B i g . f o o d . s i t e s
The homepage of the International Food Information Council. This site's emphasis is on nutrition, health, safety and legislation. It's divided into sections for reporters, parents, health professionals, consumers and educators. You can also read the IFIC newsletter, order any IFIC publications and browse a detailed list of other online links including Compuserve, America Online and Internet links.
Mostly text-based but informative, and sources of information are usually included.
Subject matter includes 'fat reduction' ingredients, the safety of caffeine (it is, apparently), allergies, monosodium glutamate, biotechnology and pesticides. One section is devoted to discussing legal reforms (in the US) on food safety. There is also a critical look at the growing number of new products that lie somewhere between a food and a drug; things like green algae, immune boosters, enzymes, botanicals. Not exactly a gourmet site, but excellent for diet and nutritional information.
If you are connected to the WWW the location of this Sainsbury site is
http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/recipes/book.html
This site is compiled by 'Gourmet' and 'Bon Appetit' magazines and offers a wide-ranging discussion on good food and eating. Sections include a Recipe Swap, a Restaurant Roundtable, Kitchen Counsel and sections on beer and wine. The restaurants mentioned are mostly in the US but there are a few in London, Paris, Hanover and Vancouver.
The site is well maintained and easy to navigate. When you pick an item from a discussion forum, links to other responses for that topic appear at the foot of the page. It helpfully provides both a 'Sit-down' and 'Drivethru' version, the latter being without graphics for a 'low-bandwidth' diet.
Judging by the number of responses to the some of the topics (17 on whether beer makes you fat, 30 on how to give a toast) the site hosts a wide selection of regular visitors. Kitchen Counsel is where fastidious foodies share their kitchen tips, shortcuts and techniques (eg. fresh lemon juice ice cubes, how to temper chocolate and ways to rid your stainless steel of stains) and it's probably a good place to post any culinary queries.
If you are connected to the WWW the location of Le Cordon Bleu is
http://sunsite.unc.edu/expo/restaurant/restaurant.html