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A cooking club can take almost any form. Here are five formats to try:

Cookbook Critique Choose a cookbook and assign each club member a different recipe.

All Desserts Everyone prepares something chocolate, say, or a different kind of cookie. Or try a pie tasting that compares butter-, lard- and shortening-based crusts.

World Cuisines Explore the planet: Italy, Spain, Thailand, Chile.

Iron Chef Pick a seasonal ingredient—one common and another more esoteric—for members to use in each recipe.

Wine Pairings The host chooses the wines in advance and members each bring a dish that will pair well with one of the bottles.

If you want help getting started, go to foodandwine.com/cookingclub for menus, tips on organizing a group and more.