Shelley Howells: It's time to tuck into a tasty site or two

For someone who can't or won't cook, there are an awful lot of food-ish websites tucked away in my favourites folder. I used to be an armchair cook and I have, over the years, bought and read hundreds of Cuisine magazines, but can't recall ever using one of their recipes.

I've upgraded, and now consider myself a desktop cook.

I even have desktop kitchens. Imagine being able to have a rummage around the kitchen of your favourite chef.

Imagine no longer! Julia Child gave her old kitchen to the Smithsonian Institution, which has installed it at the National Museum of American History.

The online exhibition is almost as good as the real thing, with Julia's singular voice providing some of the commentary.

You can rove around the 360-degree view and zoom in on the (stylishly retro) appliance of your choice - or, indeed Julia's lorgnette and "to do" list. Someone needs to make an offer on Alison Holst's kitchen before it's too late.

For ideas on creating your own retro kitchen refit, check out Todd Duren's detailed account and photos of his nostalgic 1940s-style kitchen.

Retro food gets a lot of space on the web.

Meat eaters may enjoy the Potted Meat Museum, featuring (real) tinned classics such as Elk Au Jus, Southern Surprise Possum Sauce or its Meat of the Month, Goblin Meat Pudding. The beauty of this site is the groovy design of the cans.

Cheesy design features in the Gallery of Regrettable Food, which takes a trip back in time to expose and preserve photos of some of the culinary horrors of yesteryear, such as a youthful Peggy Lee's newspaper ad sandwich idea: "Combine equal amounts of Swift's peanut butter and orange marmalade and spread thickly on slices of enriched bread or toast. Sprinkle lavishly with chopped, crisp Swifts Premium Bacon." Mmm.

Retro Recipes - A Tribute to Awful Food also proves that there were culinary abominations way before the arrival of taco kits on our supermarket shelves. Examples: Creamy Dried Beef Mould and Fried Sausage Cheese Fondue.

Junk food is another busy category.

Top Secret Recipes on the Web is a perennial favourite. Their worthy mission is to reveal the secrets behind America's "brand-name" food, for the home cook to recreate. So, should you ever feel the need to whip up a batch of KFC coleslaw, McDonald's Big Mac sauce or Starbucks Frappuccino you now know where to click.

Junk food devotees gather at Snackspot to discuss their favourite candy bars, chippies, icecreams and the like.

Sadly for us, treats such as The Simpsons Frijj Limited Edition "Raspberry D'oh Nut" flavour milkshake can only be enjoyed virtually.

Vegetarians, and anybody with a shred of good taste, may choose to avoid RoadKill Cafe, featuring photos of roadkill and recipe suggestions so that nothing goes to waste.

Also from the Seriously Bad Taste (in all ways) Department comes Pets or Food, the latest product of which (through an arrangement with Russia's premier furrier) is freshly clubbed and frozen baby seal meat. It also provides handy recipes, such as Sweet and Sour Koala Loaf and Citrus Buttered King Snake.

If, after checking out these sites, culinary inspiration still hasn't struck, try some extreme eats.

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments could add some zing in your kitchen, or try some insect recipes such as Banana Worm Bread or Mealworm Fried Rice, courtesy of Iowa State University.

The university thoughtfully provides an insect nutritional table; you will learn that termites are surprisingly high in iron.

Alternatively, if you can't be bothered cooking, you can always eat out, and entertain your dining mates with double servings of fascinating food trivia.

Among the gems: the little-known fact that, in the process of writing about food websites, it is possible to chew through your own weight in crackers and dip.

* Email Shelley Howells

Cuisine

Julia Child at the Smithsonian Institution

Todd Duren's retro kitchen

Potted Meat Museum

Gallery of Regrettable Food

Retro Recipes

Top Secret Recipes

Snack spot

RoadKill Cafe

Pets or Food

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

Insect Recipes

Food Trivia