Meet the Perfectionist, A Homemaker and Cook

For the third interview in the series of "Chronicles of the Home Chef ",
we got a chance to have an amazing conversation with
Sanchita. She is a
personification of a perfect homemaker. Sanchita is a mother of two and
her life revolves around her family and cooking experiments. In spite of
spending 5--6 hours everyday in cooking, she is very particular about
the presentation and food styling. Posting recipes on cookpad in now a
hobby for her. Read on to know more....

Tell me a little bit about yourself and what does cooking mean
to you?

I am a homemaker who loves to take care about her family members and her
home. Cooking is my passion since I was just 15 years. I learnt cooking
from my mother and was always very keen in trying new and innovative
dishes. I spend around 5--6 hours everyday in cooking.

What inspired you to join Cookpad ?

When I came to know about Cookpad I found it as a wonderful community
and a platform where home cooks can showcase their talents, share and
learn at the same time. Its a very versatile group which I came across
so far. I like posting and sharing in cookpad as well as learn. Hats off
to you admins for creating and managing Cookpad so smoothly and
efficiently. You all are very supportive.

Prior to cookpad do did you generally save your recipes? Is there a
favourite blogger or website you follow for inspiration ?

Yes, I always had a keen interest in trying new and innovative dishes so
saved my written recipes and pictures earlier also. I used to save in
Google keep.

I have always been a great fan of Mrs Tarla Dalal. Many of my recipes
are inspired by her. I like her way of cooking, presenting etc. But of
course my mother is my first guru.

Are you using the Cookpad app or website? How much time do you take to
post a recipe?

I use both. It takes me 5--6 minutes to post a recipe.

Do you use social media to share recipes?

Yes I share my work through Facebook in various cooking groups.

Do you know what are cooksnaps? Have you ever received or posted any
cooksnaps for recipes?

Yes I very well know about cooksnaps. Cooksnaps are a medium by which we
can thank the original recipe author. We cook another person's recipe
and post the picture of our dish as a token of thanks to the author. I
have posted around 25 cooksnaps recently. Received 1 cooksnap

How often do you post on cookpad now as compared to when you
had joined?

I definitely post more often now. Posting in Cookpad is becoming more of
a hobby now. Enjoying!!

How do you plan your post on Cookpad? Is it planned well in advance or
is it spontaneous?

Whenever I feel that I have cooked and created something new and
different, I am tempted to post. I always try to do something which
satisfies me thoroughly. So the same applies for posting in Cookpad.
Moreover when there are ongoing contests in Cookpad, I cook and create
dishes according to the theme and post.

Does posting recipe with picture help? Do you spend time on food
styling? Which device do you use to click pictures of your recipe?

Yes according to me posting a written recipe with the picture is very
important. This helps others to get inspired and try and make new
things. Yes, I am very particular about food styling, plating,
presentations and even the quality of food. I also take care about the
appearance of plates or bowls in which the food is served. According to
me " food which is presented well, tastes well".

I use my cell phone camera (one plus 3T) to click pictures, the results
are sharp and awesome. I take around 2--3 minutes for clicking from
different angles, or until I get satisfied with the picture quality.

Do you feel motivated looking at statistics?

Yes, it does matter to me. According to me the reader's response do
matter in two ways. Firstly if the response is positive, it encourages
to share more and you feel happy about it. Secondly if the response is
negative, it does feel bad but such responses help in improving further.

Any message or tips you have for our cookpad users ?

All members and home cooks are doing a wonderful job. One thing that I
would always like to suggest is that the presentation of the food should
be appealing and attractive, apart from preparation of food
hygienically. One important tip I would like to give is " Please don't
use and keep non- edible items and decorations just touching the food or
inside the dish to make the food more attractive".

Do you have feedback for Cookpad?

I would say that Cookpad is a wonderful platform for home cooks and the
Cookpad team is very supportive. I would definitely be an active member
of this community in days to come and would be looking forward to more
and more achievements..

Thank you Sanchita for taking the time to share your story with the
Cookpad community.

So there you have it! Sanchita tells us what Cookpad means to
her. Its a great feeling to know that there are women like her who
believe in the Cookpad mission and are helping us get there and
make this world a healthier place one step at a time. If you have any
questions for Sanchita or would like to know anything in specific, don't
forget to reach out to us on info-in@cookpad.com.

Till then keep sharing recipes, keep cooking. Enjoy Cookpad