If you own a computer with a modem, the world really is your oyster. That’s because things are cooking in cyberspace: On-line services, the Internet and new software packages offer bountiful food opportunities, and some of the busiest avenues on the info-highway involve food. In fact, the computer may be a cook’s best tool.
A computer user not only can take advantage of expanded sources of on-line information, but she also can download software (often free or for a small fee) that can help organize recipes, create shopping lists and calculate nutritional values.
Interested in African cuisine? No problem. The computer opens the door to a global wealth of sources. And with so many chefs and cooking experts on-line, answers to food questions are readily available. Software programs on disks and CD-ROMs put thousands of new recipes at your fingertips.
And, of course, there’s shopping on-line. From coffee to wine, from groceries to gourmet meals and restaurants, businesses are quickly grasping the marketing bonanza. The World Wide Web lets companies entertain browsers while presenting their best corporate face. Take Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream guys. The company’s home page is a mix of the serious and wacky–from the corporate mission statement to a “contest” to find a hidden site (win a free pocket protector!).
It’s so much fun, it’s easy to get off track, which can be expensive because you pay for the time you spend on-line. (Costs vary by services.)
The accompanying stories give but a taste of what’s available, and every day brings additions. To take this culinary journey, you need a computer with a modem, a minimum of four megabytes of RAM (eight or 16 is better; Web browsing uses lots of memory), a subscription to an on-line service or an Internet account, and time.
It’s worth noting that change is a constant on the information highway. The services constantly add, move and revise information. If you find something you like, make a copy now. It may not be there next time you log on.
WEB ADDRESSES FOR CYBER FOODIES
Here are some Web addresses for further exploration. Many are constructed and maintained by companies as advertising adjuncts.
With the holiday season under way, it may be comforting to know that help will be available on the World Wide Web. The Butterball Turkey Co., founder of the popular Turkey Talk-Line, opened a web site in October. At http://www.butterball.com visitors can do more than talk turkey. They can find recipes, leftover ideas and clues to a picture-perfect bird.
The Ketchum Public Relations Food Center of San Francisco is at http://www.recipe.com (food questions, what to cook, fresh this week, celebrity chef).
Thirsty? Try http://town.hall.org/food/deli.html to search for wine, beer and spirits.
Coffee bars have jumped into cyberspace too. Denver’s Cyber Cafe is at http://www.easynet.co.uk/pages/cafe/ccafe.htm and lists cafes all over the world.
Is wine your line? A clearinghouse of grape-related sites, from tasting notes to winery press releases, can be found at http://www.ee.pdx.edu/timt/html/wine.html
Chocoholics should check out the following for recipes, news and a sympathetic environment: http://www.qrc.com/sholubek/choco/
Ben & Jerry’s site, http://www.benjerry.com lets you play games and mentally sample flavors.
SIDETRIPS VIA CD-ROM AND DISKETTES
Publishers and software designers are turning out digital cooking databases on CD-ROMs and diskettes. Here’s a sampling (prices are suggested retail). These are available at bookstores as well as by mail order from computer catalogs:
– Mangia is one of the best software packages because it lets you design and print menus as well as recipes. It comes with cookbook databases (including Eat Smart for a Healthy Heart and 30-Minute Meals) to which information can be added. It offers automated shopping list, cupboard inventory, scaling and nutritional calculating. Available from Upstill Software (800-JOT-DOWN) in Windows and Macintosh versions ($49.95).
– Better Homes and Gardens’ “New Dieter’s Cook Book” (Meredith) covers all its bases by offering a CD-ROM (Mac and Windows) version and a traditional glossy cookbook. ($45.95; can be ordered by calling 800-850-7272). The CD-ROM offers narrated demonstrations; recipes, music and photos; and a shopping list. The information can be printed. (Cookbook alone is $29.95.)
– CookWare, from Cooking Light magazine, offers software that complements its magazine and cookbook offerings, with lots of variety and the ability to add to the database. Allows recipe scaling, printing and saving recipes. CookWare is $12 and includes the program and a CookPac of recipes from issues of Cooking Light. To order, call 800-765-6400.
– The Potato Board offers an interactive disk, Ready, Set, Dinner, with sound, photos and recipes for complete, balanced meals. It offers a weekly planner, grocery list and variety of entrees. To order, send a check or money order for $2.95 (payable to Specialized Marketing Services Inc.) along with your name, address and computer system (PC or Mac) to: Ready, Set, Dinner, Box 1416, La Mirada, Calif. 90637-1416.
– The Digital Gourmet Deluxe is a CD-ROM that boasts 6,000 recipes and an international cuisine list, a bartender, nutrition and calorie calculator, shopping list, reference books and the ability to scale recipes and add your own. $34.95 for Mac or Windows. Call 800-717-4478 to order. One drawback is poor-quality photos.
– 4 Paws of Crab is a CD-ROM from Live Oak Multimedia that describes itself as a narrative Thai cookbook. It’s an audio-video experience with sound bites (marketplace noises, for example) that lets you explore Thailand’s history and cuisine. You can also go directly to the recipes ($44.95; available at Borders Book Stores).
– Food and Wine Online,” by Gary Holleman (Van Nostrand Reinhold, $29.95), is a book that can help you decide what service might be best for you, as well as listing food-related sites.
