Well Fed Network

Posted by Madeline Miller on Edible TV.

Have you checked out the Food Network’s new look? Its website now feels more like Yahoo! Food than the Food Network to me. It’s organized into different-sized content boxes instead of the old long sidebar left and content to the right. And maybe it’s because I’m biased, but couldn’t they have picked a better picture of Rachael for the big promo spot on the page? And does Giada always have to be leaning over like that in every photograph taken of her? I’m just sayin’.

My new favorite feature is the “Find a Recipe from an Episode” drop-down menu. They’ve figured out that we don’t really care about the show, we care about it’s recipe. You can also select a week if you aren’t show exactly what show a certain recipe was on. This is perfect for all those people who are halfway watching a show, then realize they HAVE to try a certain recipe, with no memory of which show it was on.

And, if you do just want to check out a certain show, the full schedule is there and so is the A to Z show list.

The upper left side of the page also appeals to folks who are interested in what’s new on the network this week. Right now it features a tour of the website, a link to The Next Food Network Star, a link to healthy recipes, and a link to Father’s Day recipes. This feature, if updated regularly as you would expect, could turn out to be really useful.

All the print is bigger and easier to read, with more white space and what seems like less content up front. The top of the page lists the top searches in a horizontal bar, if you’re interested in what everyone else is having for dinner (who wants to bet Chicken will always be there?). You can also check out a featured host’s recipe collection (right now it’s Rachael Ray).

So far I’m liking the new site. It’s got clean lines, is aimed at reader usability, and is topical. If they switched out that picture of Rachael and let Giada stand up straight for once, I’d probably like it even better.