Winter’s Hottest Dinner Party 🍲
Chef Natasha Pickowicz's cozy case for hot pot.
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If hosting stresses you out, this one’s for you.
Hot pot is the rare dinner party that asks almost nothing of the host and gives everything back.
In her new cookbook Everyone Hot Pot, four-time James Beard nominee Chef Natasha Pickowicz shares more than fifty recipes, along with a guide to essential hot pot ingredients and equipment and how to pull it all together.
Pickowicz, who grew up eating this homey Chinese meal, calls it the ultimate ice breaker. Four to five guests. One bubbling pot of broth. A table full of fresh ingredients. Everyone cooks, chats and eats at the same time, which means you’re never stuck flipping something alone in the kitchen.
Here are her hot tips for hosting your own hot pot:
Create Your Guest List
A hot pot party can be as big or as small as your space allows, and it’s easy to scale your menu up or down depending on the size of your crowd. Pickowicz says, “The sweet spot for hot pot is around four or five people, which is large enough that you can have a huge variety of ingredients on the table, but intimate enough that you can comfortably feast and chat over one pot of broth.”
Gather Your Ingredients
“The beautiful thing about hot pot is that nothing looks more gorgeous than fresh, clean, raw vegetables, so it’s as easy as shopping for great ingredients and serving them right away,” says Pickowicz. In the book, she offers a helpful equation for a balanced spread: one leafy green, one fresh herb, one bite-sized protein and one hearty starch.
Raid Your Kitchen
If you think hot pot requires a lot of special equipment, you’ll be happy to know that most of the items you need are probably already in your kitchen, like a large stockpot or Dutch oven, a soup ladle, tongs and small bowls. You may need to purchase an inexpensive heat source, like a butane camping stove or an induction cooktop, as well as plenty of chopsticks.
Set The Table
Your ingredients—the more colorful, the better—can also serve as tabletop decorations. “Any hot pot spread will look gorgeous if you play around with volume, scale, texture and color,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to mix and match your servingware, too.” I love a mismatched table setting. The most important thing is that you have fun with it!”
Everyone Hot Pot: Creating the Ultimate Meal for Gathering and Feasting, out January 27. Pre-order a copy here.
Hot Pot Hosting Essentials
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Staub Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven
A heat-holding, moisture-locking workhorse with a self-basting lid that turns soups, stews, braises and broths. It looks as good on the table as it cooks.
GreenPan Induction Cooktop
A sleek, countertop-friendly burner that hits fast, precise heat with 1800 watts and easy presets, so you can keep the hot pot bubbling right at the table.
Williams Sonoma Red Sandalwood Chopsticks
Lightweight yet durable with a comfy grip and shiny gold accents, these chopsticks instantly level up hot pot night from takeout to table goals.
The Rowen Portuguese Stoneware Pasta Bowls
Glossy, weighty and perfectly sized for noodles, rice, or dipping sauces, these chic stoneware bowls bring cozy café energy to hot pot night.
Williams Sonoma Stainless-Steel Ladle
This polished stainless-steel ladle makes serving hot pot broth clean, controlled and spill-free, then goes straight into the dishwasher when the party’s over.