The site, which has no advertising, is funded with the advance the two creators got from HarperStudio for two cookbooks. With just enough bells and whistles—video, community, most-popular chart, a blog—to be both stickier and more complicated than most book sites, Hesser and Stubbs needed to hire a small staff to keep it running. They've already attracted some partners, like kitchenwares maker OXO, which awards prize packages to winners and finalists in the weekly recipe contests, and Chambers Street Wines, a New York-based wine shop that offers users discounted wine pairings for some recipes. (A planned online store, which would've sold tools selected by Hesser and Stubbs, was put on hold before launch.) Paid subscriptions—the suddenly pressing concern for all online-content creators—have been considered, but there are no plans at the moment since Hesser and Stubbs are hoping to build an audience that's heavily invested in the site.

There are also plans for a Tournament of Cookbooks to crown this year's best titles, with input from celebrity judges like Gwyneth Paltrow and live panels in which food issues will be discussed. "It seems like people are yearning for more of a forum where they can discuss more of these topics," Stubbs says.

Both insist that these events—like the site—are less about the traditional approach of experts telling readers how to do something and more about creating an open exchange. "A lot of old food media was top-down," Hesser says. "And that's what we're trying to do, acknowledge the shift. Let's all share ideas."

The two women have worked closely with one another for the last five years compiling a 1,200-recipe New York Times cookbook for W.W. Norton, so they tend to finish one another's sentences and feed off each other with ease.

"Yes, we know a lot," Stubbs said. "But we're not here to teach so much as spread other people's ideas.

"As cooks, we acknowledge we have a lot to learn."