I love to cook and I love to read about cooking and recipes. Three magazines are my favorites.
First on my list is Fine Cooking...”For People Who Love to Cook” This magazine has great recipes with very good instructions. Not only are the instructions helpful, but the many photos in the magazine illustrate step-by-step techniques. Recipes also usually have variations. My one quibble: many of the recipes use too much fat. I sometimes cook with butter and occasionally cream and other high fat ingredients, but instead of 5 tablespoons of butter I may only use 1 tablespoon of butter to saute my vegetables. So I read the recipes, make adjustments, don’t make the recipe or decide to splurge on a special occasion. I love all the gadgets and ingredients the magazine introduces, reviews and shows how to use. A great and fun magazine to read and use.
Cook’s Illustrated…”Recipes That Work”is a magazine for the perfectionist. A hundred or more turkeys might be cooked to find the technique to create the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Maybe you want the definitive way to make flaky biscuits or the perfect meat loaf. It’s fun and amazing to read all the tests conducted. Instead of photos the magazine uses excellent drawings. It also tests and reviews kitchen equipment such as digital scales or cutting boards and food items such as egg noodles or vanilla. I learn more about cooking reading this magazine.
My favorite in the group though is Eating Well…”Where Good Taste meets Good Health.” As in the other two magazines the recipes are great, but here the focus is on healthy food which tastes good. This is the magazine I agree most closely with. Recipes may use some butter, but only a small amount is used for flavor. The recipes taste great without using large amounts of fat or sugar. What sets it apart from the other two magazines are the food articles. For example, an article may talk about why ingredients such as cranberries and blueberries are so healthy or a better way to diet. I like that the articles show both sides of an issue and are not extreme. This magazine also shows gadgets and reviews which I love to read!
