Cook's Illustrated

The recipes are focused on American traditional cooking. Many are "meat and potatoes" dishes and desserts. It is not limited to these but if you are looking for traditional recipes from other cultures this is not the best source. The recipes maximize taste. This frequently leads them to be higher in fat and/or calories than a source like Cooking Light. It is done in B&W with photos and line drawings. Those looking for great color photos of prepared dishes in exotic locales should avoid also. The recipes are roughly in the middle of the road in terms of complexity, rarity of ingredients, and time to prepare. They happily avoid the pitfall of some cookbooks from famous chefs that attempt to adapt restaurant recipes to home cooks with lists of 20+ ingredients. On the other hand there are not that many 30 minutes quickie meals from obviously on-hand ingredients.

You will probably either love or hate their focus on kitchen science and how to make the best recipe. If you fall into the latter category then just skip the first part of each article and just make the recipe. The product and cookbook reviews are very objective, informative, and appropriately critical.


Great magazine, but extensive mailing list   October 20, 2006
Scott George (Los Angeles, CA USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

My wife and I love this magazine. It offers objective reviews of kitchen equipment, which is rare. The recipes are very much a step up from what you get in the family magazines (Good Housekeeping, Sunset, etc.) without being so elaborate that you are not motivated to try them as is sometimes the case with some of the dedicated food magazines. And, the helpful hints are actually helpful! Another appreciation is that the magazine is limited in the number of recipes per month. I find that helps provide some focus.

I do feel obliged to let you know that you will receive a noticeable amount of mail from their mailing list. To me, this is a very minor annoyance and it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the magazine. But, it is something you should be aware of.


Educational   November 30, 2003
Katherine Ko (Pittsburgh)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I like this magazine because it actually TEACHES you about cooking. By explaining what different types of ingredients and cooking techniques DO, it helps you learn how to cook better with or without a recipe. It's really nice not to be married to my cookbook every moment.

Also, while there are many recipes too complicated for me personally, there are at least 3 recipes per issue that are things I can use. Those that I am not likely to use are good anyway, because by reading the text about the cooking methods I can learn techniques to use in other dishes.

The only thing I don't like, and this is the reason I will not renew this year is that the emphasis is entirely on taste and appearance of food. Concequently, I often end up with great tasting, beautiful, extremely fattening or calorie laden food. So for those of us who are health conscious, it is harder to use this one on a regular basis. If I could afford more than one cooking magazine, I'd keep this one, but since I can't, I'll try something new.