Welcome to the JOC Cooking Challenge!
We’re so so excited to finally bring this to reality. This is the space for anyone—beginner cook or expert—looking to expand their culinary repertoire, particularly in Japanese cuisine.
What is JOC Cooking Challenge
It’s a quarterly online event on Just One Cookbook where I share a new recipe for you to cook at home. After you make the dish, take a picture and then share the recipe photo with us!
Our goals:
- To help develop your skills and confidence in Japanese cooking
- To build a positive community for anyone who is interested in Japanese food and culture
- To inspire creativity, family bonding, and fun in the kitchen
The JOC Cooking Challenge months are March, June, September, and December. And please help spread the word of the Challenge to your family and friends too!
The Cooking Challenge Prize
Everyone who participates in the JOC Cooking Challenge and sends us the recipe photo via email is automatically entered into the prize draw.
This contest is open to everyone worldwide. We randomly select 3 winners at the end of the JOC Cooking Challenge month. Each winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
Please note that we will not judge based on the creations, but you need to make sure your submission meets the scope of the recipe. Yes, it is like a lucky draw!
How to Join JOC Cooking Challenge
- Recipe: We publish a post with a new challenge recipe on the 1st of every quarterly month (March, June, September, December).
- Cook: Cook the recipe during that month.
- Send: Send your recipe photo to us via email (contest@justonecookbook.com) before 12 pm PST on the last day of the month. This counts as an automatic entry for your chance to win the prize (only one entry per person). Feel free to include any funny moments, kitchen mishaps, or difficulties that you come across during the process. We’d love to hear your stories!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my photo multiple times for more entries? No. Sharing your photo multiple times counts as one entry.
How do you choose a winner? We keep track of the entries and use a random number generator (random.org) to select 3 winners at the end of the month’s JOC Cooking Challenge month. Please note that we will not judge based on the creations, but you need to make sure your submission meets the scope of the recipe. Yes, it is like a lucky draw!
When are the winners announced? We randomly pick the winners the following week after the challenge has ended and announce the winners at the end of the month’s JOC Cooking Challenge post, as well as in the Friday Newsletter.
Is it okay to use substitutions? Yes, I understand you may need to modify ingredients based on your dietary restriction or availability of the ingredients. As long as you follow the general recipe instructions, your entry is accepted.
I’m new to Japanese cuisine but love to participate. Do you have any beginner resources? Yes, we have some helpful pages:
- Cooking Tips for Beginners
- Buy Japanese Ingredients Online
- 26 Pantry ingredients to Add to Your Shopping List
- Ingredient Substitutions for Japanese Cooking
I am so looking forward to this. I love Japanese food and have nearly all the ingredients in my pantry already. I have been bored with cooking, which is rare for me, due to Covid restrictions.
I sometimes have to use substitutions as the nearest Japanese grocery store is 70 miles away from my little, rural town and I no longer drive.
Hi Barbara! I feel the same, too. Hope this challenge can bring something fun for everyone. Yes, I’m thinking of people who can’t have access to certain ingredients for the challenge and everyone should feel confident to enter. 🙂 See you at the challenge!
Ooh, sign me up!! I cook with your recipes all the time!!
Hi Rhiannon! Awesome! Can’t wait to start this! 🙂
This sounds very enjoyable! Can’t wait to get started 🙂
Yay! Looking forward to your entry, Joanna!
Is this own recipe contest? Or cook your recipe?
It would be fun if we could compete own recipe.
Hi Fumiko! It’ll be my recipe that I’ll share on March 1 (for March Challenge). Hope you join us!
Ooh I can’t wait! Excited and looking forward to it! 😊
Yay! See you at the challenge, Mariko!
Looking forward to the cooking challenges. Excited to be able to use food I have never cooked with.
Hi Linda! Awesome! See you at the challenge!
Sounds fun! I am making the Mirin Salmon tomorrow…..still marinating!
Hope you enjoy the recipe, Margaret!
Sounds like lots of fun. I will give it a shot! 🙂
Hi Theresa! Yay! See you at the challenge!
Sounds great, Nami! Looking forward to your challenges. Just made your Tamagoyaki today for my mother and myself. We both love it.
Hi Adrienne! I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks for trying my recipe!
I am so excited! I have been already challenging myself by making your recipes the last several months and I’m making your chocolate chiffon cake today for our wedding anniversary! This news made my day! Can’t wait 🙂
Hi Ellen! Awesome! Hope you join us. 🙂 Happy Anniversary!
can’t wait!!! i absolutely love participating in challenges like this. it brings me such joy to see how your blog has grown and blossomed over the years!
Aww thank you Hazel! I’m happy I can finally do this! I always wanted to do something together with my readers!
I’m excited to see the first recipe!
Thanks, Elle! Hope you’ll be excited when you see the recipe!
This sounds fun! I’m looking forward to the first challenge!
Yay! Stay tuned! I’m still writing the post. 😂
Can’t wait to get started! One question though: should we write something in the e-mail such as the name of the challenge or how we found the recipe? (easy, hard..)
Thanks for this opportunity!
Hope you join us! We made the email address dedicated for this cooking challenge so you can send us just the picture (and feedback if you like to share with us!).
looks like great fun.
Can’t wait to do this! Hope you join us, Vel!