Christopher KImball and "Milk Street"

[gfweb]

ATK and CK have never seemed capable of originality

[Shel_B]

I received and skimmed through the magazine yesterday, and my first impression resulted in a big shrug.  However, I wasn't feeling well, suffering from a severe cold, so I'll take another look when feeling better.

 

That said, I like the concept of the magazine and web site, bringing what might be considered non-traditional recipes and cooking ideas to the readership.  That might be a hot idea in many places, but here in the San Francisco area, it's old news.  Nothing in the publication jumped out at me and said "Go shopping and get cooking," although I did like the cole slaw recipe even though it's nothing really new here.  I guess I just like cole slaw, and there were some interesting and proven (again, not new) preparation techniques used.  I like new, innovative, and creative ideas for technique ... hopefully, when I read the issue in depth, I'll become more enthused.

 

I agree with DDF about the font ... a bit small for my old eyes and not one that I particularly like.  That there are color pics as opposed to CI's B&W images is a plus.  Color always enhances cooking (and other) magazines. However, I do like CI's cover artwork a lot more than the covers on Milk Street.

 

I'm tempted to subscribe just to see where this new publication goes, and if it stays true to it's stated premise.  OTOH, I may just use the web site for recipes and ideas.  IOW, I'm on the fence and hoping that the magazine lives up to it's promise and potential.  $20.00 ain't too much ... I just spent more than that for a few 1/2 pound bags of coffee beans at Peet's.

[rotuts]

Im wondering if the Jan/Feb issue is out , and if anyone has it either by subscription or retail purchase.

 

my library system has been slow to purchase this , but im fairly certain they will , perhaps missing the J/F issue.

 

I get gmail from MS  in my promotions folder and recently got a EM asking me to reconsider a years subscription as their M/A issue is going to

 

the press soon.   I have not seen the MS at any supermarket check out displays in my area  , understanding full well that that space is sold at

 

a premium.   I might stop by Barns@Noble that some time ago and a very large periodical section ( can't say what they have know  as both HardCopt bookstores

 

an periodicals are  "" Under Presure ""  WSJ talk ! do to changing formats etc )

 

thanks

[suzilightning]

Well.....

if anyone would like the initial copy I can send you mine. ...........along with a few others I have finished reading.

[rotuts]

I emailed MS.

 

there is no Jan/Feb issue , the next  ( # 2 ) is March/April  , available at the end of Feb.

 

Id like to see # 2  eventually.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

my library system has 2 subscriptions , which mean there will be more at some point.

 

I have the M/A issue in hand and looked the May/June over at the Lib.  some libraries do not check you the current issue

 

here is the index page for M/A ;  graphics have improved

 

 

Book Review page :

 

 

the May/June has even better visuals.

 

if you would like to see a page or two mnore for review Purposes pls let me know

 

when that comes to my home , Ill post the index page.

 

I feel if you have a library system that pays attention to patron request , this might be one.

 

that's what libraries are form

 

Im no fan of CK and the Etc, but Ill look over each issue as they become available.

 

there is a long article on Humus in the M/J

[rotuts]

One more thing :  

 

Diana Kennedy is features w a cooking Shrimp article and guacamole.   im a fan of DK, therefore :

 

 

I don't use garlic , but I do use lime.   

 

I love lime , as i have a tart tooth rather than a sweet tooth.

 

I use lime over lemon frequently  

 

I also understand that lime has a very powerful flavor and ' might ' over power subtle flavors

 

so the next Guac I make Ill try it W/O       its difficult for me however to get serranos w good heat.

 

and Ive always used the seeds 

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[boilsover]

His and CI's gear reviews have always been arbitrary put-up jobs.  Strange that All-Clad gets "reviewed" constantly, and always wins, hmm?  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, boilsover said:

His and CI's gear reviews have always been arbitrary put-up jobs.  Strange that All-Clad gets "reviewed" constantly, and always wins, hmm?  

 

Well, compared to what they test against.

 

Disclaimer, I have no All-Clad but I just ordered a piece.

 

[MelissaH]

I like to go for a few-miles-long walk in the mornings, and I listen to podcasts while I walk. For some reason, I decided to try the Milk Street Kitchen podcasts, maybe because like when you bang your head against the wall, it feels really good when I stop? For all intents and purposes, it's basically a duplicate of the now-discontinued ATK podcasts, right down to the roster of regular rotating guests, with the substitution of Sara Moulton for test cook Bridget and the minuscule loss of the tasting and testing segments. I can handle the interview segments, but every single one of the phone call Q&A sessions makes me want to throw my iPod on the ground because CK tries to sound knowledgeable about things he has no business sounding knowledgeable about, giving answers that don't make sense.

 

Someone bang my head against the wall, please? So you can stop in a little while?

 

So, when I got the email from ThermoWorks, I was about ready to scream. I love my Thermapens, but I think if I were to buy a CK-branded timer, my head might just explode with his opinions.

[rotuts]

agree.

 

the MilkStreet cooking show starts here on PBS  6 sept or so.

 

I wonder if , for an additional fee , you can get the PodCasts where CK is laughing all the way to the Bank ?

 

he has become easier to bash than MarthaFellon.

[boilsover]

15 hours ago, MelissaH said:

I like to go for a few-miles-long walk in the mornings, and I listen to podcasts while I walk. For some reason, I decided to try the Milk Street Kitchen podcasts, maybe because like when you bang your head against the wall, it feels really good when I stop? For all intents and purposes, it's basically a duplicate of the now-discontinued ATK podcasts, right down to the roster of regular rotating guests, with the substitution of Sara Moulton for test cook Bridget and the minuscule loss of the tasting and testing segments. I can handle the interview segments, but every single one of the phone call Q&A sessions makes me want to throw my iPod on the ground because CK tries to sound knowledgeable about things he has no business sounding knowledgeable about, giving answers that don't make sense.

 

Someone bang my head against the wall, please? So you can stop in a little while?

 

So, when I got the email from ThermoWorks, I was about ready to scream. I love my Thermapens, but I think if I were to buy a CK-branded timer, my head might just explode with his opinions.

 

Frequently wrong, never unsure...

[lindag]

I thought this was pretty interesting... personally, I love both CK and Kenji.

 

"Milk Street Radio welcomes J. Kenji López-Alt, Chief culinary advisor at Serious Eats and author of The Food Lab, as the newest regular contributor to our show."

[rotuts]

the important thing to understand is that CK and the ATK cabal 

 

direct their efforts to a specific audience 

 

if they feel something is out of that audience's comfort zone , then they won't go into it or offer much about it.

 

it took them years to mention RedBoat 40, as an example.

 

by then it was at Tj's for 1/2 the price of WholeFoods.

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

it took them years to mention RedBoat 40, as an example.

 

by then it was at Tj's for 1/2 the price of WholeFoods.

 

And how many more years will it take before they mention Red Boat 50°N?

[Anna N]

OK so I've made it pretty clear what I think is Chris Kimball, America's Test Kitchen, Cooks Illustrated etc. etc. etc.  But this morning I found myself stranded in the drugstore waiting ages for a prescription to be filled (I am positive this is a ploy by this particular drug store chain to keep customers waiting so they will buy more). 

 

 And this morning it certainly worked.  I am always drawn to the magazine stand to see what's available. I was tempted by two or three different offerings but in the end, I couldn't resist the current copy of Milk Street. 

 

It seemed just so different in so many ways from the dreadfully boring, dreadfully North American-centric Cooks' Illustrated".   Recipes from South Africa, Portugal, Vietnam, Turkey and Japan and a recipe for a cocktail made it seem very different.

 

 But instead of being put off by their formulaic writing I am now puzzling over where they are going in terms of communicating. I am finding  myself reading and rereading paragraphs in an attempt to understand what it is they are trying to say. Here is one example from a small piece titled "Deflating Leftover Wine Worries"(even the title leaves me scratching my head.  Are we going to deflate  leftover wine or are we going to deflate worry about leftover wine?  But now I'm nitpicking.): 

 

"Preserving leftover wine may be fine, but I worry it can have a counterproductive effect, too. In the end, wine isn't a thing so much as an event. Opening a bottle sets wine on the path of change, growth and evolution. To have a bit left over is to have a glimpse into its future; in a sense to  share that future."

Uh?

 

 

Or this from "Cape Malay Chicken Curry":

 

"The cuisine is rooted in South Africa's colonial history. The neighborhood was settled in the 1650s mostly by Muslim slaves and convicts from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, generally against their will."

 

Uh?  Were they slaves and convicts against their will or were they settlers against their will? 

 

Or this from the same article: 

 

The author, J. M. Hirsh is discussing the contents of a dabba masala (a spice container used by many Indian cooks). 

 

"To illustrate her point, she walks me through the recipe, grabbing a round plate-sized tin holding multiple spices. Curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel and coriander. A conventional lineup.

 

Except all of them are whole."

 

Interesting. Curry leaves are usually used fresh and would not normally find a home in this spice tin. And whole cinnamon? 

 

This leaves me in doubt that the author has ever seen a dabba masala or even knows what cinnamon and curry leaves look like.  And I'm supposed to put my trust in such a recipe?

 

Titled "Of Gophers, Snakes and Patient Cooking" (incidentally in Canada it is considered poor form to cook your patients.  Cooking with patience might have been a better phrasing).  This is a recipe from Deborah Madison for a simple  frittata. 

 

If the title wasn't enough to  confound me,  this did it:

 

"As Madison prepares the frittata, it's clear that the move (to New Mexico) suited her. There's an obvious harmony to her life and her cooking. She cuts onions finely, into pieces that will soften easily and not mar the tender texture of the egg,"

 

 Perhaps if I move to New Mexico I shall be able to cut onions in such a way as to not mar the tender texture of my eggs. 

 

Get real and get some editorial staff. 

 

There remain a couple of recipes  that interest me enough that I shall probably attempt them at some point. The aforementioned frittata which is dressed with a sherry vinegar-butter sauce, the Vietnamese soup, and ciccio, which is a cheese stuffed flatbread from Puglia (if I am to trust anything I'm told).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Arey]

"Preserving leftover wine may be fine, but I worry it can have a counterproductive effect, too. In the end, wine isn't a thing so much as an event. Opening a bottle sets wine on the path of change, growth and evolution. To have a bit left over is to have a glimpse into its future; in a sense to  share that future "

The leftover wines future is to get drunk, and with any luck there will be enough leftover for me to share that future and also get drunk.

[Kim Shook]

I confess to being extremely pedestrian.  The food that it seems Milk Street is going to be concentrating on just doesn't hold much interest for me.  But I usually enjoy reading food writing even if it is about things that I will never eat.  This mess just sounds pretentious and silly.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Kim Shook (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My library does not have Milk Street, though some of our other branches do.  I looked through one issue but was not overly impressed, except by the color printing.

 

[gfweb]

7 hours ago, Anna N said:

OK so I've made it pretty clear what I think is Chris Kimball, America's Test Kitchen, Cooks Illustrated etc. etc. etc.  But this morning I found myself stranded in the drugstore waiting ages for a prescription to be filled (I am positive this is a ploy by this particular drug store chain to keep customers waiting so they will buy more). 

 

 And this morning it certainly worked.  I am always drawn to the magazine stand to see what's available. I was tempted by two or three different offerings but in the end, I couldn't resist the current copy of Milk Street. 

 

It seemed just so different in so many ways from the dreadfully boring, dreadfully North American-centric Cooks' Illustrated".   Recipes from South Africa, Portugal, Vietnam, Turkey and Japan and a recipe for a cocktail made it seem very different.

 

 But instead of being put off by their formulaic writing I am now puzzling over where they are going in terms of communicating. I am finding  myself reading and rereading paragraphs in an attempt to understand what it is they are trying to say. Here is one example from a small piece titled "Deflating Leftover Wine Worries"(even the title leaves me scratching my head.  Are we going to deflate  leftover wine or are we going to deflate worry about leftover wine?  But now I'm nitpicking.): 

 

"Preserving leftover wine may be fine, but I worry it can have a counterproductive effect, too. In the end, wine isn't a thing so much as an event. Opening a bottle sets wine on the path of change, growth and evolution. To have a bit left over is to have a glimpse into its future; in a sense to  share that future."

Uh?

 

 

Or this from "Cape Malay Chicken Curry":

 

"The cuisine is rooted in South Africa's colonial history. The neighborhood was settled in the 1650s mostly by Muslim slaves and convicts from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, generally against their will."

 

Uh?  Were they slaves and convicts against their will or were they settlers against their will? 

 

Or this from the same article: 

 

The author, J. M. Hirsh is discussing the contents of a dabba masala (a spice container used by many Indian cooks). 

 

"To illustrate her point, she walks me through the recipe, grabbing a round plate-sized tin holding multiple spices. Curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel and coriander. A conventional lineup.

 

Except all of them are whole."

 

Interesting. Curry leaves are usually used fresh and would not normally find a home in this spice tin. And whole cinnamon? 

 

This leaves me in doubt that the author has ever seen a dabba masala or even knows what cinnamon and curry leaves look like.  And I'm supposed to put my trust in such a recipe?

 

Titled "Of Gophers, Snakes and Patient Cooking" (incidentally in Canada it is considered poor form to cook your patients.  Cooking with patience might have been a better phrasing).  This is a recipe from Deborah Madison for a simple  frittata. 

 

If the title wasn't enough to  confound me,  this did it:

 

"As Madison prepares the frittata, it's clear that the move (to New Mexico) suited her. There's an obvious harmony to her life and her cooking. She cuts onions finely, into pieces that will soften easily and not mar the tender texture of the egg,"

 

 Perhaps if I move to New Mexico I shall be able to cut onions in such a way as to not mar the tender texture of my eggs. 

 

Get real and get some editorial staff. 

 

There remain a couple of recipes  that interest me enough that I shall probably attempt them at some point. The aforementioned frittata which is dressed with a sherry vinegar-butter sauce, the Vietnamese soup, and ciccio, which is a cheese stuffed flatbread from Puglia (if I am to trust anything I'm told).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The quality of food writing is pretty bad in general, but I'd think that CK would do better than this. None of my money goes to him.

[rotuts]

I get mine from the library.

 

its international bent makes its apeal

 

but the writing is bad , and the Rx's text way over hypes the Rx's

 

I think the first issue had an Oriental Slaw that was quite good

 

the the text suggested this was a brand new and revolutionary Slaw

 

not so fast  ....

 

it still is a much better publication that the current CI

 

the early very early CI were quite good , now more of the same.

 

the TV show was a much ' cleaner ' presentation if you like seeing Rx's made.

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I get mine from the library.

 

its international bent makes its apeal

 

but the writing is bad , and the Rx's text way over hypes the Rx's

 

I think the first issue had an Oriental Slaw that was quite good

 

the the text suggested this was a brand new and revolutionary Slaw

 

not so fast  ....

 

it still is a much better publication that the current CI

 

the early very early CI were quite good , now more of the same.

 

the TV show was a much ' cleaner ' presentation if you like seeing Rx's made.

Somewhere in this house I have some of the first copies of what became Cooks' Illustrated  although I do not believe they began life with that particular title.  They promised so much.  Shame that they took a wrong turn. 

[rotuts]

Its my understanding he started a magazine probably called Cooks Illustrated , or close

 

sold it , then it perhaps floundered , then bought it back and it became the current version

 

I may have subscribed to the second version or a year or so. the used the libraries versions

 

then Rx Churn settled in and that was that.

[Anna N]

36 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Its my understanding he started a magazine probably called Cooks Illustrated , or close

 

sold it , then it perhaps floundered , then bought it back and it became the current version

 

I may have subscribed to the second version or a year or so. the used the libraries versions

 

then Rx Churn settled in and that was that.

 We are both right  according to Wikipedia:

 

Founder and former editor Christopher Kimballlaunched Cook's magazine in 1980 with money raised from investors. Kimball eventually sold Cook's to Condé Nast Publications, which discontinued the magazine in 1989. Kimball later reacquired rights to the name, hired several former Cook's staff members, and launched a rebranded Cook's Illustrated in 1993.^[3]

 

^{I have copies of Cook's Magazine} 

[chromedome]

I'm only a lowly creator of web content, but my editors would rip me a new one if I turned in prose like that. 

 

Actually most of them know me, so they'd probably PM me first to ask if I was well.