22 replies to this topic

[FWED]

I just received a magazine called Pastry & Baking North America Volume 2 Issue 5. I was very favorable impressed. The photos and the presentation are slick and elegant with many step by step photos included in the articles. I did notice that some of the recipes are scaled down to a quantity that could be used by a small restaurant or a home kitchen. I haven't tasted any of the recipes so can't comment on that aspect. Has any one else seen this mag and what are your impressions? I also went to there web site and was also impressed with it.

[chefpeon]

Hey, I paged through a couple of back issues online, and I like it! It seems fairly similar in format to Pastry Art and Design, except it seems even better with more recipes and "how to's".

I just may subscribe (after I recoup my post holiday finances).

[gap]

There is an Asia-Pacific and a North American issue with different contents. You can read through back-issues of both at:
http://pastryna.com/...a_magazines.htm
(Click Next to scroll between the pages of back issues)

I've read through a few and enjoyed them.

[Kerry Beal]

Qzina seems to have new issues that they give away - I've really enjoyed them - great pictures, interesting ideas. I particularly enjoyed Cynthia and Dominic Dube's contributions.

[Edward J]

Qzina seems to have new issues that they give away - I've really enjoyed them - great pictures, interesting ideas.  I particularly enjoyed Cynthia and Dominic Dube's contributions.

Yes, got the first two isues from Qzina too. There is some very valuable information in there and some very good reading.

I beg to diifer with the "N. America" schtick though, N. America includes Mexico and Canada. True, Volume 2 Issue 1 did feature an article--or rather a excerpt and photo from D & C' Duby's "Wild sweets" (Great book, and have had the opportunity to meet Dominique and Cindy,who are fantastic people). By Volume two, issue two for the "Regional showcase" there was only American and one Japanese chef/business featured. Mind you there was no Canadian or Mexican business or Chef featured in "Regional Showcase for the first edition either. NOt having any newer editions I hope this has been corrected.

My other beef with the Magazine is the hodge-podge of imperial and metric weights as well as volume measurements for recipies. Perhaps this has changed for the newer editions, I hope so, for it makes my blood boil to see a "professional" magazine give the measurements for a recipie in volume.

[John DePaula]

I like it, too. Would like to start getting it in the mail.

[pastrygirl]

There is an Asia-Pacific and a North American issue with different contents. You can read through back-issues of both at:
http://pastryna.com/...a_magazines.htm
(Click Next to scroll between the pages of back issues)

I've read through a few and enjoyed them.

At a glance, it looks like only the regional showcases are different and the main feature articles are the same in the different versions.

I gave up on Pastry A&D a few years ago when I got tired of their top 10 pastry chefs in the US being French all the time and have been relying on the occasional dessert in Art Culinaire for my pastry porn, but now this....I'm off in search of a color printer to print as many pages as I can! (Or maybe I'll subscribe.)

Soooo, if you can download it, why subscribe? If you go to the online editions and select print all pages, you then download it as a PDF and you can print from the PDF. Maybe they aren't going to have all editions online? Free pastry porn?

Edited by pastrygirl, 13 January 2009 - 03:18 AM.

[chefpeon]

Soooo, if you can download it, why subscribe? If you go to the online editions and select print all pages, you then download it as a PDF and you can print from the PDF. Maybe they aren't going to have all editions online? Free pastry porn? ohmy.gif

Well, I'd subscribe just to support them, because I want to support any good publication that has to do with pastry and my industry. Not only that, if I downloaded and printed out back issues, I'd probably spend the same amount in printer ink than if I just subscribed in the first place!

[John DePaula]

Soooo, if you can download it, why subscribe? If you go to the online editions and select print all pages, you then download it as a PDF and you can print from the PDF. Maybe they aren't going to have all editions online? Free pastry porn? ohmy.gif

Well, I'd subscribe just to support them, because I want to support any good publication that has to do with pastry and my industry. Not only that, if I downloaded and printed out back issues, I'd probably spend the same amount in printer ink than if I just subscribed in the first place!

Actually, I sort of prefer the electronic pdf version since I can search the publication, unlike a print version. And it takes up a lot less room.

[alanamoana]

My other beef with the Magazine is the hodge-podge of imperial and metric weights as well as volume measurements for recipies.  Perhaps this has changed for the newer editions, I hope so, for it makes my blood boil to see a "professional" magazine give the measurements for a recipie in volume.

i don't think there is a huge staff for these types of magazines due to cost. i can imagine that they get the recipes from the chefs and probably don't bother to edit them much. yes, it is something to hold people to a higher standard, but i understand why they might not.

[John DePaula]

My other beef with the Magazine is the hodge-podge of imperial and metric weights as well as volume measurements for recipies.   Perhaps this has changed for the newer editions, I hope so, for it makes my blood boil to see a "professional" magazine give the measurements for a recipie in volume.

i don't think there is a huge staff for these types of magazines due to cost. i can imagine that they get the recipes from the chefs and probably don't bother to edit them much. yes, it is something to hold people to a higher standard, but i understand why they might not.

Yes, and as far as volume measurements go, I know that it's not ideal, but what I usually do is measure carefully the first time and note the weights in grams. Then the next time I make it, it's a little bit easier.

[Edward J]

i don't think there is a huge staff for these types of magazines due to cost.  i can imagine that they get the recipes from the chefs and probably don't bother to edit them much.  yes, it is something to hold people to a higher standard, but i understand why they might not.

Exactly. I think there are only 3 writers on staff plus the editor. IMHO It's the magazine's job to write the article and the featured Chef's job to supply the recipie. I am sure the magazine has criteria and one of them should be that the ingredients should be given in weight. This does should not cost the magazine anything time wise, as it is the featured Chef who supplies the recipie.

Am I making a moutain out of mole-hill? Probably. Yet, new pastry magazines are a rarity, and while looking at the pastry-porn and articles, I had hopes of at least ONE magazine trying to do something about the state of N.American media's attitutudes towards food editing.

A while back I had the opportunity to meet D & C Duby in a very relaxed atmoshpere. I really enjoyed their book "wild sweets" but wanted to know why the ingredients were given in a back-azzwards hodgepodge of weights and volume. Dominique laughed and told me the only way a N. American publisher would accept the book for non-professional sales (huge market compared to professional sales ) was to have flour and chocolate given in weight and the rest of the ingredients in volume.

I mentally kicked myself in the head, I should have realized this back-azzwards standard--it is the same standard used in most cooking magazines. I particularily enjoy "Cook's Illustrated" and "Fine cooking", my collections go back to the late 90's. The obviously well researched and well written articles in these two magazines are very interesting and helpful. Yet both of these magazines refuse to acknowledge the use of a scale, both give caveats at the back of the magazine acknowleging that scaling flour will give consistant and accurate results. "Fine cooking" has, from time to time, sold advertising of digital scales in it's pages.

To the best of my knowledge, no N. American cooking or baking magazine has ever spoke up about this issue. It's like a taboo or something. Editors and owners, please, this isn't an issue like abortion or gay mariages. The N. American has been purchasing virtually all of their foods (other than liquids) by weight, uses weights at the post office, and many uses weights in their line of work. Why will no media decision maker acknowledge the use of a scale in the kitchen?

[John DePaula]

i don't think there is a huge staff for these types of magazines due to cost.  i can imagine that they get the recipes from the chefs and probably don't bother to edit them much.  yes, it is something to hold people to a higher standard, but i understand why they might not.

Exactly. I think there are only 3 writers on staff plus the editor. IMHO It's the magazine's job to write the article and the featured Chef's job to supply the recipie. I am sure the magazine has criteria and one of them should be that the ingredients should be given in weight. This does should not cost the magazine anything time wise, as it is the featured Chef who supplies the recipie.

Am I making a moutain out of mole-hill? Probably. Yet, new pastry magazines are a rarity, and while looking at the pastry-porn and articles, I had hopes of at least ONE magazine trying to do something about the state of N.American media's attitutudes towards food editing.

A while back I had the opportunity to meet D & C Duby in a very relaxed atmoshpere. I really enjoyed their book "wild sweets" but wanted to know why the ingredients were given in a back-azzwards hodgepodge of weights and volume. Dominique laughed and told me the only way a N. American publisher would accept the book for non-professional sales (huge market compared to professional sales ) was to have flour and chocolate given in weight and the rest of the ingredients in volume.

I mentally kicked myself in the head, I should have realized this back-azzwards standard--it is the same standard used in most cooking magazines. I particularily enjoy "Cook's Illustrated" and "Fine cooking", my collections go back to the late 90's. The obviously well researched and well written articles in these two magazines are very interesting and helpful. Yet both of these magazines refuse to acknowledge the use of a scale, both give caveats at the back of the magazine acknowleging that scaling flour will give consistant and accurate results. "Fine cooking" has, from time to time, sold advertising of digital scales in it's pages.

To the best of my knowledge, no N. American cooking or baking magazine has ever spoke up about this issue. It's like a taboo or something. Editors and owners, please, this isn't an issue like abortion or gay mariages. The N. American has been purchasing virtually all of their foods (other than liquids) by weight, uses weights at the post office, and many uses weights in their line of work. Why will no media decision maker acknowledge the use of a scale in the kitchen?

WTF (and I don't mean "Welcome to France") abortion, gay marriage? Whatever...

Clearly, the solution is to put BOTH volume AND weight measures. I've seen it in some cookbooks and seems like everyone would get what they want. Why not lobby for that.

Edited by John DePaula, 13 January 2009 - 05:10 PM.

[sanrensho]

Dominique laughed and told me the only way a N. American publisher would accept the book for non-professional sales (huge market compared to professional sales ) was to have flour and  chocolate given in weight and the rest of the ingredients in volume.

And yet, Rose Levy Beranbaum has managed to publish pastry books that feature weights (in addition to volumes). There must be a few others as well.

Or maybe RLB is one of the select few with the clout to push through weights?

Anyway, I am in complete agreement that the general lack of weight measurements in North American pastry publishing is pathetic.

Edited by sanrensho, 13 January 2009 - 05:31 PM.

[John DePaula]

And David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop is an example of a cookbook aimed squarely at the home cook that uses volume AND weights very successfully.

[Edward J]

WTF (and I don't mean "Welcome to France") abortion, gay marriage? Whatever...

Clearly, the solution is to put BOTH volume AND weight measures. I've seen it in some cookbooks and seems like everyone would get what they want. Why not lobby for that.

[/quote]


I'd lobby for anything.

I have written every editor of every cooking and baking magazine published in English. P&B NA did actually reply and said they were "working on it", that was just after the first edition was published. Have not recieved any reply from any of the other magazines.

Mainly I'd just be happy if the mags published weights and volume. Choose what you choose, but the choice should be there. Of course, an article on how to use a scale and the many benifts of using a scale would be nice--they would also scoop out any other N.A. magazine, and really, really make the publication fly off the shelves with a solid and enthusiastic readership. But I digress, fantasy has no place here....

P. Reinhart does do volume and weights in "Bread bakers' apprentice". C.I.A. (Culinary Inst. America) takes a very intelligent and bold view and ignores volume all togther in it's books and only publishes in weight, imperial and metric, both in "Professional Chef" and Grewling's "Chocolates and Confections".

When in Switzerland I had a decent collection of Teubner's books, which later got damaged in a flood here in Vancouver. I started to get replacements for them, but in English rather than in German. When I finally got the "Cakes and Pastries" edition I was so upset I couldn't talk for two days. All the exquisite photos were still there, the in-depth techniques and descriptions faithfully translated into English, but the publisher, Hearst Books of N.Y, N.Y.,, naturally assumed that baking for any english speaking buyer meant ingredients in volume and not weight....

[ejw50]

great find, I probably will subscribe

[pastrygirl]

Soooo, if you can download it, why subscribe? If you go to the online editions and select print all pages, you then download it as a PDF and you can print from the PDF. Maybe they aren't going to have all editions online? Free pastry porn? ohmy.gif

Well, I'd subscribe just to support them, because I want to support any good publication that has to do with pastry and my industry. Not only that, if I downloaded and printed out back issues, I'd probably spend the same amount in printer ink than if I just subscribed in the first place!

Good point, and if I were at home, I'd look forward to getting it in the mail. I was in more of a 'I could subscribe and have Mom mail it to me in three months and hope it doesn't get lost on the way or wait 7 month until I get home or I could download it now' frame of mind. I opted for now.

[scratch]

I've been receiving this publication for awhile gratis from one of my vendors. I've loved it-- especially the recap from the most recent issue with the recipes from the pastry championship in Nashville. As a culinary student a couple of years ago I tried to subscribe but was unable because at the time you had to be directly affiliated with a restaurant or hotel to receive it. Is that still the case?

[ejw50]

I got my first mag in the mail yesterday (12 weeks or so after order). I am not a student or even a pro, so anybody can get it.

Have to say I like this way better than Pastry Arts and design. Definitely more howtos and pictures of technique than PA+D. Recipes have ideas that I might actually think about. To me, PA+D was full of plated dessert recipes like 'lemongrass with cardamon infusion and bacon granita' or some sort like that that - recipes I would never use or learn from.

I agree with chefpeon - even though I can read this online, my subscription is there to support them.

Edited by ejw50, 06 April 2009 - 02:49 AM.

[Kayakado]

I subscribed a few months ago but I onyl received my first issue a couple of weeks ago. I was pleased and have tried 1 or 2 recipes to great success.

[gap]

Just bumping this up. You can now create a user/password on their website to view all back issues on line
http://pastryna.com/

[Kerry Beal]

Just bumping this up. You can now create a user/password on their website to view all back issues on line
http://pastryna.com/

Thanks for the heads up - now I can throw away the paper copies.