is Molly Katzen’s The New Moosewood Cookbook. The Bulgarian Pepper Casserole is one I make just about every year when I have excess dill and I credit the adorable drawings in helping me learn how to eat a Tostada :) I am surprised to have not yet heard mentioned a bread machine on the show. I am such a lover of mine it has a permanent spot on my counter. I have neither the time, patience or hand strength to knead dough and so I use the machine exclusively for dough making at least twice a week. It’s so easy to make dinner bread, focaccia, or even pizza dough and you can even make most doughs on a timer to be read to shape, rise and bake when you get home. Cinamon rolls too! It’s a life saver for me. And I would like to offer another hack that I use a ton at the holidays when I am in the mood for mulled wine, a sangria, or drink syrup and that is flavored tea bags. SO many to choose from! As I diabetic I cannot do excessive amounts of juice and the flavored teas add such flavor impact. I just used some cinnamon tea today to flavor a chai syrup I’m making as I ran out of cinnamon sticks. Hope you ladies don’t mind the suggestion. A question I have for you both, and I have not yet listened to the actual 2nd episode where you might cover this in regards to how you operate your cook book club is how do you divvy up the recipes so no one gets stuck with cooking an expensive meat recipe whereas someone else might make a veggies dish, hence not distributing the costs evenly. I would love to know this and again apologize if you already covered it. Thank you both so much for this wonderful show! -Ann

I look forward to each release! Sara and Renee have such a great, relaxed, informative style! I love reading cookbooks, and this inspires me! I often borrow the books from the library, and it’s fun to compare notes with these ladies.

I got hooked back on the Campout Cookbook episode when we were planning our trip out to the Rockies in our pop-up. Since then, I have checked out 90% of the books covered in the podcast from our library and probably ended up purchasing at least 5😂. I have such fun listening to what the successes and fails were from each book. Also the easy conversation and great tips are awesome! My husband (who got me on podcasts to begin with) now just eye rolls every time I say “I heard on my podcast…” but he sure enjoys the food! Keep up the good work ladies!

I save this podcast as a treat to listen to while cleaning the kitchen or meal prepping, and am so excited every time a new episode is released. Sara and Renee have such an engaging and casual conversation style but still manage to keep every episode jam packed with great tips and information. It’s also really convenient that the recipes they mention are listed in the show notes so I don’t have to write everything down as I am listening. I also just feel such a kinship with these ladies as a fellow working mom and home cook around their ages. I want to be their friend!

So much fun listening to these gals dish on their favorite recipes from different cookbooks. Best way to get out of a cooking rut.

I really like cooking, but most days it’s a real struggle to think about what to cook, much less actually do it. What I love about Cookbook Club is that Sara and Rene are not shy about opening up their cooking lives for listeners. Dealing with allergies and picky eaters, figuring out how to repurpose leftovers, planning for hands off meals when you barely have enough time to press the “on” switch on the Instant Pot — we’ve all been there and it’s great to have these two ladies sharing their experiences and tips on how to get through it all. I must confess, I’ve listened to several of the episodes multiple times (especially the general cooking topic episodes) because they are so interesting and useful. The episodes on essential kitchen tools and managing freezer space were particularly helpful, and every episode is well organized, with super useful summaries, notes and links for reference. My only wish is that there were more episodes because I feel like there are so, so many topics that I’d love to hear their thoughts on. Thanks for a great podcast!

Before I had kids, I loved cooking for hours. Listening to this podcast is my way to stay connected to the feeling of joy even when reheating leftovers. I’ve picked up many great tips and found myself listening more just to hear the journeys of the hosts go through a huge variety of cookbooks and share their own lives and cooking strategies. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has felt joy when cooking regardless of your skill level.

Great for any home cook- experienced to beginner. The food talk is full of ideas about how to manage a home kitchen. I love how they talk about their lives (different diets, cooking week nights, etc) and how that influence how they cook at home.

I literally alter my exercise plans when a new episode comes out. Makes my walks/runs go by so much faster! Keep up the great work. Have you done a pizza episode yet? Because if not what are you waiting for? ❤️

My daughter recommended this podcast and now I tell everyone about it! What a fun take on cooking. I never thought of try it before you buy it idea. Keeps my bookshelves from exploding with cookbooks I rarely use. I look forward to every episode! Great work ladies!

Discovered this podcast because the apple podcast algorithm (I guess algorithms are not all bad) recommended it. This podcast is a REVELATION…full of pragmatic reviews and tips, lively, funny, cheerful and inclusive! I am almost done binging the entire catalog and done if them I’ll listen to again. Anyone who loves food and loves cooking would love this podcast. I wish I could join the actual cookbook club and befriend these ladies!

I find myself wishing I could drive down to Portland to joint their monthly cookbook club. The podcast has a great conversational style that sounds like 2 friends sitting down over a cup of coffee talking about cookbooks, food, and great meals. Who wouldn’t want to join them? I love listening to this podcast while washing the dishes after dinner and look forward to each new episode.

I discovered this podcast one night when I couldn’t sleep. I listened to episode after episode that night-it’s that good. I borrow your upcoming cookbooks from the library and it’s been so fun to discover new to me cookbooks. I really do look forward to each episode!

Great podcasting voices - every time you say "so good" it SOUNDS so good. The category episodes like vacation meals are also a gem and very practical. Love the simple final conclusion of "keep or return" and not some complex categorical rating system like other cookbook reviewers do. Can't wait to hear what other cookbooks you try out.

Love it! Great chemistry, practical advice, interesting discussion… I enjoy listening while waiting for my kids to fall asleep, and find the voices very soothing. I think I’ve listened to each episode twice already since I found the show, and the only other podcast I’ve ever done that with is Home Cooking :)

Sara and Renee are the two hosts of this podcast, but they are also members of a cookbook club of about a dozen women who meet monthly to share and discuss foods from that month’s chosen cookbook, and this is one of the podcast’s strengths. You don’t just get two perspectives or experiences with a cookbook— you get those of an entire group, which means a lot more cooking styles and recipes shared, and therefore a lot more feedback. As a home cook and cookbook lover, I find this really helpful. They both have kids to feed, which is the stage of life I’m also at, and their enjoyment of cooking is contagious. OK, so I don’t have a meat CSA or local bulk grocery because I’m not in Portland, sadly, but mostly this is working moms who like to cook and who want some diversity in their cookbook collection, so there’s a lot of overlap with my life. It’s just a friendly, practical, helpful, inspiring podcast, and I’m glad I found it.

This podcast is the fresh breeze that blew all of the uber religious, ultra conservative, judgy cooking/homesteading podcasts out of my listening rotation. The cookbook and recipe recommendations are thoughtful and spot on. Listen to this podcast if you enjoy cooking, eating, or just listening to modern, conscientious, practical people chat about a topic they love.

I love this podcast and can’t wait for each episode to drop. I have a slight cookbook obsession, so they are speaking my love language. The hosts are really fun and knowledgable and get me really excited to try all kinds of new recipes. I get inspired each time I listen. So awesome!

I love hearing these women talk about the interesting things they are cooking, and they inspire me to be more adventurous. I’ve made several of the recipes because they describe them so deliciously I have to try it myself. Summer strawberry cake I’ve made 3 times! My only complaint is that you don’t make episodes several times a week! Love this podcast!

I found this show on Spotify (looking for reviews of Six Seasons) and now I’m listening to all the episodes at a very rapid pace! I’m definitely a fan. It’s a very sophisticated take on home cooking. A perfect middle ground between the professional food journalists and chefs and the goofy Pinterest blogs.

Cooking shows are my go-to watch, as they remind me of my grandpa and I love to hear people talking about things they love! I’ve recently taken up running and I’ve been searching for a podcast that gives me those same happy, comfy feelings when I’m feeling anything but. The Cookbook Club has totally filled that need for me!! I was wishing I could have someone to chat with while trudging along, but I literally can’t breathe so a conversation with anyone would be a no go. Listening to Sara and Renee feels like sitting and talking with friends without actually having to talk while huffing and puffing. Summer Berry Cakes totally inspired me and I found myself at the farmers market the next day! Thanks ladies, can’t wait for the next episode :)

Just discovered this podcast and am binging all. They are down to earth and make me fool good about my daily meal planning dilemmas. I’m not alone.

I’ve learned so much about cooking at home from listening to each episode. Several of my favorite episodes hold up well for multiple listens. This is a smart and fun way to learn some new skills in the kitchen. Thank you to the two hosts and their guests!

I love this podcast! As a home cook I really appreciate the tips and recommendations from these similar home cooks. We cook from the same books, enjoy similar foods, and share common cooking frustrations or challenges. I’m always excited for the next episode to come out. Keep up the excellent work!

I’ve tried several other cookbook podcasts, but I like this one best. First, I love that the focus is on the recipes rather than the author. Secondly, I love that the hosts cram SO much helpful information into each episode - I always feel like I come away with so much new knowledge and inspiration both about the book they’re covering AND numerous other cookbooks, authors, recipes, and techniques that they mention in passing. Lastly, I love that the hosts are honest and real people who are cooking in real, busy life with kids, jobs, etc. - they talk about things that don’t work out for them, who the books are NOT for, and seem to give real opinions as to what they like and whether they think the book deserves a spot on their shelves. Wish there were episodes more frequently, but I totally get that then they would lose their depth, which is one of the things I love about them!

This episode was so informative, many good ideas were shared. I like taking part in meal trains, and I will certainly refer to the references listed. In general, I feel like I’m sitting with a group of friends while listening to the pod casts. Well done!!

Listening to this podcast feels like you’re part of your own cooking club. I love hearing the tips, faves and flops, and modifications to fit various dietary needs.

I enjoyed this episode on Small Victories and will be trying some of the recipes you recommend. Looking forward to the next show!