Forget about simply searching for background on your next blind date - now Google has much more important things to do - like dinner. Andrea Sachs of the Washington Post explains:
The concept behind Google cooking is basic: Simply plug in your ingredients and the word "recipes," press Google search, then wait for the results to pop up. The engine will scour reams of Web sites -- from the expected (Food Network's http://foodtv.com/ ) to the obscure ( http://acupuncture.com/ ) -- for recipes that incorporate your desired foodstuffs. With its infinite repository, Google can find recipes for unconventional food pairings or exotic products that might stump most cookbooks. Indeed, it was a piece of salmon and a bunch of Swiss chard that inspired Judy Hourihan to enlist Google's assistance three years ago...
..."It's good when you don't have a clear idea of what to make with an odd combination of ingredients," said Hourihan, 60, who Google cooks at least once a week. "You take your chances, but it really pays off. I have never put in a combination that I did not find a recipe for."
And therein lies the appeal of Google cooking: It helps you build a meal from bottom up (vs. recipe down), while also purging your kitchen of languishing edibles, aging produce and meats, or overstocked perishables (i.e., that crate of pineapples bought impulsively during a Hawaiian vacation).
Not sure I want to depend on Google for my next dinner party. But, it might be worth a whirl the next time I get a crate of pineapples.
Who needs Google for recipes?! I have Vittles Vamp! I happen to have 7 sweet potatoes from the final Greenmarket in my neighborhood, a fresh pineapple, and lots of limes left over from our Halloween party in my fridge. I am making Spicy Yam Mash tonight!
Posted by: Queen Celeste | November 14, 2005 at 01:56 PM