Our Very Best Food Photos

The smell of freshly fried bacon can make even the meanest of grown men cry (in a good way), but every now and again a stunning food photo has been known to cause the same sort of emotional outpour. Given the right circumstance (and angle), enjoying the aesthetic genius of a food photo can even taste better than actually taking a bite.
Long overdue, we dusted off our photo archives and searched for the best of the best and found five of our absolute favorite recipe photos. Just be warned: you may find yourself rubbing your eyes in disbelief.
Bon Appétit.
If we were packing a picnic we'd think long and hard about subbing out the actual salad for a print out of this stunning photo.

The gorgeous speckles of chocolate and nicely placed mint sprig are nice touches to this amazing photo, but the beam sunlight is what elevates this shake shot to food photo heaven.

Crispy onion slivers atop a pale slab of gloopy potatoes — we could stare at this Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie for hours and still come back for seconds.

Nothing gets us excited like lobster. Unless we're talking heaps up of it, cracked open, carefully arranged and all of set against a corner of crystal clear blue water.

It's a tricky business — knowing when to get up close and personal with the food — but when it's right, it's so right.

What's wrong? Not impressed? Neither are we, actually — these pics are wack!
April Fools! Those unflattering food shots are only half the story; we've since reshot them along with many more, and can't wait to show off all the true stunners.