What do you need for a food blog

People often ask how this site works. From the software to the gear we use. Here are all the elements that make airfry.guide tick. Note: many of these links are affiliate links – that means we get a modest referral fee if you go on and make a purchase. If in doubt, assume we’re earning a fee on all of the below!

WordPress web hosting

I use WordPress for all of my websites – I recommend you do too. Yes, there’s a learning curve and yes you will need to put some time into it. You can start off on WordPress.org for free and learn the ropes. Don’t give up, stay with it, the results will be worth it. WordPress gives you independence and flexibility. You can take your website to any hosting provider you like at any time. If you use a proprietary blogging platform, you might be locked into their service forever…

34SP.com provide us with sponsored free website hosting. They’re a fabulous hosting company (hey I work there!) and are focused on ethical, honest, sustainable business practices. Not only do they offer amazing WordPress hosting but they do so using green power, supporting charities for free, and treating their staff like rock stars.

Use code AIFRY at checkout when buying WordPress hosting from 34SP.com and get six free months. No strings attached, signup, learn WP and start your site – no penalty or hidden fees if you end up cancelling.

Some of the plugins I use include:

Food blog WordPress theme

I use the Kadence WordPress theme (affiliate link). Why? Well, its fast, light and still manages to be easy on the eye. With Core Web Vitals coming up on the horizon, its critical your food blog runs fast. Kadence is great at this. The Pro version is also really cheap. I also use Kadence Blocks – the designer’s custom Gutenberg blocks.

Advertising

I use dynamically placed ads across the site generated by Adsense. It’s a great platform for the average website with a number of options you can customize.

My number one piece of advice is to think about monetization from day one. I’d get ads integrated into your site and design as early as you can, so you can get comfortable with how they look and function. You might not make any more than pennies in the early days, but you will learn a ton of insight along the way; you’ll be perfectly placed when your traffic goes up.

Camera gear for blogging

I shoot with a Sony A7iii body using a Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens. It’s a fairly pricey combination. I run many other websites and create a lot of food photography. The A7 works great in low light (I take a lot of photos in dark restaurants), its comparatively light and portable (to a DSLR) being a mirrorless camera – and it’s worth every last penny I spent on it. Seriously.

I started with a point and shoot Canon S100 way back when. From there I made the leap to the Sony A6000, and then onto some extra Sigma glass with that. Finally I moved to the full frame A7 range. It’s been nearly three years now and its still a workhorse that rocks out amazing shots.

The A7 body dropped below $2k a while ago while the G Master lens holds steady around $1300. That’s also another plus point. While I won’t go into the huge benefits of this type of high end camera gear – you should note – it keeps its value relatively well should you ever want to sell it on.

Food photo staging gear for bloggers

All the plated food shots usually use Corelle 10 inch Winter Frost dinner plates. They’re relatively cheap and almost impossible to break or chip (you don’t chipped plates in food photos). They’re minimal in design and aesthetic which lets you focus on the food. They’re also dishwasher safe.

For the butcher block ‘counter’ look, and subway tile ‘back wall’ look, I use Replica Surfaces. They have a huge range of options and they look great.

I’m lucky enough to have a sun room with windows on three sides; that which means I can take photos in natural light most of the time. In the depths of Winter though I need a little something extra. When the natural light fails me I use an Octagonal Softbox Lighting Kit from Limostudio. Check it out here.

Air Frying equipment

Most recipes on the site are made using the COSORI Air Fryer – I’ve been using it for two years and its been a workhorse. I love the 5.8QT size. There’s more info on why I love that model here. Our air frying accessories page also has a few other items you might want to consider for food blogging/cooking in general.