Fabulous Online Meal Recipes and Ideas at Cookthink.com
Menus and Meal Planning Web Site Solves the Dilemma of What's For Dinner
Apr 22, 2009
Great chefs say that people eat with their eyes first, so a meal planning website with great photos and tips is welcome respite from pages of recipe listings.
When you're wondering what to make for dinner, this site is a dream come true; like an oasis in the desert of websites stockpiling millions of recipes, this one measures quality over quantity.
Cookthink.com
Based on their tagline "what are you craving?", Cookthink invites users to think about mood, cravings and ingredients before even reaching for a saucepan. Once started, the journey becomes a feast for the eyes and a tease for the tastebuds.
The people at Cookthink have devised a brilliant and appetite-inspiring site that's easy to navigate. A filing card shaped box offers a search bar that can be typed into or compiled by clicking on words prompted by four menu tabs at the bottom; Ingredient, Dish, Cuisine and Mood.
How Cookthink Works
Click on Ingredient and a random smattering of options can be clicked on, as many as you want: Herbs, Beef, Apples, Tomatoes, Carrot. A refresh arrow mixes in new choices but the staple meats and vegetables are usually easily found. Choosing Fish, Chives, Cheese and Cauliflower yields twelve recipes including Halibut Provencal, Silky Cauliflower Soup and Herbed Tuna Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts.
Click on Dish and the board offers a new mouthwatering listing of prompts - jambalaya, barbecue, curry, cocktail, breakfast, pesto, candy, braise. Click on Noodle, Gratin, and Brunch for offerings including Lobster Mac and Cheese, Portobello Gratin and something called Funeral Grits. The tummy, if not already started, should be grumbling by now.
Click on Cuisine to choose from any international cooking styles from Caribbean to Irish, Lebanese, Southwestern or Pacific Rim. A peek onto some Californian offers Seared White Nectarines and Burnt Honey, Sweet Onion Salad or a Black Bean Burrito with Portobello Mushrooms and Salad. Combining a search for Californian and Indian brings up Eggplant with Coriander, Yogurt and Basil, Indian Chicken, Carrot and Kale Stew and Spicy Indian Okra.
Click on Mood and the appetite roars. Prompt words include Warming, Outdoorsy, Floral, Roasted and Nourishing. Combine Hangover-Friendly and Nourishing to get White Bean and Escarole Soup or Prosciutto Pita Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Pear. The only thing missing is someone without a hangover to get in the kitchen and start cooking.
The only downside of the site may be that it's too visual. Sometimes it's better to see a list of all recipes offered rather than the bundles of twelve thumbnail images as this site offers. The upside is that rolling the cursor over the image offers a brief paragraph or hint about preparation that goes a long way in helping the imagination take over and work in tandem with the site.
That gripe aside, the website is playful, easy on the eyes and proven to create appetites and inspire creative cooking. There's also a great Reference heading that helps with the finer details of cooking perhaps new to some cooks. Click on Tools to understand what makes a Dutch Oven, browse through Techniques for information on brining, basting or blanching, Cuisines for information on ingredients and condiments particular to certain cultures and Ingredients cross-references information about meats, herbs and sauces.
This mouth-watering website turns the What's-for-dinner-blues into When-can-I-get-started? Browsing on an empty stomach is not recommended.
