The new Bon Appétit

[snowangel]

I've quit subscribing to magazines, preferring to purchase them at the local newsstand or market if they interest me.

Now, I'm just wondering how many folks are going to pick up a copy of Bon Appetit, since they don't give much of an indication on the cover of what's actually in the magazine? If I'm buying a copy of a magazine at the supermarket (most likely), I'm busy unloading the cart, and want a quick glance at the cover.

[Peter the eater]

I've quit subscribing to magazines, preferring to purchase them at the local newsstand or market if they interest me.

Now, I'm just wondering how many folks are going to pick up a copy of Bon Appetit, since they don't give much of an indication on the cover of what's actually in the magazine?  If I'm buying a copy of a magazine at the supermarket (most likely), I'm busy unloading the cart, and want a quick glance at the cover.

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I don't know if I'd grab the mag at the checkout, this year's covers seem harsh. They do state what's inside and give a page number - that's good - but the one image is a high contrast close up of comfort/diner food. This month it's a burger! I'll go on record and predict that there will be a casserole on the cover by year's end.

Also missing from the new cover is the price. December 2007 says $3.99 but January 2008 says nothing.

[Peter the eater]

Here's July's cover - a hamburger - who'd have ever guessed?

Actually, the chipotles were a really nice touch:

[Peter the eater]

But the thing that I really REALLY noticed was Barbara Fairchild's picture.  WTF happened to her?  She used to look so normal...now she's barely recognizable.  Surgical alteration immediately sprang to mind.  I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just completely different.  Kind of weirded me out.

Wait a minute - I thought that was a picture or Morgan Fairchild . . .

[jumanggy]

Speaking of diner food, the next cover ("Summer Scoop") is an ice cream cone. I'm frightened the recipe might call for buying a tub of ice cream.

Also promised on the cover? "Healthy Burgers." Hey, didn't you just have a grill issue last month? With a burger on the cover? Peter, do they have burgers on every month?

BUT the burger you did make does look incredible, Peter I haven't read it yet, but did you adopt BA's patty protocol? Or did you stick to your own and just make the chipotle ketchup?

[Peter the eater]

Speaking of diner food, the next cover ("Summer Scoop") is an ice cream cone. I'm frightened the recipe might call for buying a tub of ice cream.

Also promised on the cover? "Healthy Burgers." Hey, didn't you just have a grill issue last month? With a burger on the cover? Peter, do they have burgers on every month?

BUT the burger you did make does look incredible, Peter I haven't read it yet, but did you adopt BA's patty protocol? Or did you stick to your own and just make the chipotle ketchup?

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Yes, the August cover is a dark chocolate dipped cherry cone. The recipe calls for 3 pints premium cherry ice cream and store-bought sugar cones.

That's not cooking, that's assembling! Looks pretty good though.

The patty protocol is simply shaping the ground beef and sprinkling it with salt, so that's what we had.

I neglected to show June's cherry pie:

Sour cherries are very hard to find around here.

BTW I haven't made any of these covers, it's my wife's project. I just shop, eat and photograph. And post.

[Toliver]

Peter, congratulations to you and your wife for the cover-recipe reproductions. They look great.

I will have to experience the magazine vicariously through you. After subscribing to the magazine for years, I finally decided to let my subscription lapse. I'm now being inundated with mailers from the magazine ranging from the nice "We want you back!" to the angry "LAST CHANCE!".

As for the missing cover price, it's usually near the UPC bar code. That's odd if it's gone missing.

[Peter the eater]

. . . . As for the missing cover price, it's usually near the UPC bar code. That's odd if it's gone missing.

I've looked again - no price and no bar code. The mag comes in the mail, maybe there's more info on the wrapper.

A few months ago when the Canadian dollar briefly exceeded the US dollar people were enraged at the bookstores. Understandably so since a flap cover would read "$24.95 U.S." and "$39.95 Can." followed by "printed in China".

[pam claughton]

Speaking of diner food, the next cover ("Summer Scoop") is an ice cream cone. I'm frightened the recipe might call for buying a tub of ice cream.

Also promised on the cover? "Healthy Burgers." Hey, didn't you just have a grill issue last month? With a burger on the cover? Peter, do they have burgers on every month?

BUT the burger you did make does look incredible, Peter I haven't read it yet, but did you adopt BA's patty protocol? Or did you stick to your own and just make the chipotle ketchup?

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Yes, the August cover is a dark chocolate dipped cherry cone. The recipe calls for 3 pints premium cherry ice cream and store-bought sugar cones.

That's not cooking, that's assembling! Looks pretty good though.

The patty protocol is simply shaping the ground beef and sprinkling it with salt, so that's what we had.

I neglected to show June's cherry pie:

Sour cherries are very hard to find around here.

BTW I haven't made any of these covers, it's my wife's project. I just shop, eat and photograph. And post.

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Peter,

The quality of your photographs is amazing! So vivid. What kind of camera do you use, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in the market to get a new one.

thx,

Pam

[jumanggy]

It seems that the missing bar code edition is a special print for subscribers (?)-- they are sold here in the Philippines with the bar code and price in front, lower right corner. (Of course I forgot to check out the price.)

[Peter the eater]

Peter,

The quality of your photographs is amazing! So vivid. What kind of camera do you use, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in the market to get a new one.

thx,

Pam

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Thanks Pam. I use a Cannon Powershot A460, no flash and a quick pass through Photoshop.

[NJFoodLover]

I just saw the cover of the new Bon Appetit (February 2008). I've read here that

I usually buy back issues at the surplus bookshop (about 6+ months late, to save on money), but I was a moderate fan of the old format. I'm curious to know what you guys think of the new one.

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Where do you find surpuls bookstores that offer magazines?

NJFoodLover

[jumanggy]

I just saw the cover of the new Bon Appetit (February 2008). I've read here that

I usually buy back issues at the surplus bookshop (about 6+ months late, to save on money), but I was a moderate fan of the old format. I'm curious to know what you guys think of the new one.

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Where do you find surpuls bookstores that offer magazines?

NJFoodLover

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Hi NJFoodLover,

There's a huge market here in the Philippines for back issues (surplus) from the US/UK/Australia. Good for people like me who can't afford to buy the issues new (taxes on magazines are heavy- inflates it to twice the $ price)-- if I can wait 3-6 months (and with a little luck that there *is* a surplus of that particular issue), I can get a magazine at around 1/2-1/8th the price of when it was new.

[prasantrin]

There's a huge market here in the Philippines for back issues (surplus) from the US/UK/Australia. Good for people like me who can't afford to buy the issues new (taxes on magazines are heavy- inflates it to twice the $ price)-- if I can wait 3-6 months (and with a little luck that there *is* a surplus of that particular issue), I can get a magazine at around 1/2-1/8th the price of when it was new.

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Why not just subscribe? I find it much cheaper than buying through bookstores--Bon Appetit, for example, is just US$38 for one year compared to about Y1000 per issue if I buy it in a bookstore (so with an international subscription, I get 12 issues compared to 4 if I were to buy them individually).

Then again, now I've got 36 issues of Fine Cooking to haul back to Canada with me next March, so maybe subscribing wasn't such a good idea after all!

[jumanggy]

Why not just subscribe?  I find it much cheaper than buying through bookstores--Bon Appetit, for example, is just US$38 for one year compared to about Y1000 per issue if I buy it in a bookstore (so with an international subscription, I get 12 issues compared to 4 if I were to buy them individually). 

Then again, now I've got 36 issues of Fine Cooking to haul back to Canada with me next March, so maybe subscribing wasn't such a good idea after all!

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Direct subscriptions only give me around 0-25% savings when the international shipping is slapped on. Not worth it considering I don't buy every issue (i.e., I buy the magazines *because* they're so cheap), and even at that rate I'm running out of storage space.

[Peter the eater]

The cover recipe for August 2009 is "The Ultimate Turkey Burger".

I like to try non-beef burgers from time to time, and turkey's a good substitute as long as it doesn't get too dry. This one has a smoky aioli on the bun and in the patty. Not bad, I like the toasted cumin and coriander, very Moroccan.

[Peter the eater]

Everybody should eat more Mexican food. This weekend we made shrimp enchiladas with poblano-tomatillo sauce from the cover of bon appetit June 2009:

I couldn't find fresh tomatillos so they came from a can, and jalapeños subbed for poblanos. This one was a winner.

[Peter the eater]

September 2009, Herb-roasted chicken Italian style . . . .

[Peter the eater]

But wait, there's more!

Tonight we had the cover from February -- chimichurri steak with green beans and roasted red potatoes. Instead off a NY strip (the t-bone less the t) we used a rib eye because it tastes better and was half the price this week.

Argentina is a beef superpower not by accident. I really like this chimichurri union of parsely, garlic, olive oil and powdered red peppers including the sweet, the smoked and the hot.

[KristiB50]

Everybody should eat more Mexican food. This weekend we made shrimp enchiladas with poblano-tomatillo sauce from the cover of bon appetit June 2009:

I couldn't find fresh tomatillos so they came from a can, and jalapeños subbed for poblanos. This one was a winner.

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I made this and it was outstanding!

No tomatillo shortage here.

[CaliPoutine]

Everybody should eat more Mexican food. This weekend we made shrimp enchiladas with poblano-tomatillo sauce from the cover of bon appetit June 2009:

I couldn't find fresh tomatillos so they came from a can, and jalapeños subbed for poblanos. This one was a winner.

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I'm jealous. I dearly miss Mexican food. I can't even find corn tortillas here( or in London).

[Peter the eater]

I'm jealous.  I dearly miss Mexican food.  I can't even find corn tortillas here( or in London).

Not even corn tortillas? Guess you'll have to make them yourself.

KristiB50, the tomatillos I have now found -- they are strange and delicious to me.

[CaliPoutine]

I'm jealous.  I dearly miss Mexican food.  I can't even find corn tortillas here( or in London).

Not even corn tortillas? Guess you'll have to make them yourself.

KristiB50, the tomatillos I have now found -- they are strange and delicious to me.

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Nope, no corn tortillas. I did buy a thingamajig to make them, but sold it to Kerry Beal. When I was in Cali in March, I brought home 200 corn tortillas that I sealed and froze. I still have a lot left. I can always get them in Port Huron too!!

[Jaymes]

The Bon Appétit Awards 2009

"For the 12th annual Bon Appétit Awards, we selected a Hot 10 of people, companies, and products setting new standards of culinary excellence in food, drinks, travel, and design. And this year's winners are... "

The new list of the "Hot 10" includes some familiar names, like Rancho Gordo, and a few 'smack your forehead why didn't I think of that' ideas like Open Table.

And those inventive folks at the Kogi truck.

[Peter the eater]

Earlier this year the BA cover was a shepherd's pie made with lamb and eggplant. Very nice, eight out of ten: