Dear PropellerHeads: I'm not much of a cook, and I really struggle with cookbooks that list ingredients or tools I've never heard of. Is there help for me on the Web?

A: I'm not sure, but if you spent more time in the kitchen and less time online, maybe you'd be a better cook! OK, maybe not. But here are some Internet-based suggestions for improving your culinary creations.

For those pesky terms neither you nor I have heard of, like "agar-agar" or "zwieback," take a look at CooksRecipes' online dictionary at www.cooksrecipes.com/cooking-dictionary/cooking-dictionary.html. You can search for items alphabetically by clicking on the first letter of the word. Additionally, CooksRecipes lists more recipes than you could ever hope to cook. You can do a search by recipe name or major ingredient, or browse recipe categories from their side-bar navigation feature.

Another great site is www.allrecipes.com. I particularly like their ingredients tab at top. There you can list ingredients that you know you have on-hand, and the search feature will list numerous recipes using those ingredients. That's great when you need to put a meal together pretty quickly and don't have time to shop. Additionally, you can list items you don't like in the search to make sure you don't get any recipes using my least favorite food: turnips.

The site also lists common recipe substitutions. Did you know that you can substitute a half teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of ginger and a quarter teaspoon of cloves to equal a teaspoon of allspice? I didn't either, but that would have been helpful to know the last time I made Lebanese green beans, only to discover in the middle of the process that I had no allspice.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, take a look at www.foodnetwork.com. It features all the star chefs from the television channel. You can grill like Bobby Flay, whip up a pasta sauce with Giada De Laurentiis or concoct a delicious artery-clogging dessert with Paula Deen. I shouldn't trash Paula Deen, bless her heart. Her lemon blossoms are to die for, especially if you eat too many!

I love to eat, but I also love to drink. Unfortunately, I'm not the best bartender in the world. Not to worry, take a look at www.webtender.com. I love the In My Bar link that allows me to select from an extensive list of ingredients and then gives me a listing of drinks I can make.

At www.idrink.com, you can find out what's hot with their "Top 10 Recipes" tab, as well as what's not on the "Worst 10 Recipes" tab. IDrink also gives party theme suggestions and even mentions a few games to play, not that I would recommend that sort of thing.

I hope this has helped. I'm now both thirsty and starving, having written this article ... time to head out for lunch!

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our Web site at www.askthepropellerheads.com.