Wednesday 10 October 2012

Make me a master chef!

Can't cook at all? Can't bake either? Have no fear, the Internet is here. For the longest time, all a person could rely on for recipes was a store bought book or a little journal passed down through family generations. Basic ingredients and instructions, but no extra help or troubleshooting. Then along came the Internet.

Red velvet cupcakes from a modified recipe
Websites have sprung up in every topic, and cooking and baking were no different. There are sites like allrecipes.com completely devoted to recipes, and then many independent blogs that have sprung up. A favourite and go-to recipe blog for me is Pinch My Salt, where I got the red velvet cake recipe that I modified and bake all the time.

Then you go to websites like YouTube that can lead you step-by-step through recipes and techniques if its something more advanced, or even if you run into trouble during the process.

All of these sites, and more I'm sure, have made learning to cook and bake more accessible to people, as it offers a different way of understanding. It allows for creativity most people don't even know that they have, in an area they might not believe they could be capable in.

Another thing these websites do is create a type of collaboration that didn't exist before. People can go on a recipe and comment on what techniques they used to make the process easier, or even ingredients they added or changed that improved the result. In the days that cookbooks were the only resource, there was no two-way communication on how to better the recipes or make them easier for novices. Its a great way to get other perspectives and make the best creation possible, or multiple variations of a creation.

Learning to cook from the Internet won't make you a world renowned chef, but it will definitely get you started.

Have you ever used a recipe from the Internet? Did you change anything or view the comments for extra help?

4 comments:

  1. LOVE YOU and your baking ninja skillz. <3<3<3<3

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    1. Thank you! Almost time for me to start my holiday baking.... So much stuff to make!

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  2. I've used some recipes from the internet...but I think I use it more for "how to's"! Every year on Thanksgiving, I pull out the computer to YouTube an instructional video on how to carve a turkey! Never fails! ;)

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  3. How tos are definitely a saviour of mine. Every time a recipe states a technique that makes me turn my head to the side, I run to youtube and type it in. =)

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