by Linhah

Created on: February 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2010

The Internet is the biggest, baddest cookbook known to mankind, and one of evolution's finest creations. There is one problem only, the secret horror that no one talks about, a possibly dangerous loss of time; when a lost soul surfs for a recipe, days can go by. Recipes can go by. It's a recipe blackout. What to make and how to make it. And the diversity on those dinner options is astounding, from ingredients, cooking methods, single serving, and more.

Adjustments to recipes can be found, whether the change is amount of servings or a switcheroo on an ingredient. Although the hardcover cookbooks are still pulled out on occasion, time's a wasting. The world demands it now. It's nearly a surprise that anyone cooks at all. The word recipe itself attracts 137,000,000 hits. Many of these sites offer free recipes. Bon Apptit does not; it is $1.00 per issue, $12.00 per year.

The free websites make their money on advertising and there's plenty to advertise when it comes to cooking and that which is food related. Food network has a free service that allows a free recipe box to be set up on-line. They also have videos of recipes, a section on freezer friendly foods, and another section on meals for one. This is the television station of Rachael Ray, the Barefoot Contessa, and Paula Deen, the Southern belle of the Food Network. They have 25 meatloaf recipes just on this website, an impressive display. Food Network says that meatloaf is one of the most requested recipes.

It used to be if somebody needed a recipe, they could always ask around. Or walk over to the cookbooks and pull them out. But a person can now compare six recipes for the same dish, match it to their ingredients, and be done with the cookbook part; that's the sweet part of the Internet. All this happens in seconds, depending on your download. The time saved by using the Internet as opposed to traditional cookbooks is unbelievable.

Sauerkraut is an ethnic favorite, from Korean to German. It produced 945,000 hits on the Internet. There's nothing to it, just cut up your cabbage, pour a little vinegar on it, maybe some salt and pepper, and let it sit for a few days, more or less, depending on the weather. That's the word of mouth version; on the Internet, it can be cooked or not cooked, and the ingredients are as diverse as the taste buds.

Which recipe is better? That's always a matter of opinion, but a multitude of comparison values await on the Internet. And how many versions of the same recipe are there? It is unfathomable, from old fashioned fudge to chili, recipes and variations thereof abound. For the cook with the heart of a poet, frameworks are in evidence at a glance. The part-time dabbler in the kitchen can research, decide, and let loose cooking the moment the idea is conceived. Even cookies like Grandma used to make. Chewy, that is. Not crisp, oatmeal maybe, golden, aromatic, health food of the gods. There were 36,100 hits for recipe, chewy oatmeal cookies.

There is something heartening about learning an old recipe from a computer screen. It only has to happen once to open up the possibilities. A person can compare the classics, such as chicken soup, a hundred ways at least, 2,200,000 to be exact, from the mundane to the bit more exotic. All this and much more is on the Internet, from cruising the net to watching on-line cooking shows. Kitchens soon will have built in computer nooks just above the work area. As a time-saver and for the wealth of variety it offers, the computer is the new cookbook.

www.BonAppetit.com
www.foodnetwork.com

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