Super blogger Sunday: Nithya of 4th sense cooking

Meet Nithya of 4th Sense Cooking in the Super blogger series this weekend...Nithya started blogging around 2 years back and from then there has been no looking back..She is an excellent cook, a superb photographer and a very creative person. She garnishes the food in a very beautiful manner and combined with her photographic skills the food pictures are really very eye-catching..Read more about her as she shares some tips on garnishing, photography and baking..

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Nithya: Hi All, I’m Nithya, software developer who turned into a blogger. I’m the blogger behind 4th sense Cooking. My blog child is going to be two in few weeks from now and I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

I also have keen interest in arts, crafts and photography about which I blog under Nits Arts and crafts. Managing blogs does need quite some effort and the fruits of the effort show up through comments and readership. Isn’t that amazing when what we do is of use to a lot of people around the globe!

I make it a point to post atleast a minimum of two posts a week. Now that I have completed around 270 recipes, I do a lot of research on new recipes and collect them from friends and relatives and give them a try.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging?? Which food blogs inspire you?

Nithya : My mom is my inspiration. She is the best cook I have ever seen. It all started when my mom asked me to copy down her cook book. Having an IT background, I really wanted to take it to the next step and so started a blog where I registered my recipes along with simple pictures. What started for a purpose has now become a hobby and in turn my passion as well.

I follow a lot of blogs lately and get loads of inspiration from the way they present their food, photograph it and also enjoy the lively way they write. To mention few,

http://www.whatsforlunchhoney.net/

http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/

http://bakeinparis.blogspot.com/ etc. Love their food presentation loads.

EC: The pictures on your blog are so beautiful. Give us some tips for good photography.

Thank you EC for that compliment. I take immense interest in presenting my food in an attractive way and clicking pics of them. According to me, more than possessing a high tech camera, its all about having an eye for presentation and photography that is important.

When it comes to food photography, the presentation is really important. The photographs should invite the viewers to try the recipe.

My tips for good food photography would be –

• Good lighting - this is the most important factor which makes the photograph look good. So make it a point you take photographs in bright lighting.

• Clean set up – Never crowd the photograph with loads of properties and objects. Keep it simple and focus the attraction to the subject always.

• Colors – Choose background and bowl colors that compliment the food.

I use my Canon EOS1000D for my photography and recently got a tripod to help me out with nice clicks :-)

EC: Also your garnishing skills are excellent. Some ideas for quick and easy garnishing

Nithya : Thank you again .. I’m totally on the learning curve when it comes to garnishing.

The best way to decorate a food is to use the ingredients that are included in the dish itself. The raw materials can be displayed in a creative way.

In general a lot of vegetables resemble animals or anything else for that matter. Just observe the shape of the vegetable and try to carve out or dress it up like animals etc. which would make the dish look very attractive.

 

EC: How much technical knowledge does one need for successful blogging?

Nithya : According to me not much of technical knowledge is needed for blogging. Blogger platform is absolutely user friendly and helps even a novice to blog without any strain. Wordpress is equally good too.

Creating our own template or customizing the template would require minimal knowledge but loads of online tutorials are easily available for our rescue.

Anybody can start off blogging without any fear.

EC: You have a lot of baked goodies on your blog..Some tips for a newbie in baking and which recipe of yours would you suggest for a first timer.

Nithya: Baking is fun and quite easy once you start off and has been my latest craze. The understanding of measurements and certain methodologies would make baking breezy.

Tips:

• Start off with simple recipes that help you gain confidence.

• Measure the ingredients perfectly. Its best to have a set of measuring cups and spoons handy.

• Freeze the dough for some time before you make cookies. This is really a magical step for neat looking cookies.

• Never remove the cake or any baked goody from the oven just after you switch it off. Give it few mins standing time. This helps in good texture of the baked goody.

• Make sure your baking soda, baking powder and yeast are fresh when you use them in bakes. They are the key to success.

I would suggest my “Instant microwave cake” recipe for a beginner since its eggless, totally fuss free and cake can me made within minutes. J

EC: Your favorite vegetarian recipe

Nithya: Vanilla Raspberry Yo Yo Cookies is my favorite