Foodista

Traditionally, recipes have been handed down through families, involving all kinds of clandestine rituals (I imagine). But in an age when my grandmother has over 250 friends on Facebook why not share her treasured recipes online? Foodista is a site where anyone can enter recipe ideas, with step-by-step guides and pictures galore. Yet this in itself is hardly unique. What sets Foodista apart is the sheer comprehensiveness of the site. They call themselves “a cooking encyclopedia” with good reason: in addition to recipes, users can add or search for specific foods and ingredients, tools, and techniques. Never heard of an ingredient before? Just click on the link and you’ll find that, for instance, “tahini is a sauce made from ground raw sesame seeds.” As a culinary disaster-in-waiting, I appreciated the site’s commitment to simplicity as I used these features to make a fairly successful hummus (it’s edible). While Foodista is suitable for novices like myself, seasoned cooks will also find plenty of new tips and ideas. This encyclopedia is simply bursting with goodness.