Whether you are looking for some new inspiration to mix things up in the kitchen, or just enjoylooking through reams of drool-worthy photos of food, exploring food blogs can be a great way to unleash your inner foodie.  Ciara Rafter gives us the lowdown on the rise of food bloggers and some examples of blogs to check out for yourself.
Food blogs are pretty self-explanatory and have seen a massive increase in recent years, with more and more people looking online to get their cooking inspiration. ÔÇ£But what is wrong with a good old recipe book?ÔÇØ I hear you ask. I, myself, have a whole shelf dedicated to recipe books. They taught me how to make numerous dishes when I was a fresher who lacked cooking skills. There are various student cookbooks on the market and they still prove a popular present for parents who need reassurance that their children will be able to fend for themselves. They are great starting points for anyone who hasnÔÇÖt got much experience cooking but once you get a feel for cooking and actually start enjoying it, student cookbooks become too basic and quite unaffordable.
Food blogs are a marvellous equivalent for foodies who get a thrill out of finding new ideas that will season their taste-buds and challenge their cooking skills. They are easily accessible, free of cost and provide adventurous, creative recipes that may not be found in cook books. Recipe books are often specific and tied down by themes whereas blogs are free to experiment in terms of culture, story and the variety of recipes.
One of the greatest aspects of food blogs is that bloggers write with a personal style, often revealing the inspiration behind their recipes and anecdotes that add human interest. Through this, their passion and love for cooking becomes established and it is easy to see how their blogs gain publicity (this is, of course, as well as the amazing, drool-worthy food they create).
It is impossible to judge which food blog is the best, as it is all subjective. This is actually the advantage of them – there is one for everybody. Whether you are interested in food from around the world, baking or gluten-free, chances are, there is a blog out there for you.
Personally, my go-to-blog is ohmyveggies.com; a vegetarian food blog with endless flavoursome dishes that well and truly takes away the stigma of being a veggie – showing that meat is not always necessary for having a delicious meal. Eatlikeagirl.com is a food blog with a twist – it combines a love of food with a love of travel. The bloggerÔÇÖs slogan is ÔÇ£always cooking, eating and on the moveÔÇØ and she offers a wide range of recipes from different countries, all with an interesting story to tell.
Food blogs are the place to explore whether you are clueless as to what to cook, or are in need of some inspiration to cook up something you have never tried before. So put away the dusty cookbooks and let food blogs unleash your passion of cooking.
Ciara Rafter
After procrastinating to the max and trawling through food blogs all in the name of ÔÇÿresearchÔÇÖ, here is one of our favourite recipes from eatlikeagirl.com which perfectly illustrates the freedom and creativity that can be had when it comes to food blogging. Check out her recipe and accompanying story for Piri Piri chicken here┬áhttp://eatlikeagirl.com/2014/05/27/piri-piri-chicken-using-a-south-african-marinade-recipe/.