By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Cook's Illustrated
A great item I have in my inventory is Cooks Illustrated Magazine. It’s one of the many magazines I subscribe to and I look forward to it’s arrival every month. I also subscribe to their online system that gives you access to every issue since they started.
Cook’s Illustrated contains in each issue tips, recipes, equipment reviews, and articles on things such as kitchen hygiene.
What I really respect about their recipes, and what sets them apart, are that they aren’t your ordinary recipes. The team at America’s Test Kitchen (where they are based) tries out literally hundreds of different variations of recipes to get the perfect recipe. They go through the trouble of cooking hundreds of pizza crusts to get the perfect pizza. Or they try out hundreds of different fudge recipes to get the perfect consistency of fudge. Their school of thought is that you don’t need 50 lasagna recipes, you just need one really good one. I believe in this philosophy completely and it’s the number one reason I subscribe to their magazine.
Tips
Not only does Cook’s Illustrated research each recipe in great detail but they also share tips from their readers in every issue. I enjoy finding some of the things I do myself in type but I learn quite a bit from the new things listed in each issue. The following are just a few examples of the many tips listed in the Jan-Feb 2010 issue:
- Measuring Spaghetti – Use empty spice jar and fill with spaghetti. Ends up with (2) servings by using this method.
- Hands-Free Seasoning – Use tongs to flip the meat.
- Preventing Ice Crystals on Ice Cream – As you scoop out ice-cream from the container, use scissors to cut away the extra container. Then put the lid back on as normal. The lack of a air cavity will help prevent ice crystals.
Recipes
No good cooking magazine is complete without recipes and of course Cook’s Illustrated has many of them. As I mentioned before they go into great detail about the recipes and research the perfect blend of texture, cooking method, and tase with each one. They also take into account your ability to find the ingredients which is a huge plus for me. I don’t know if you have ever read a cookbook or magazine that lists ingredients you won’t find anywhere in the heartland, but it can be quite annoying! The following are just some of the recipes covered in the Jan-Feb 2010 issue:
- Indoor Pulled Pork
- Better Minestrone
- Thai Chicken with Basil
- Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
- Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Fire Extinguishers
- Whole Wheat Pasta
The magazine isn’t pretty in looks but it very to the point and covers what is necessary. There are no advertisements which lets the publisher focus on content and not hundreds of pages of garbage. If you don’t already subscribe to this magazine I highly suggest it. I learn something new with each issue.
Loading ...