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cooking posts

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Video

FoodTube - where anyone can be a celebrity chef unfortunately

Food Tube
If, for some reason, you prefer watching cooking videos on the internet, made by random people (or Christopher Walken) instead of on the Food Network then FoodTube has everything you will need.

You can search by ingredients or type of cuisine or just browse newly added videos. FoodTube users have uploaded videos from YouTube and personal files. Yes, there are some interesting videos. There are also some really bad celebrity chef imitations (or something).

Why use FoodTube instead of YouTube? If you search for something like chicken you'll only get videos featuring people cooking chicken instead of random Sesame Street stuff. And looking for chicken noodle soup won't give you 47 dancing videos.

But then again part of the fun of internet videos is finding that random stuff to begin with.

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Social Software

Feed your face at Open Source Food

Open Source Food
When we first wrote about Open Source Food, we said we loved the idea but the site needed some love. Well, it seems that OSF's creator, Jon Yongfook Cockle, thought the same thing because he's overhauled the whole enchilada and it's tastier than ever.

Navigation is much more intuitive and background is minimalist so pictures of the delicious dishes really stand out (warning: some of the food pictures will make you want to lick your screen). More than just a Web site, it's a social network and members are encouraged to share photos, recipes, and meal ideas . Of course, tagging, voting, and commenting are also part of the fun.

The thing we really like about this site is that there are plenty of basic recipes for novices -- butter baked cabbage, chocolate chip cookies -- along with a ton of recipes for advanced cooks. Since the site's members are all over the globe, OSF also has the international flair thing going on. Hot Thai fish curry, anyone?

Bottom line: if you can't find a fabulous recipe somewhere on this site, then you're not really trying.

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Search

SuperCook helps you with tonight's dinner

Having trouble coming up with what to cook for dinner tonight? Maybe SuperCook can help.

SuperCook is a search engine designed to find recipes based on the ingredients you have in your kitchen. On the site you enter what you have, and then SuperCook will tell you what you can make. Recipes are divided by Starters, Entrees, and Desserts and list any additional items you might need beside their name so you don't waste time reading an entire recipe only to find you're missing a key ingredient. As you enter items the site starts to list "Recommended items" that will open the doors to more dishes. if you're headed out to the store anyway, SuperCook can also give you a recommended shopping list of items that will work well with what you have at home.

We tried the site out, and were a little let down. We put in two ingredients: cheddar cheese, and green beans. The site immediately returned 2000 recipes we could make with those two ingredients but most of them called for BLACK beans rather than green ones which isn't exactly the same thing. Somehow we think nachos with green beans wouldn't be all that tasty.

The site did come back with some good results for other searches, and if we had those black beans we were given tons of recipes that we might have otherwise not thought of. It's definitely not perfect, but it could be a good place to start if you're looking to be adventurous in the kitchen.

Filed under: Internet, Web services, web 2.0

CookThink: Discover recipes based on cravings

CookThink
Ever have a craving for fish, but no recipe handy for turning your craving into dinner? CookThink can help. Well, almost. The idea is that you enter an ingredient, dish, cuisines, or other keyword and CookThink will find an appropriate recipe, some cooking tips, and a list of alternate recipes that might meet your needs.

As a keyword/tag based recipe finder, CookThink is excellent. But it's a bit disingenuous to say that you can really find recipes that meet your cravings. Because honestly, when was the last time you found any recipe online that didn't require running out and picking up a few extra ingredients? And if you've got a craving for miso soup, but no miso paste in the house, there's a pretty good chance your craving will have passed by the time you get back from the grocery store.

But CookThink is still a great site. When you enter your first word, a tag cloud pops up suggesting related terms. Or you can just click the ingredient, dish, cuisine, and mood buttons for a list of suggested tags. Each recipe has an attractive photo and list of other dishes that would compliment the meal.

[via AppScout]

Filed under: Web services, Social Software

Open Source Food: a social network for food lovers


MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster are great if you're looking for general interest social networking. But Open Source Food shows that sometimes niche is where it's at.

Open Source Food is a community site for food lovers and cooks, both amateur and professional. If you're looking for a little inspiration, you can browse through the beautifully photographed images or search the site for recipes. It's a little baffling that you have to click on the "food" tab to get a search bar, but since the site is as focused on community as it is on food, maybe that makes some sense.

Registered users can upload images and recipes, comment on others' recipes, ask questions, or add suggestions. Open Source Food is like a Web 2.0 cookbook, and we mean that in the best possible way.

[via AppScout]

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Web services, Social Software

Move over Martha, its time for GroupRecipes

grouprecipesTired of the same old meals you always seem to make? Looking for something good and different to cook tonight besides what Martha suggests?

GroupRecipes is a place for food lovers to congregate and share recipes through a useful online resource. It's aimed at food lovers everywhere, and promotes the interaction with other users through showing off creations, and meeting people that might have the same food interests.

GroupRecipes users can also share places to eat, organize recipe collections through a Recipe Manager, and create their very own cooking TV show.

[Thanks Eliot!]

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Text, Video, News, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Yahoo!, Freeware

Yahoo launches their food site

Yahoo Food
That's right, Yahoo now has their brand spankin' new food site up with a recipe search, restaurants, celebrity appearances, videos, and segments of the quintessential Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart. One feature I like is the "Recent Activity" area that will keep track of the latest things you've searched for, much like Amazon's "the page you made" feature. Yahoo Answers is even in on the new food fun with food questions and answers. The site's content doesn't interest me much, besides the technology in use here, but my wife will love it. My wife will download about half the recipes and make me eat most of them so I don't really have a choice, but perhaps you can save yourself if you hurry, run!

P.S. For the record, my wife is an amazing cook (and she made me say that, or she says I don't get dinner). Cheers!

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