Last week, I broke 100. No, not 100 pounds but 100 twitter followers. I was ecstatic that that many people were interested in my daily commentary. My excitement quickly faded when I realized I was following way more than I was being followed. I scanned this list and realized I was following over thirty food related twitter accounts. My feed was crowded with a plethora of food tweets that I often did not find helpful or interesting. So I decided to begin my spring cleaning early and unfollow sites unless I truly loved them. This got me thinking… As a foodie, there are so many different sites to follow to keep up with the latest food advice, recipes and culture! I decided to do some research and rate the sites that I spent hours a day (usually during class) perusing. I picked some of my favorite sites and highlighted what they had to offer.
My top three favorites offer much more than what I describe below but I think they are the best of the best in each of the three categories (advice, recipes, culture). Often, food sites blur the lines of what exactly their site can provide but that’s okay…Go forth and food!
ADVICE
What is it?Chowhound.com is a discussion board where foodies can come to discuss the best places to eat. Discussions are filtered by regions and more specifically large cities. Within each discussion you can post questions, comment and answer questions.
Why I love it?I love Chowhound because there are so many discussion boards on the site that you will find the answer to any question you have. It’s like having ‘The Best Thing I Ever Ate’ TV show right at your fingertips. The difference? You do not have to be a chef or TV host in order to weigh in with your opinion; on Chowhound you are getting real advice, from real people.
RECIPES
What is it? Food 52 is a community of foodies that share recipes and discuss different tips and techniques. Similar to Chowhound, this site is filled with are not necessarily professionals. The recipes that are given are designed by home cooks that have similar needs & wants but also the same obstacles.
Why I love it? What makes this site blow every other recipe site out of the water, is its overall contest. Every week food52 highlights a certain dish or ingredient which serves as inspiration to food 52’s community of home cooks. Every week you can submit your best food recipe that features that ingredient. Through a process of community and editor voting, the best recipe of the week is picked and added to food52’s cookbook! Not only do you get to swap recipes but you could get the chance to become a published author!
CULTURE
What is it? In general, the Huffington Post is a news website that offers information on everything under the sun. Their provocative but professional take on news is a breath of fresh air; it is quirky but quintessential to my life and its food section is no exception! HuffPost Food offers insight on more than just recipes! With over twenty food bloggers and a plentiful amount of writers, they look at food from every dimension. They report on everything from important pressing issues on farming to interesting food celebrity news to innovative green food practices.
Why I love it? What’s not to love? HuffPost Food gives readers a 360 degree look on what is going on in the food world. I love this site because it is the ONE STOP shop for everything food!