Photo and video sharing online is one of the most explosive trends on the web today. In fact, approximately 518 million people visit photo-sharing sites every month.

One of the most popular is Flickr, a photo and video service that makes it easy to upload, edit, and share photos with friends and family. Flickr currently has more than 40 million registered members who've uploaded and shared more than 4 billion photos and videos.

Yahoo! web life editor Heather Cabot highlighted some interesting ways people are using Flickr to pass along and enrich their culinary traditions:

• Posting step-by-step photos of families preparing each step of a recipe together
• Offering detailed descriptions with photos to show recipe details
• Seeking out new dishes and ways to use ingredients through photo searches
• Joining Flickr groups centered on food (See the Martha Stewart Flickr group.)