What's cooking online

When you need to find a recipe these days, chances are you turn on the computer instead of cracking open a cookbook. But with so many food sites out there, choosing one can be a real chore. Here's how to get the most out of the biggest and best recipe sites:

Site name Web address/ Number of recipes	Best for	Shortcomings	Tips for use
About.com Food about.com/food 20,000+	Adventurous cooks who like to eat a variety of different cuisines. The home page features links to the site’s many options, including sections devoted to beer, coffee, and wine.	Recipes are posted by “expert guides,” but many of them aren’t trained chefs, so proceed with caution.	Pick a section that appeals to your interest (Southern, gourmet, kosher, Indian, etc.) and sign up for the guide’s newsletter for more info on recommended recipes.
Allrecipes.com allrecipes.com 40,000+	Occasional cooks who like step-by-step demonstrations. Recipe amounts can easily be adjusted to the number of people you need to serve, whether it’s 1 or 300.	All of the recipes are posted by members, so the quality of the dishes can be hit or miss.	Use how-to videos to learn cooking techniques. You can search by ingredients, prep time, low-sodium meals, cooking methods, and other specifics.
Cooks.com cooks.com 20,000+	Casual cooks who like to share without making a commitment or revealing too much about themselves: No membership is required to post your recipes.	Recipe photos are scarce on this low-tech site, so you’ll have to picture dishes in your head.	Search by recipe or by specific ingredients you have around the house, such as eggs and green peppers.
Epicurious epicurious.com 60,000+	Ambitious cooks who want to take their game to the next level. Includes recipes from Gourmet and Bon Appétit magazines, global cuisines, and information on pairing food and wine.	Search results yield many recipes that ran in the magazines, so they might not appeal to cooks who like to keep it simple.	Send a recipe to your cell phone to take it to the grocery store with ease. Click below a recipe for comments from people who’ve tried it and suggest variations.
Food Network foodnetwork.com 30,000+	Aspirational cooks addicted to cooking shows. Love Paula Deen, Emeril, and other Food Network celebrity chefs? Click on their show’s link for an episode’s recipes.	Almost too much like watching television--complete with pop-up commercials.	Check out the “Get Healthy” section, which features fare for diabetics, vegetarians, and anyone looking to improve their diet.

Great recipe sites you've probably never heard of

Chow.com This hip little site includes videos with great how-to instructions, as well as entertaining tips (how to seat your dinner guests, for example) and audio podcasts, including one with advice on table manners.

Slashfood.com Opinionated bloggers contribute to this Web site, bringing you the dish on cooking products and food-related news and gossip, as well as recipes and restaurant reviews.

CooksRecipes.com A comprehensive site with a homey look and feel-like something your favorite, tech-savvy aunt would put together to share her recipes. One section lets you ask questions of featured experts.

Click any of the links below for a selection of articles from the August/September 2007 issue of ShopSmart;)

Editor's Letter
Greetings from ShopSmart Editor-in-Chief Lisa Lee Freeman

Your worst shopping mistakes
You bought that? Tell us about it--or better yet, send us a picture!

How to spot a fake
Think that designer jewelry is a steal? It might be a scam. See our tips to avoid getting taken.

The best beauty sites
Where to find great deals on cosmetics, perfumes and more.

11 ways to slash your grocery bill
Finding cheaper stores, fake-outs to avoid and other shopping tactics.

A day in the life of a mystery shopper
Where to find great deals on cosmetics, perfumes and more.

Sunscreen dos and don'ts
Get it right for maximum protection from UV rays.

Can't find ShopSmart in your local bookstore? Order it online or call our toll-free number to get your copy now.