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The Internet is our recipe box.
Sure, people are still buying cookbooks (and there are some good ones, but that’s for another post). The reality is that more and more of us are powering up our computers to find something to make for dinner.
But where are we looking for that tasty dish?
If you type “recipes” into Google, the search engine spits out just fewer than 100 million results. But according to data from Hitwise (a company that tracks Internet traffic and search patterns) almost 25% of us end up going to just 2 sites:
From there, the traffic thins out to just a few percent of Internet searchers landing on several sites.
Here are the top 10 food websites people are searching to find something to put on the table:
In addition to thousands of recipes from the television network’s shows and chefs, the website also has cooking tips and videos, behind-the-scenes extras from its shows, party tips, and more.
This site is just what it says: a website stocked with more recipes than you could probably cook in your lifetime if that was all you did. It also has a section for cooking on a budget.
#3 Cooks.com
Another site that’s all about the recipes. You can also add your favorite recipes to the database and use their nutrition database to make sure you’re cooking healthy meals.
My bet is that at some point you had a Betty Crocker cookbook in your kitchen – or at least it was in your mother’s kitchen. Now, all that how-to knowledge for cooking, baking, and entertaining is online.
This site has recipes that can be sorted any number of ways. You can also join the community and turn the site into your own Internet dinner club, trading tips and recipes – or just swapping stories – with new friends who share your food tastes.
There are plenty of recipes here and how-to videos to help you put a meal on the table. Expect many of those recipes to pitch you a Kraft family product, of course.
There are several other food pages on About.com, but Diana Rattray’s Southern Food site is the one that gets most of the traffic from folks searching for recipes.
The website for the magazine of the same name has the recipes and videos you’d expect, along with contests and information about their live cooking school shows.
This website is operated by the folks from “Southern Living” and features recipes and tips from the company’s magazines and cookbooks including “Cooking Light,” Southern Living,” and “Real Simple.”
#10 Epicurious.com
From the people who bring you “Gourmet” and “Bon Appetit” magazines comes a website geared for foodies. Recipes, food tips, wine reviews, and an online community round out some of the high points of the site.
UPDATE: Food.com Searches Every Recipe Site At Once
I’ve been in the food industry for years. Grilling and tailgating are my specialties. I’m also addicted to watching food shows on TV.
