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If you're like millions of home cooks, you probably start with Google when you're looking for a recipe online, and Google can certainly give good results, especially if you're specific in describing what kind of recipe you want. But there are lots of other options for finding recipes online, some of which you may end up thinking could be fun to try.
Before I share some of my favorite places to look online for recipes and tell you about various results I found, let me emphasize that choosing the best way to search for recipes is a bit like picking the best food in the world. Obviously, people have different priorities and preferences. If your favorite way to search for recipes doesn't get a mention here, please let us know about it in the comments!
Search for Recipes on BlogHer.com or Using BlogHer's Food Glorious Food Widget
Searching BlogHer.com with the Lijit search bar is one way to find recipes mentioned on the site (choose BlogHer.com) or any food blog that's part of the BlogHer Food Network (choose BlogHer Network.) You can also search the BlogHer food network through a widget (scroll down on BlogHer food and drink page to see the widget; I couldn't find a way to link to it.)
Search for Recipes on Food Blog Search
Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes created a custom google search engine called Food Blog Search. You can use Food Blog Search to search over 2,800 food blogs, and because sites added to the search engine must be approved, you'll get results from high quality blogs. (Full disclaimer: Fellow BlogHer editor Alanna Kellogg and myself also help with Food Blog Search, although most of the work is done by Elise!)
Search for Recipes on Other Custom Search Engines
If you want more specific results than those on BlogHer or Food Blog Search, you can use other custom food search engines. For vegetarian recipes, you can search VegBlogSearch (maintained by Susan from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen) or Super Natural Recipe Search (maintained by Heidi from 101 Cookbooks.) Another custom search engine that many people like is FoodieView, which searches a lot of other recipes sites, including food blogs. (Full disclaimer: I sometimes write for FoodieView.) You can also find recipes on GoogleBlogSearch, which sometimes gives different results than just using google.
Search for Recipes on Cooking Magazine or Food TV Sites
There are many well-used cooking magazine sites where you can search for recipes, such as Epicurious.com (recipes from BonAppetit and Gourmet magazines, plus a few others), CookingLight.com (recipes from Cooking Light Magazine), or FineCooking.com (recipes from Fine Cooking magazine). You can also find recipes on Food TV sites such as FoodNetwork.com (recipes that have been seen on Food Network TV shows.) Some of these sites let users rate the recipes, a feature that's popular. Results here are usually specific to the magazine or TV show, so they're often less comprehensive. (I excluded some sites in this category which had annoying ads that popped up and filled the screen.)
Search for Recipes on Recipe-Submission Sites
I confess I rarely look for recipes on sites such as RecipeZaar or AllRecipes.com, which let people submit recipes, but I know many people do use sites like these to find recipes.
Comparing Search Results
Now let's see what comes up when we search for *roasted butternut squash recipe* using a few of these search engines.
~When I searched using Google, the first result was Roasted Butternut Squash from Robin Miller at Food Network. (Same result from Google Blog Search.)
~When I searched on BlogHer choosing BlogHer.com, my Weekend Menu Planning post on Winter Squash Recipes was the first result.
~When I searched on Blogher choosing BlogHer Network, the first result was Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup from ChefDruk Musings.
~When I searched using the BlogHer Food Glorious Food widget, the first result was Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto from Monsoon Spice.
~When I searched Food Blog Search, the first result was Roasted Butternut Squash with Lemon, Thyme, and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen. (I promise I didn't know that would happen.)
~When I searched using VegBlog Search the first result was Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash from 101 Cookbooks. (Same result from Super Natural Recipe Search.)
~When I searched using FoodieView, the first result was Roasted Butternut Squash from RecipeZaar.
Where Do You Like to
