Johannesburg - These days when people want to know what to cook for dinner, they probably turn to the internet.
Google South Africa’s head of communications and public affairs Michelle Atagana says that when it comes to finding a moussaka recipe for those brinjals that are about to turn, or when you have nothing but sugar and eggs in the cupboard, technology is your friend.
Here are her tips for getting the most out of Google and winning in the kitchen:
Search to make those big decisions
Not sure if it’s a burger or pizza that you really feel like? By typing “burger vs pizza” in the search bar, you automatically get a comparison of calories, carbohydrates, protein content and other information.
If that doesn’t help your decision, the pictures might.
While you have the search page open, look for a healthier, home-made version.
Or skip cooking altogether, and find out which restaurants in your city offer the best of both.
Let a chef guide you through it
“Written recipes can be tricky when cooking isn’t second nature to you,” says Atagana. “Exactly how much is in a cup? Which size cup is standard anyway? You can call a friend, or have a personal chef explain it all to you.”
YouTube has tutorial videos on pretty much any dish you can think of – whether you want a chef from Durban to show you how to make a mutton bunny chow, a Thai chef taking you through a green curry step by step, or a Greek mother spilling the secrets of her family’s baklava recipe.
Create your own recipe encylopaedia
“All your favourite dishes can be saved on your devices,” says Atagana, instead of being kept in a food-stained cookbook. “Just bookmark them or save in Google Drive. It not only saves the cost of a new cookbook, but it saves space on the shelf.”
Embrace technology
Atagana says the information you need is just a touch or click away. “You can use your cellphone, tablet or laptop to scan through recipe ideas, you can convert measurements easily, find out substitutes for ingredients with just a click, or translate an unknown ingredient or term.
“There’s no denying it, technology is changing how we choose to cook,” she says.
Supplied by Google