Food Network at your fingertips
Where to find it: Food Network online
– www.foodnetwork.com
Who runs the site: The site is run by Scripps Networks
Interactive as a companion to Food Network, the cable station about
all things food. The station hits more than 96 million U.S.
households and the Web site sees more than seven million users each
month.
Food Network at your fingertips
Where to find it: Food Network online – www.foodnetwork.com
Who runs the site: The site is run by Scripps Networks Interactive as a companion to Food Network, the cable station about all things food. The station hits more than 96 million U.S. households and the Web site sees more than seven million users each month.
Who is likely to use the site: Die-hard Food Network fans are likely to visit the site to see what is coming up on TV and to learn more about the stars of the station. But the site is also great for those looking for a recipe they saw on a show or who are just looking for cooking ideas from a site that is easy to search.
Pros: Click on www.foodnetwork.com any day of the week, and the main site will feature articles and recipes apropos of the season. Right now, Halloween ideas, tailgating and budget meals make the front page cut.
The “Who’s Cooking” feature is a chance to see what new Food Network stars are up to, and to find out new info on some long-time stars. The feature shows a picture of many of the stars and offers some info on the cooks or chefs; a list of their most popular recipes and what shows they participate in.
The best part of the site, however, is that it is an archive of all the recipes featured on the shows that have come and gone in the history of the Food Network. Users can search by a specific show or chef so it is easy to find the turkey sammies recipe Rachael Ray cooked a few seasons ago or the onion rings Guy Fieri did last year, two recipes that have been tried and tested in my household.
In addition, the site has plenty of other ways to search – from a box that will search the entire site for recipes to a “quick meals” search that allows user to select the meal type, an ingredient and a time limit. Users can sign up for a free account that lets them access to a “recipe box” that allows them to store online the recipes they are likely to use again and again, to save the time of searching for them every time.
One of the cool things about the site is that each recipe comes with an estimated prep and cook time, and a difficulty level, so home chefs can plan accordingly.
Cons: There is a lot of stuff on the site, so if you aren’t looking for a specific recipe searches for generic terms such as “chicken” yield tons of results – more than 8,500!
