September 20, 2005

Allrecipes.com Teams With National Best-Selling Cookbook Author And Food Columnist, Pam Anderson To Launch Allrecipes.com “Cooknik™”

INNOVATIVE WEEKLY SERVICE TO HELP BUSY FAMILIES EASE DINNER WOES AND GATHER AROUND THE TABLE

Seattle, September 20, 2005 — A soon-to-be-released national study found that nearly half of Americans say their biggest dinner dilemma is simply figuring out what to make. The result is often overpriced and unhealthy dinners accompanied by a heaping dose of unnecessary stress and a dinner hour where the TV gets the lion's share of attention. To help put an end to this daily drama, Allrecipes.com, the world’s largest online recipe site for home cooks, in concert with Pam Anderson, national best-selling author, food columnist and resident mom, created Allrecipes.com Cooknik™.

Allrecipes.com Cooknik sends an all inclusive weekly meal plan, with recipes, meal suggestions, timesaving tips, and a ready-to-go shopping list, directly to subscribers’ email inboxes each week. Family-friendly entrees are paired with simple sides and easy dessert ideas to deliver well-rounded meals the whole family will enjoy. The convenient weekly newsletter aims to save home cooks valuable time and money. Best of all, the service promises to help families come together around a simple home cooked meal.

According to the study referenced above, soon to be released by Allrecipes.com and USA WEEKEND, while many families find their dinner hour resembling that of the Bundy family from the popular sitcom Married... with Children, they aspire to have a dinner hour similar to the traditional, balanced Huxtables from The Cosby Show. Allrecipes.com Cooknik is designed to help home cooks remove the stress and last minute chaos that is getting in the way of that aspiration.

“Today’s busy families are packing an increasing amount of activities into their days, in addition to their demanding schedules at school and work,” said Esmee Williams, vice president marketing and public affairs, Allrecipes.com. “These frantic schedules leave little to no time for planning, preparing and enjoying dinner together. This insight into the typical American family inspired us to partner with Pam to create Allrecipes.com Cooknik. The family-friendly, well-rounded meals Pam has developed takes the guesswork and stress out of meal preparation, giving families a break from the ordinary and will have them looking forward to the dinner hour again.”

Recipes are flexible, allowing users to easily customize meals to satisfy even the pickiest palates. Designed to showcase seasonal recipes that require just a handful of familiar ingredients, Allrecipes.com Cooknik also will inspire families to try new flavors and textures and avoid the words, “not that again.”

The Allrecipes.com database of more than 30,000 recipes served as a starting point for Anderson in building out meal ideas for Allrecipes.com Cooknik.

Anderson culled through the database and selected top-rated recipes and added her advice, tips and serving suggestions. Each meal idea is tested extensively by Anderson, as well as in the test kitchen at Allrecipes.com, to ensure it is quality approved. A selection of families across the country served as a focus group, testing and providing feedback on Allrecipes.com Cooknik as it was developed, making sure it provided everyday cooks the tools and resources they need.

“Some of my earliest and best memories are of watching my parents and grandparents prepare a meal. Americans who are too busy and or stressed by the dinner planning process to make a home cooked meal for their families are missing out on what can be precious time spent together,” said Pam Anderson. “I am thrilled to be working with Allrecipes.com to create a resource that will help families reclaim the dinner hour. As a culinary educator, food columnist and mom I appreciate great meal ideas that are simple to make and I love that I can share my tips and insights with everyday cooks to help them bring their families back around the table while simplifying the entire process.”

Subscribers do not have to be members of the Allrecipes.com community to sign up for Allrecipes.com Cooknik. People can register for a subscription for $14.95 for six months (26 issues, 58 cents an issue) or check it out on a trial basis at www.allrecipes.com.

About Allrecipes
Allrecipes, the world’s largest social network of food and entertaining enthusiasts, receives more than 35 million annual visits from users who share and download recipes, reviews, photos, personal profiles, and meal ideas. For more than 10 years, the Seattle-based site has served as a dynamic, indispensable resource for cooks of all skill levels seeking trusted recipes, entertaining ideas, everyday and holiday meal solutions, practical cooking tips and food advice. As the fastest growing independent food Internet site, and part of the Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. food and entertainment division, Allrecipes provides insights into the kitchens and cooking passions of home cooks everywhere.