Is DOTM a big thing at Chowhound? I am just wondering if anyone is interested in doing that here.
Yes. I participated sometimes.
Everyone decides on a dish or ingredient(s). Make it and tell about it or post pics.
Sounds interesting, DOTM reminds a bit of Top Chef, the last Chance Kitchen.
Also, someone suggests a while ago about cook book club. Choose a book (in our case can be a chef, or a cooking style), everybody choose their favorite dishes to cook. At the end of the month, we can have a deeper understanding of a cuisine or a chef’s style.
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Presunto, you are quite active with WFD, do you have an idea around how many participants? (I new there so I couldn’t tell). DOTM will work, if there is a large number of active and dedicated home cooks.
The home cooking versions seem to have lots of motivated contributors, and are valuable threads to go back to. That said, I don’t cook much so don’t take my word for it!
The SFBA restaurant version prompted many great discussions, but participation was low and near the end it was like pulling teeth to keep things active.
I would definitely participate in a DOTM thread. So count me in as interested.
On that wretched site there were quite enough regular participants. A lot of them were also the WFD people, btw. Also, there were people who only participated on that thread (and the cookery book of the month thread).
I was only a casual participant (only have time to cook and photograph at weekends/not so frequently), didn’t even open the thread if a dish or ingredients of the month did not interest me. It could or could not work on here as we are far smaller in number. Well, there’s only one way to find out.
I encourage you to give it a go :@))
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I have never participated in one and I don’t even know what it means.
I will move this thread to site talk and post a link to this thread from the wfd thread and gauge interest.
I’ve participated and helped a little with coordinating the Home Cooking Dish of the Month.
The idea is to choose a dish (ingredient and method) to cook during the month. “soup” is too broad - "beer-cheese’ soup would be specific enough. As participation on CH has dwindled the DOTM has become a little less specific. For example, last month it was Souffles rather than specifying sweet or savory. This month is Stew with no specification as to ingredients.
Basically there is a week of nominations (dish listed in caps). The coordinator then winnows the top nominations into a group that makes the most sense for the vote. Voting lasts about a week. Then the new thread with the winner is introduced. There is also a thread which simply lists the monthly themes with links - useful as a cooking resource and as help when making nominations.
It is fun, develops community, helps you up your cooking game and find proven recipes.
A number of the CH DOTM participants are on HO too. I think it could work!
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I didn’t participate much in these threads but I definitely enjoy reading them. I’ve gotten many great recipes and ideas from them over the years!
I would give it a try.
Not interested
Like Presunto I’d participate in the DOTM if I were interested in the Dish chosen though a nomination and election. If I voted for the dish I would be bound to cook it.
As for the COTM, Cookbook of the Month, I was a Very active participant almost from the start. It’s only in the last few months, and certainly after the roll-out, that I became disenchanted with the books being selected. For example this month is the third time the Zuni Cafe book is being cooked from.
Both cooking boards really need a coordinator. Usually it’s a six month term. Volunteers are requested by the current coordinator sometime before the six months are up.
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Ah- i just went back to Chowhound and looked. looks like DOTM threads were not very active already in 2015. COTM, however, seemed more active.
So I started a separate thread below to gauge interest in COTM. replies on COTM go there please.
what do the coordinators do?
They initiate nominations, format the voting and start the thread for the months winner. They answer questions, try to keep things on topic and often provide extra info (links, trivia, etc.) to provide inspiration for those who need it.
Ex: DOTM Souffles - I provided a link for a video of Judith Jones demonstrating a souffle for one. This seemed to open the idea up for several cooks who had thought a souffle would be too much food for their use.
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I would participate . Only if you don’t have to buy a cookbook of some chef and cook a recipe out of it . I would cook the dish putting my spin on it . Not into cookbook recipes .
That works in this instance, emglow. Personal recipes are more than welcome to DOTM.
I would be interested in DOTM if it went back to how it was originally intended to be (specific item/specific technique) and not the broad and random direction it had taken the last few months before the split to HO.
I have no interest in COTM.
