Fridge-Googling = Google cooking?

There seems to be a rekindling of interest in the subject of fridge-Googling! Number of hits seem to have gone up here, with people searching for recipes with all kinds of ingredients! At some point I would love to include a little box which shows recent searches were - you would be amazed what ingredients people have in their fridges!

Maybe it is unrelated, but could be something to do with a Macmillan Dictionary article from around 5 days ago on our favourite topic!

The article points out that fridge-Googling was earlier known as Google cooking. I kind of prefer the former (i.e. newer) expression - it's more idiomatic, less descriptive, leaves you thinking about the subtle meaning! Strangely, the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia (and Wiktionary) have only limited reference to both expressions, so any help there would be appreciated!

Anyway, I am planning to start posting links here to recipes that I, or readers have successfully fridge-Googled, but it would be cool if:

a) the ingredients were a little unusual (e.g. carrot, peaches and cinnamon)
b) you actually (successfully) tried cooking the recipe!

Look forward to tasting some of the results!

Tips for fridge-Googling (or any other Googling!)

Smaller number of ingredients

I have noticed that a lot of people are keying long lists of ingredients into the Fridge-Googling recipe search engine. When you are using a search engine, it IS always better to be precise - you are more likely to find exactly what you are looking for.

But this example of a recent search:

2 eggs lettuce cucumbers avacado shredded cheese tortillas cauliflower oranges bananas miracle whip salad dressings pickles relish milk bell peppers

...is probably a little TOO detailed! (by the way, it's avOcado) You may end up with NO recipe results with that one (especially if you spell something wrongly) - and when did you last cook anything with that many ingredients, anyway?!

Try a smaller selection of ingredients initially - I am envious you have that much food in your refrigerator! Then you can narrow it down by adding extra ingredients once you see you are on the right track.


Exclude certain ingredients

If some of the recipes that are coming up in the results include ingredients that you do not have in your fridge, you can add them to the search box too, but put a minus (-) before the name of that food item and this food will be excluded from the results.

e.g.:
eggs tomato cheese -ham

will give you all those recipes which contain eggs, tomato, cheese, but not ham! Because you don't have that in your fridge!

Clever huh! Happy fridge-Googling and happy cooking!

History of the term "fridge-Googling"

You would think it is fairly easy to find the first occurrence of the phrase "fridge-Googling" in reference to the activity of finding recipes using a search engine, more specifically, using Google, by keying in the ingredients you have in your fridge. The name "Google" has only been around since 1998, according to their corporate history page:
http://www.google.com/corporate/history.html

People were no doubt search-engine-cooking before then, only it was fridge-Lycosing, or fridge-Altavista-ing. The term Fridge-Googling is cited by the Guardian in October 2004 in a little snippet about the phenomenon.

However, this Nov. 2005 blog entry talks about the phenomenon, but interestingly does not use the term "fridge-Googling".

Word-Spy cites the use of the word, apart from in the 2004 Guardian text, in a couple of sources from 2006, which is way too late! Can anyone find an early quote than the Guardian one? Who invented the term fridge-Googling? Someone must know!

Simply Recipes added

Just added another great site, or blog rather, to the Fridge-Googling Search Engine:

www.elise.com/recipes

A great site - why do I get the feeling these great-looking recipes were not just "Googled" out of thin air!

I must admit, when I am Fridge-Googling, I am usually also looking for keywords like "quick" "easy" and "for idiots"...

Recipe sources

By the way, the Fridge-Googling Search Engine gets its results primarily from some of the major recipe database sites. I do not have any affiliation with them, they have just come up in my fridge-Googling results time and time again, and I am happy to include them.

If you feel your site is a good source of recipes (and it is well indexed by Google, or it won't be much use!) then drop me a line and I will be happy to include your site! It would be nice to get a link back, of course.

The Fridge-Googling Search Engine currently searches the following sites:

www.cooks.com
allrecipes.com
www.epicurious.com
www.recipesource.com
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/

Must be off, I think dinner is ready... Wonder what Mrs. D has Fridge-Googled up for us tonight!

Are you ready for fridge-Googling?

Well, this is something I have been planning to do for ages. With the help of modern Google technology, it has finally become a reality!

• Is your fridge suffering from "end of the month" syndrome?
• Is dinner-time fast-looming and you are stuck for recipes?
• Wondering how to combine that pathetic assortment of ingredients into a cordon bleu gastronomic extravangaza?

Fridge-Googling is here to help! The top of the page will tell you all about what fridge-Googling is, but suffice it say that I have practically lived from the recipes gleaned using this radical new culinary technique for the last few years!

Watch this space for recipes, cooking successes and failures, and general food-related ramblings, as we discover together the wonderful world of... fridge-Googling!

What is fridge-Googling?

Fridge-Googling is what you do when you need to cook something for dinner and it's been 3 weeks since the last trip to the supermarket. Your refrigerator contains:

- two eggs

- an onion that has started sprouting!

- half an eggplant (that's aubergine my side of the Pond)



Using the internet's favorite search engine (see disclaimer below!), you find an amazing recipe for a tasty meal, using the pathetic array of ingredients you have at your disposal!

How do I Fridge-Google?

It's a piece of cake!

1) Open up that fridge or freezer. Brace yourself.

2) Take a good honest look inside

3) Make a shortlist of the still-edible items. Take the rest to a local toxic waste depot.

4) Type your shortlist into the Fridge-Google Search Box above (spaces between words), e.g. onion eggs eggplant (or aubergine to use the proper term!). Adding the word recipe may help too. Press Enter or the Search button.

5) You will be taken to a page full of search results containing tasty recipes with the very ingredients you typed!

6) Get cooking!

Who invented Fridge-Googling?

No-one knows for sure! Starving students? Hard-up housewives? Culinary daredevils in search of a new rush?

I have been doing it for a number of years, certainly before the term was invented! Many's the time a seemingly desperate dinner-situation has been salvaged by the use of Fridge-Googling!

Why not give it a try now? Here's that fridge-Googling search box again!
Oh, and if you fridge-Google up a tasty meal, be sure and let us know!