Foodista.com is a web-based, Wikipedia-style cooking encyclopedia. Entries can be edited by anyone, and the site is organized around four main categories: Recipes: Combinations of ingredients. Foods: The most basic of ingredients. Either as they are produced naturally, such as apples and eggs, or with minimal processing, such as salt or flour. Cooking Techniques: Methods of preparing foods, such as baking, boiling, slicing, and braising. Kitchen Tools: All the gadgets, appliances, and equipment you use to make meals, including saucepan, chef's knife, blender, and cutting board. The site also features a blog with recipes, new cooking tools and news about the site. Three former Amazon employees in Seattle launched Foodista on December 17, 2008. Barnaby Dorfman is CEO, Sheri Wetherell is VP Editorial and Colin Saunders is CTO of the site. The site has quickly gained in popularity, with an Alexa traffic ranking already in the first million. Foodista differs markedly from most of the other food sites on the web. This is largely due to the four main categories of organization. A search for “Garlic” turns up an entry for “Garlic” and “Garlic Powder” as well as recipes featuring garlic as an ingredient. Each search result also returns related entries in the other three categories. For example the search for “Garlic” turns up related foods such as “Salt and “Pepper”, related techniques such as “Serving” and related tools such as “Chef’s Knife”. The site’s designers have done a good job of giving the site the “look and feel” of a cooking encyclopedia. Using the site is simplicity itself - all information accessed via a large, convenient search bar. There is no browsing capability for the four categories, but the search function does such a good job of returning relevant results that browsing is unnecessary. The site has a very clean, uncluttered look, and navigation is readily apparent. The site is also quick and responsive – searches come back almost immediately. Registration is not required to use the site, but you must register if you wish to add or edit entries. The registration process simply asks for a name (first name only is OK), email address and password, and no confirmation is needed. After registering you are automatically logged into the site for the first time. Foodista is an entirely free site, with financial support coming from relatively unobtrusive advertisements. All of the site’s content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, so the information can be freely shared or adapted as long as it is attributed. This site is recommended for anyone with an interest in food and cooking. It offers useful information for both beginners and experienced cooks alike. Users can, for example, view information about “Steak” in general, or recipes featuring “Steak”, or read an article on “Grilling Steaks”, or read about “Steak Knives”. Users can also add their own entries or edit existing ones. Users can share recipes as well as general knowledge about cooking. Adding an entry is a simple process – Click on the “Add a Recipe” link, give the entry a unique name, and choose the category. This process brings up a form to fill out that is specific to the category. Simply fill out the form and submit it. No HTML knowledge is required, as there is a convenient WYSIWYG editor for the general section of the entry. The site’s blog is informative and entertaining. Entries are added often, and range from new recipes to cooking tips to information about other food sites. The blog is the one place on the site that can be browsed as well as searched. There are dozens of categories. Foodista is one of those sites that belongs on the must have list for food and cooking buffs. It’s unique organization, ever growing content and user base make it a first stop for most any type of cooking knowledge.

• Unique organization into four categories – Foods, Recipes, Cooking Techniques and Kitchen Tools
• Excellent search capability and results
• Ability to add or edit recipes
• Simple, clean layout and effortless registration

http://www.foodista.com/