A curated list of India’s best cook bloggers who are undoubtedly impressive as bloggers but are also using social media effectively.
I have a weakness for food. I start drooling when I see non-vegeterian food and delicious desserts. This crave for food got me close to the lovely food blogs. But finding the best blogs is a pain as normally good content is pushed behind in the search results by SEO centric sites. So I was only left with social networks. But the responses from social networks was bleak too, since most of them haven’t thought of social media or if they have then it is either a junk yard of links or missing the whole point of being social.
A thought struck me. I wanted to find the best Indian cooking blogs who have an impressive presence on social media as well as engage in the required way. After some amount of research and help from blogging directories like Indiblogger, Blogadda and India Bloggers, I have come up with a list of 13 blogs, based on two main criteria:
1. Cooking blogs from Indian bloggers who are based in India.
2. Blogs that have a minimum fan base of 500 on Facebook or an impressive usage of any social network. But at the same time, blogs with more than 1000 fans and missing the point of being social, have been ignored.
I hope the below list will not only awe you with its social media presence but will also make you hungry as it did to me every moment while I was working on this list.
1. Sailu’s Kitchen: A blog that boasts about its speciality of Andhra food and has also catered to North Indian food is a massive effort from Sailaja. The blog is a wonderland of food and with that it has a massive presence of more than 19,000 fans on Facebook. Along with Facebook, the blog also has a massive presence on Pinterest with more than 260 followers.
The Facebook content is a treat to the eyes. Each and every content that is being posted has an added message and shows the effort from the blogger. Same way the content on Pinterest is worth looking at and the page has created 21 boards with 399 pins. Content is focused in all the networks and has been mixed well. The below screen grab gives a glimpse.
2. Veg Recipes Of India: With more than 5000 fans on Facebook, Veg Recipes of India is undoubtedly a popular cooking blog. Run by Dassana, a web developer, the blog has a tempting presence on social media like her veg delicacies. Facebook is right up there with a good mix of content along with pictures and Dassana has shown good response to comments.
In addition to Facebook, the blog has a presence on Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus. Though the activity in all of them is mild compared to Facebook. Conversations on Twitter are building up but if time could be invested on Pinterest, the blog is bound to gain more popularity.
3. Mad Cooking Fusions: The blog that is making a difference in Indian cooking is run solely by Anamika. Initially started to kill boredom, the blog soon turned into a passion and has also grown its social media presence. The blog has got more than 3,700 fans on Facebook. Content is the limelight of the page and also has tips about healthy food.
The blog also has created presence on Twitter and Pinterest. Twitter has decent engagement but Pinterest has been left behind. As I said earlier, if time could be invested on Pinterest then it would reap rich benefits for the blog.
4. Sharmis Passions: The blog run by Sharmilee Jayaprakash, talks about the passion for cooking and clicking. The hard work that is out there in the blog has been maneuvered in the same way on social media. The Facebook page has a fan support from more than 2000 fans. Content has been the focus here too, as seen in the below screen grab:
Although the blog has a presence on Twitter and Google Plus, the activities have been low. I would suggest if Twitter has a human touch added to the presence like ‘Veg Recipes Of India’ has done.
5. Saffron Trail: The blog is a store house of healthy home cooked food and with that it also has a blend of modern world cuisine. The mouth-watering recipes and blog posts are the effort of Nandita Iyer. A medical doctor by profession who loves to grow some vegetables on her terrace garden, has a strong all round presence on social media. The Facebook page that has more than 1000 fans is a page filled with conversations and lovely pictures of recipes. The page is definitely worth a look for the content.
Along with this, the site has a presence on Pinterest and Twitter. The Pinterest page that has more than 40 boards with more than 700 pins, has already found more than 280 followers. Similar story in Twitter too where she has more than 6000 fans. Undoubtedly, a brilliant presence. I like the way she has added her face to the logo.
6. Tasty Appetite: Is another blog that talks about delicious Indian food focusing on the traditional cuisine. The blog has a decent social media presence. Facebook page is supported by more than 1000 fans and the page boasts about good content. Besides Facebook, the blog has chosen not to expand its social media presence.
7. Sin A Mon: A well maintained blog that is a mix of cooking recipes, food reviews and baking. The blog also has a decent presence on social media and is only active on Facebook. The Facebook community that is soon going to touch the thousand mark has great content blended well with the social touch. The page not only shares food recipes but snaps from events and what fans are talking about the blog too. One such post on the page can be seen below:
8. Divine Taste: The blog that boasts of pure vegetarian and satvik dishes has also built a great presence on social media. Anushruti who is a food writer, photographer and recipe developer is the brain behind this initiative. The Facebook fan page with more than 840 fans, is a pretty active one. However, Facebook is known for pictures, so posting more beautiful pictures of the food would excite fans to have a look.
In addition to Facebook, the blog also has a decent presence on Twitter and Pinterest. I am impressed by the presence on Pinterest; Anushruti has already created 13 boards which constitute of 105 pins and are being followed by 129 people. The boards that have been created are not only a display of cooking but a mix. The below snap shot says it all:
9. Yummy Food: Lubna Karim is the face of the blog that talks about easy and fast cooking food. The blog that is going to be 4 years old soon has a decent presence on social media. Once again Pinterest impresses me and Lubna has 22 boards with 395 pins and has managed to get a fan following of 250 people. Must say this is a great presence considering the activeness on the platform by Indians. The boards are a visual treat, especially the ones such as Go Vegan, Recipes to Try, Mango Mania, etc.
Facebook with more than 830 fans, has a decent presence but presentation of content needs to looked upon. Saffron Trail or Sin A Mon’s Facebook pages should be a good help to review and learn. Twitter also needs to be used for more individual conversations and the content on Google Plus also needs to be mixed. A good advice would be to evaluate which network is working by checking Google Analytics or manually and focus on them more.
10. Tongue Ticklers: Harini Prakash believes that food is for the mind and then for the body and her blog justifies her saying. The well designed blog that shares all nutritious vegetarian and vegan dishes, has also built a decent presence on social media. The blog has an amazing presence on Facebook with close to 700 fans. Content has been top-notch again as you can see from one of the posts shared on the Facebook page:
Besides this, the blog has a presence on Twitter along with YouTube. Though YouTube has been inactive for a while, Twitter is doing good and is all about conversations.
11. Tickling Plates: The blog is maintained by Radhika and is all about cooking delightful food and baking. The blog which is a vegan delight, has a decent social media presence. The Facebook page has more than 600 fans and once again content has been really good.
In addition to Facebook, the blog is also present on Twitter. However Twitter needs some attention and following Harini’s Twitter account could be good.
12. Ruchik Randhap: The blog that is being run by Shireen focuses on traditional Mangalorean cuisine. Being in the space from 2009, the blog has a decent presence on social media. Facebook page has got more than 500 fans and the page has good content. Shireen has also been quite active in responding to fans but Twitter needs to be looked upon. Saffron Trail’s Twitter account should be a good example to follow and learn.
13. Gayatri Vantillu: The blog that is being run by Gayatri has two unique things – 1) the recipes are in video format and 2) the blog is catering to people who speak Telugu language. The videos are hosted on YouTube and is a pretty active one. The YouTube page has got more than 5000 subscribers and has a sizable number of views in each video.
Along with this, the blog has an amazing presence on Google Plus and also the only one to have such a presence on the network. The personal Google Plus page that is being used for the blog, has been added by 500K in their circles. The reason being her content that not only talks about her food but also has a great mix. Last but not the least, she is also sharing recipes of people and that has created the much-needed buzz on her Google Plus page.
Do share which one is your favorite. And if I have missed out someone who falls in the criteria that I have mentioned then leave a mention in the comments below.
P.S. All the posts or images that have been used in the post are from the respective blog’s social presence with due credit. If someone has a problem then do let me know.