Cook's Illustrated magazine

[shannon in KS]

I received a trial issue offer for CI... AND! I get a free grater with paid subscription!!!

What do y'all think of Cook's Illustrated? I had never picked up and/or read an issue, but it seemed have a lot of useful information.

 

[Andy M.]

On one hand, they have a very good magazine with well tested recipes. The other features are also very good. It's an expensive mag but tends to have more of the stuff I'm interested in. It's nto loaded with "Special Advertising Sections" and articles about the best restaurant on top of Mount Everest.

On the other hand, I'm irritated by their, "This is the very best recipe for 'whatever' in the world." They do a lot of testing of different combinations of ingredients and cooking methods to come up with their final recipes. As a result their attitude seems to be that their recipe is the definitive choice for whatever they cook. (I know, this is my hangup).

I use several of their recipes because they are good, but they usually get my personal touch to "improve" them.

 

[Erik]

All cooking mags can be insightful, but like Andy stated, your personal touch makes things that much better.
I'm waiting for my second issue of "Everyday With Rachael Ray"

 

[corazon]

I'm a big fan of Fine Cooking. I like how a lot, but not all, of the time they give a basic recipe with a bunch of different ideas on how to play with that recipe. My fave is for baked pasta. They give so many ideas that I have never made it the same way twice, from spicy sausage in a red sauce with bunches of veggies to chicken tomato cream sauce with mushrooms and asparagus. Goodness, this is making me hungry!

 

[ironchef]

It depends on your skill level and interest. If you really don't understand the concept of say, browning or reducing, Cooks Illustrated is very good because it teaches you the basics and the techniques behind them. However, people who know their way around the kitchen and understand most elements and concepts of cooking may find Cooks Illustrated a little boring. In that case, it would be good for maybe browsing through and looking for ideas but it wouldn't be something that you would really delve into.

 

[shannon in KS]

All cooking mags can be insightful, but like Andy stated, your personal touch makes things that much better.
I'm waiting for my second issue of "Everyday With Rachael Ray"

I bought the premier Everyday issue, and just wasn't impressed with it... I may buy a few more off the stand to see if I like it.

And thanks everyone for your opinions. I was kinda wavering for all the reasons that were mentioned also. I may check out a few future issues before subscribing! Thanks!

 

[In the Kitchen]

Erik

All cooking mags can be insightful, but like Andy stated, your personal touch makes things that much better.
I'm waiting for my second issue of "Everyday With Rachael Ray"

I like her too

 

[Michael in FtW]

Overall - I like Cook's Illustrated. In terms of the number of pages, it's not many for what you pay. On the other hand, it has a lot of information in those few pages that you are not going to get from a mag that depends on "advertising" dollars.

Like Andy M. - I'm sometimes annoyed by what they consider to be "the best" recipe for something. However, I do enjoy reading the narrative of how they reached their conclusions. While they generally nail the cooking methods down they do sometimes have a faux pas (in my opinion) in ingredients. By knowing how they derived the recipe I have an idea about how to "adjust" it to my Southern tastes (nothing personal but they are a bunch of New Englanders and have their regional taste preferences) but I can still learn a sometimes better cooking method, or at least give me another way to view what I had been doing.

Okay - they do a lot of testing to try to come up with the best recipe, and think they have succeeded. Have you ever seen a book claiming to be the "Second" or "Third" best recipes? How about one that claims to be just "mediocre" or the "worst"?

I'm not picking on the CI staff for having New England taste preferences. It's just a matter of fact that people from different parts of the country have different views on how some dishes should taste. For example - Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet) in his book "Cooks American" in the chapter on Soul Food suggested that the way to complete a meal of Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Hocks was to, "Add a salad and some rolls and enjoy," - anyone who knows anything about soul food, or southern cooking, would know the way to complete a meal of black-eyes and ham hocks would be "boiled greens and cornbread".

But, Cook's Illustrated goes beyond just recipes. And, I love all the "other stuff" as much if not more than the recipes. I really enjoy their equipment reviews, as I do their taste tests of "off-the-shelf" stuff.

Is it worth it? That depends - is it worth it to you?

 

[Zereh]

Cook's Illustrated is one of my favorites. I've had excellent luck with everything of theirs that I've ever tried to replicate. My only, teeny-tiny whine is that I wish there were more meatless dishes. =P

I also like their product / equipment reviews.

I also subscribe to their on-line site. Love that just as much!


Z

 

[mudbug]

"Add a salad and some rolls and enjoy,"

LOL, Michael. Good old Jeff suggested that for just about every dish, as I remember. And a glass of white.

 

[jennyema]

I like Cooks Illustrated. I got the freebiw issue, too. Strangely, it's much the same as last year's freebie issue.

I got a subscription to "Cooks Country," their other magazine for Xmas from a friend. It's much like CI but with more comfort foods and "home cooking." Plus recipe contests that I am hooked on entering.

The Ci test kitchens are near my house and I tasted recipes for them once a long time ago.

The only thing I don't like is Christopher Kimball's officiousness.

 

[mudbug]

The only thing I don't like is Christopher Kimball's officiousness.

Amen, jenny. I know I said some time ago that he always reminded me of a math teacher just waiting to give me a D.

 

[jennyema]

Maybe he was beaten up in grade school for wearing that bow tie?

 

[mudbug]

LOL, musta been. Plus he was probably the nerd who was always correcting people ("No, it was James Brown who did 'I Feel Good', not Otis Redding".)

 

[Robt]

I have been a CI subscriber for all the time this bunch has been in business and the previous owners and magazine as well.

I agree with nearly all of the comments above and wish to stress my view of their provincial attitudes re: New England - God if they had improved the NE cuisine as the Brits have theirs in the last generation...

However, they seem to be on the rerun circuit. Is their no new food things to talk about. If you claim the ultimate pot of whatever in '98; has it changed in '06?

Yes this is a great mag.

I also subscribe to : Fine Cooking, as well as Eating Well.

 

[kimbaby]

thanks for the link i think i'll check it out when i log off this site...

 

[Barbarainnc]

1 Hardback or lots of Magazines??

I get the CI Annual Hardback Edition, on auto delivery. Just wait each year for it to come in the mail. I'd rather get one book than a lot of magazines. I do this with Southern Living, Taste of Home, Quick Cooking and Light and Tasty.

 

[phinz]

I have two non-automotive subscriptions:

Cooks Illustrated and Southern Living.

 

[Claire]

I like CI, but found that almost everything in it is on the PBS TV series (I think it's called Americas Test Kitchens or something like that), so it was redundant. I love the parts where they compare pepared foods and where they compare cookware. Sort of like a Consumers Reports for cooks.

 

[BreezyCooking]

"Everyday with Rachel Ray". Uhhhhh - I'm shuddering. Talk about holy overexposure Batman - lol!!!!

Her what three or four shows on The Food Network, plus her new "talk" show on network TV, plus her cookbooks, & now this magazine???

Please - I'm thinking if I hear the words "yummo", "sammy", "EVOO", yadayadayada, one more time, I'll be on personal terms with my bathroom - lol!!!

That said, & going back to the original query, I've received a few sample copies of Cooks Illustrated over the years, but never could get interested enough to subscribe. When placed side-by-side with similar mags like Cuisine At Home & Eating Well, Cooks Illustrated comes out a dull third, & I have only so much $$ to spend on magazines.

My all-time favorite is still Saveur - mostly because it's a very good & interesting read apart from the recipes.