Food watching may provide virtual satisfaction

Food porn may be the only form of paraphernalia you don’t have to hide from your parents. Check out these five drool-inducing food blogs that will make you want to don a chef’s hat and dive into the kitchen:

1. Smitten Kitchen (smittenkitchen.com)–Debra Perelman, lovingly known by her followers as “Deb,” is a mom living and cooking in New York City. Her posts are both funny and genuine, and the pictures she includes will leave you fighting the urge to gobble up the screen in front of you. Get ready for some serious comfort foods made with straight-forward, no-nonsense ingredients (sorry, truffle oil aficionados, this is not the place for you) and tutorials that cover everything from how to poach an egg to how to zest a lemon. Best of all, the blog is geared toward those of us cooking in a tiny kitchen- perfect for a hungry college student.

2. The Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com) –Ree Drummond is a self- described “Desperate Housewife,” but in her case the desperation paid off. With a cookbook, TV appearances and national recognition under her belt, the blog that started it all is a prime example of the Internet’s far-reaching power.

While the site offers much more than delectable food photos and recipes, it’s Ree’s midwestern charm that sets her posts apart from the rest. She photographs every minute detail of the cooking process, from the eggs and milk that go into her “Marlboro Man approved” chicken fried steak to Oreo crumbles in her decadent “Grasshopper Pie,” making it hard for even the clumsiest of cooks to screw up one of her dishes.

3. This Is Why You’re Fat (thisiswhyyourefat.com) – While this site has not been updated since December 2010, This Is Why You’re Fat is still the online hallmark of Americans’ unending obsession with fattening food. Mostly a photo blog with simple subtitles describing what’s in the images, the fare is still memorable enough to keep you going back for more. While you may not actually want to eat a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with the bread substituted by two glazed donuts, the resulting picture is a party for your eyes.

4. Joy the Baker (joythebaker.com) – Joy likes short sentences and sweet things and savory things. But she mostly likes sweet things, like homemade Twinkies or sweet vegan things, like vegan pumpkin walnut bread. Although she keeps the word count to a minimum, her posts are always funny, insightful and visually delicious. From toasted marshmallow milkshakes to pretzel and peanut butter brownies, Joy’s got your sweet tooth covered.