As you can imagine, being a restaurant critic, I spend a fair amount of my time online reading about food, restaurants, wine and nutrition.
Some might say an unhealthy, obsessive amount of time, but did I not just say I was reading about nutrition? Lighten up!
With the plethora of food and wine sites available, it can be difficult to wade through all the offerings. Here are 8 that I return to again and again, that make my life easier, my dinner choices more interesting and keep my family happy.
cookstr.com
My ultimate resource for cookbook recipes, this well-organized and appealing website lets me find what I want to make by ingredient, cookbook author, nutritional info, kid-friendliness, cuisine, etc. The weekly newsletters are themed around a group of recipes (maybe cold soups, Asian noodles, etc.) and you will want to make them all.
food52.com
You’ll want to sign up for their weekly newsletter. Everything about this site is fun: the tone, the graphics, the newsy info, the products. Vote for your faves in their weekly contests, check out the recipes, share ideas and get cookin’.
orangette.blogspot.com
Molly Wizenberg writes beautifully – by all means also check out her wonderful book, A Homemade Life. Her photos are lovely and her prose will inspire you in the kitchen. Many of her recipes have become standards in our home.
foodporndaily.com
Yes, you’ll feel naughty that this is in your browser, but it’s worth the embarrassment. The food photography is ridiculously enticing without being gross. Check it out.
opentable.com
This is the place to book your restaurant rezzies. Put in the date and time of your desired lunch or dinner, neighborhood or cuisine you would prefer, press the button and check out the choices. Super easy, and you can accumulate dining points toward gift certs good at all Open Table restaurants. I use it when I travel, too.
grubhub.com
Too tired to cook and can’t get off the couch? Grub Hub is your friend. Find restaurants near you that deliver, sort by cuisine, and pull up the menu. Press a few buttons, put in your credit card, and voila. Dinner!
zingermans.com
Everything about Zingerman’s is fabulous, except for the fact that it’s in Ann Arbor, MI and I am not. So this is my go-to source for hard to find ingredients and product information. The graphics are inviting, and the product writing is entertaining and informative. They’ve also added a travel arm; we’re headed to Tuscany this fall for a food-focused vacation involving plenty of great food and wine. I know you’re jealous!
cellartracker.com
For the wine geek in your home! This site lets you manage your wine inventory and track its current value while sharing tasting notes and wine reviews with professionals and amateur collectors around the world. Kind of mind blowing.
