Collaboration

Spoon and Simmer grew out of a simple habit: cooking dinners that actually fit real weeknights, then writing them down properly so they'd work the second time too. If you make, sell, or promote something that belongs in a home kitchen, we'd genuinely like to hear from you. This page explains the kinds of collaborations we say yes to, the standards we hold every partnership to, and the fastest way to get a proposal in front of us.

Who We Love Working With

We're a recipe-first site built around comforting, practical cooking — think slow cooker dinners, one pot meals, weekend baking projects, and the occasional indulgent dessert. Collaborations tend to work best when they naturally fit into that world rather than being forced onto it. You can get a feel for our voice and priorities on our About Us page before reaching out.

Collaborations We Welcome

• Kitchen equipment and cookware — slow cookers, Dutch ovens, sheet pans, stand mixers, and tools that show up repeatedly in real recipes
• Pantry staples and specialty ingredients — stocks, spices, cheeses, flours, chocolate, and seasonal produce
• Meal kit services, grocery delivery, and food subscription boxes
• Kitchen textiles, storage, and organization brands
• Cookbooks, culinary media, and other food writers or creators looking to cross-promote
• Food-adjacent lifestyle brands (tableware, entertaining accessories, drinkware) that fit a home-cooking context

What We Generally Don't Take On

We pass on collaborations that feel unrelated to home cooking, anything involving unverified health or diet claims, and partnerships that would require us to publish content we haven't actually tested ourselves. Every recipe and review published here reflects our own kitchen experience, in line with the standards described in our Editorial Policy.

How We Approach Sponsored and Gifted Content

We're open to sponsored posts, recipe development, product features, and gifted-item reviews, but we're protective of reader trust — it's the whole reason people come back to this site instead of scrolling past another recipe. That means:

• We only accept products or ingredients we're willing to actually cook with, on camera or on the page, honestly
• Sponsored content is always clearly identified as such, and any material connection is disclosed in line with our Disclosure page
• We reserve the right to give our real opinion, including constructive criticism, on anything we test
• Affiliate links used within a collaboration follow the same rules outlined in our Affiliate Disclaimer, so readers always know when a link may earn us a commission

We've found that brands who are comfortable with this kind of honesty tend to get the best results anyway — readers respond to recipes and reviews that feel real, not scripted.

Content Standards We Hold Every Partner To

Whether it's a sponsored recipe, a product mention, or a co-branded post, collaborations published on Spoon and Simmer need to meet the same bar as our regular content:

• Recipes must be tested in a real home kitchen before publishing, not just written to spec
• Ingredient lists, quantities, and cook times need to be accurate and genuinely reproducible
• Any health, allergen, or dietary claims must be reasonable and clearly caveated — we're a recipe site, not a source of medical advice, which is covered further in our Disclaimer
• Photography and creative direction should match the warm, unfussy tone readers already expect from the site
• Comments and community interaction around sponsored posts follow our standard Community Guidelines

We're also careful with imagery rights and sourcing; if a collaboration involves supplied photography, attribution follows the same approach described on our Image Credits page.

What a Good Proposal Looks Like

The proposals that move fastest are specific ones. Before you email us, it helps to think through:

• What exactly you're proposing — a sponsored recipe, a product mailer for review, a giveaway, an affiliate partnership, or something else
• Why it fits a home-cooking audience specifically (rather than a generic lifestyle pitch)
• Any timeline, budget, or usage rights involved
• Links to your brand, product page, or previous collaborations, if available

You don't need a polished media kit to reach out — a clear, honest pitch works just as well as a formal one.

How to Reach Us

Send collaboration ideas, media kits, or product samples inquiries to [email protected]. Include a short description of your brand or project, what you're hoping to collaborate on, and any relevant links. We read every message personally and try to respond within a few business days. For anything not related to partnerships — corrections, general questions, or press — our Contact page is the better route.

Before sending a proposal, it's worth skimming our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy as well, particularly if your pitch involves data collection, giveaways, or user-submitted content — it saves both of us time later on.

We take on a limited number of collaborations at any given time, precisely because we want each one to feel considered rather than rushed. If that sounds like the kind of partnership you're after, we'd love to hear what you have in mind.