After writing a cookbook by the same title, Linda Stradley started What's Cooking America as an online continuation of the book in 1997. And any foodie worth his or her salt will love perusing through the site ... it's chock full of trivia, recipes, history and information you never knew.
In addition to copies of her newspaper food columns and a great many links to other online food resources, Stradley offers a wide selection of recipes (some with nutritional information provided), history and facts about some of our favorite foods, many answers to our most common kitchen questions and even a bunch of restaurant reviews from the Portland, Oregon area! Of course, an area that's unusual and sure to be appreciated by those that visit is an extensive menu suggestion area ... some including as many as eight courses!
With so much wonderful information and recipes available, the only regret to be had at What's Cooking America is the lack of simple navigation ... either in the form of a consistent page setup or a general purpose search utility. You can manage to get around the search problem by using Google's domain search capability, but having to hit the BACK button to work your way through the site becomes tedious. A list of some major links at the bottom of most (but not all) pages helps a bit, but for those who are not Internet veterans it can be just a bit too easy to get lost.
However, even if you do manage to get lost at What's Cooking America, the trip is still bound to be one filled with fun and adventure! Around every corner is another recipe to be tried or a fact to be learned. If you want to know the history of angel food cake or why avocados turn brown after cutting ... it's there. If you want to find recipes that will take advantage of leftover coffee or plan a menu for the weekend ... it's there. If you need to know how to spot fresh thyme or where to find great knives ... it's there. And sometimes the best fun of all is found in finding it!
Web Site Name: What's Cooking America Web Site URL: http://whatscookingamerica.net Seasoned Cooking Rating (5 = BEST): 4 STARS Editor's Note: The web site reviewed in this article was chosen from among those included in Seasoned Cooking's automated list of related sites. Anyone can add links to their favorite site related to food, cooking, health, fitness or hobbies by visiting our Seasoned Links page and clicking on the "Add/Edit a Site" button. We welcome your additions. Who knows? Maybe your favorite site will be the next one reviewed!