Top Five Food and Cooking Social Networking Websites

If you enjoy eating, you will love the following food and cooking social networking websites. Each offers an abundance of recipes, cooking tips, party ideas, money saving coupons, menu planners, how-to videos, and community forums where members can connect with other passionate foodies.

Today, I'd like to share my favorite top five food and cooking social networking websites. Each provides unique features and offers resources for newbies to professional chefs. Foodie social networks are generally filled with friendly people who enjoy sharing recipes and their love of cooking.

If you love good food or want to improve your culinary skills, consider joining one or more of these networking groups. You're certain to learn something new every day and will never have to worry about what to prepare again. Not to mention, foodies are the coolest people on the planet and only engage in food fights!

1. BakeSpace.com was founded by media producer Babette Pepaj in 2006. Members often tout BakeSpace as the "Facebook for Foodies." Here you will find a vast array of recipes organized by category, course, occasion and method. Need an entrée for a birthday party or appetizers for Sunday brunch? BakeSpace makes finding exactly what you need quick and easy.

One unique feature of BakeSpace is their Mentor Program. Mentors are volunteers who possess specific culinary skills and share them with other members. If you have a special talent and enjoy sharing cooking or baking techniques, consider applying for the BakeSpace Mentor Program.

BakeSpace membership is free and offers a host of tools to make life in the kitchen easy and enjoyable. Create a personal "My Kitchen" section by subscribing to favorite recipe categories. Share your recipe collection with others. Store recipes in your own personal recipe box for easy access at a later date. Meet members from around the globe and exchange recipes and ideas.

2. FoodPals.com is a multi-faceted foodie social networking site which allows members to create their own webpage, develop a food blog, create a personal cookbook, post food photos, join groups and make new friends.

FoodPals groups offer a wide range of recipe selections including: Quick and Easy Cooking, Irish all the Way, Cooking for One, BBQ Favorites, International Recipes, Desserts, and Comfort Foods.

Membership in FoodPals is free and the site focuses on providing "real food from real people." Express your passion for food through your personalized complimentary blog and meet like-minded epicureans from across the nation. FoodPals is still in beta, making it easier to get to know other members in short order.

3. BigOven.com is the brainchild of Steve Murch and focuses on providing solutions for the age-old question of "what can I make for dinner tonight?" BigOven is perhaps the most popular food and cooking social networking site. With more than 400,000 members and millions of monthly visitors, BigOven was named one of Apple's 100 Most Popular Apps for the iPhone in 2008.

BigOven makes locating recipes quick and easy. Categories include the normal breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions, along with sections featuring popular ingredients, special occasions, and seasonal foods.

BigOven offers a variety of promotional tools for food bloggers including: an affiliate program, personalized badge widgets, and the ability to publish your own recipes on BigOven and link them to your blog or website. You'll also find award-winning recipe software, cooking videos, Foodie Q&A section, cooking store, and more than 100 discussion groups.

4. Nibbledish.com is a close-knit group of foodies, but they welcome everyone with open arms. Here you can create your own recipe page to share culinary delights. Similar to Associated Content, members can follow one another, send messages and leave comments.

A unique feature of Nibbledish is the option to search by "boy" or "girl" recipes is offered. Personally, I like this option because I feel safer connecting with women on social networks and forums.

Nibbledish has been featured in Food and Drink and Time and currently offers over 2000 recipes. The home page is a feast for the eyes as all recipes are showcased through photography. You might want to grab a napkin before heading to this site because your salivary glands are certain to go into overdrive.

5. Foodbuzz.com is the ultimate foodie site! Foodbuzz offers so many features I could write an entire article about it. If you own a food or cooking website or blog, you owe it to yourself to become a member of this social networking site. Being an active member can significantly increase your traffic.

A word of caution - Foodbuzz can be a bit overwhelming at first and very addicting once you find your way around. Appropriately named, everyone is buzzed about food and they are eager to share their knowledge, tips, tricks and insider cooking secrets.

Foodbuzz allows you to connect with passionate foodies around the globe; organize recipes; read worldwide restaurant reviews; and obtain rebates, coupons and samples from hundreds of quality brand food manufacturers.