What Reddit's Cooking Communities Offer That Professionals Can't
Recipe blogs are great, but none of them are as nimble as Reddit.
I have a daily problem, and it's dinner. No matter what I do, I can't seem to think of good dinner ideas. Sure, I have my favorite food blogs for inspiration, but the problem is, a lot of those recipes are aspirational, as in, I'd have to quit my full-time job at The Takeout just so I can cook lavish meals for me and my fiancée every single day. Bing bong, not gonna happen. As entertaining as TikTok can be, a very short video clip from a clout-chasing bouncy content creator isn't an ideal way for me to learn how to cook something. These days, I find myself looking more and more to Reddit.
Reddit has the best recipes on the internet
For starters, Reddit is a platform where people really focus on the conversation around specific subjects. If you're perusing a Taco Bell subreddit, chances are you're going to stay focused on Crunchwraps and not start a thread on Quarter Pounders. Today I've been poking around a subreddit called TodayIAte, and suddenly, I'm feeling like my dinner plans are going to start getting easier.
For example, user tundras4life posted a photo of this simple kimchi and rice cake soup they made. Would I have thought of making that? Not ordinarily, but maybe I will now. How about sausage with onion gravy, peas, and fried potatoes? Sounds great. That wouldn't have occurred to me, but hell, now that I think about it, I can grab all that stuff at Aldi and have dinner ready in 30 minutes. What I particularly appreciate is that many Reddit recipe threads also involve food that's attainable and easy enough to make.
One key difference between Reddit and a food blog is that Reddit is a great place to chat with people. If you've got questions about a dish someone posts, you can just ask them directly for help. You can poke at them about recipes, ask them for tips, and at some point, they'll probably get back to you.
Commenting on big recipe blogs won't always guarantee a response from the author, but at least on Reddit, you're on a platform that encourages people to talk to each other. Obviously there's no guarantee you'll get an answer on Reddit, either, but if someone's sharing a photo of their food, they'll probably be happy to share some information too. Then later down the line, you can share some of the cool dinner recipes you make as well.
My dinner inspiration problem is still probably going to be an issue from time to time, but now at least, I have a pretty solid place to start.