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Posted
Food & Wine isn't even a contender. It's a thin, unsubstantial magazine that usually seems pretty short on recipes compared to other magazines. The kind of thing you find in the doctor's office.

But Food and Wine is where I first heard about egullet. That has to make it worth something, as far as I am concerned. :biggrin: While I do like to read and dream about cities I have not visited and restaurants I can't afford to eat in, it can get a little tedious. Another reason why Cook's Illustrated--although not exactly on-topic here--sometimes seems to me like a better read. They are able to review products honestly without the worry of offending their advertisers. Although I don't always agree with them, nor with their our-word-is-Law! way of saying things.

I've liked some of the recipes in Cooking Light as well. They had one a few months ago for Wasabi Bloody Marys, which, although maybe obvious to some, was a revelation to me. Out came the tube of paste and vodka . . .

Noise is music. All else is food.

Posted

As magazines increases in circulation, attract better advertisers, and retain audiences for longer and longer, there are benefits such as the ability to hire better writers, employ more and better editorial staff, and have better production values in terms of photography, layout, and printing. But there are also drawbacks. You can see these drawbacks in a magazine like Gourmet, where the audience is aging and the magazine in an attempt to go after new blood loses sight of what was making it successful in the first place. You also have a problem in terms of seriousness of content. There just aren't a million people in the United States who want to read a magazine full of serious, in-depth food discussion every month. So there has to be a lot of material targeted at a broader audience and the result is less focus, less depth, less seriousness. If you're in an extreme subculture like most of us on eGullet are, it's silly to think a near-one-million circulation magazine can satisfy your needs. You've got to look to the smaller circulation "food letter" type journals as well as to sources like eGullet, which among other things acts as an information clearinghouse for the best of what's out there in the food media.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

Posted
It seems to me that the new Gourmet(Reichl's) is all about sizzle, with very little steak. IMO the old Gourmet was far superior. The new one hasn't alienated me enough yet to consider halting my subscription, but it has come close.

I agree, and I have let my subscription to Gourmet lapse, along with Bon Appetit (or Gourmet Lite). We get Cook's Illustrated, and it's OK, but sometimes I could just care less about their 5 billionth try at making the perfect potato salad, you know? Fine Cooking isn't a fascinating read, but has provided recipes that are interesting and taste good.

I'm another person who probably should like Saveur, but just can't get interested in it.

Heather Johnson

In Good Thyme

Posted

I'm a Cooking Light Fan, too. This year, they have moved to vegetable-centric recipes, with meat as the "side dish", and I really like this approach. Plus, I am not a "natural" cook, so the recipe is important to me....and their's are great, easy to follow and relatively easy to find ingredients. I hear lots of negatives on their baking recipes, but I don't bake often and when I do I don't cut calories.

I also really enjoy Eating Well, which as mentioned is a reincarnated magazine..however, I am not familiar with the former to c ompare it.

I enjoy the travel parts of Gourmet, and you can pull an interesting recipe out of there on occassion, but its not consistant enough that I look through it..it piles up on occassion, and sometimes goies into recycling without a glance.

Posted
  BTW, I'm looking for any issues from 1 to 29 (PM me), to complete my collection.

Nick,

Art Culinaire has come out with The Best of Art Culinaire Issues 1-14 and Issues 15-30. They can be ordered through Art Culinaire.

Posted
I agree.  I was very surprised at how appealing the recipes in Cooking Light can be.

Cooking Light has the largest subsciber base of any food/culinary mag in America.

FYI

Nick

Posted (edited)

edit: Doublet

Thanks lizziee. I've heard of these, but never seen them. If I can find some back issues (1-29) It'd be great. I don't hold out much luck though. Nothing on eBay and I can't see anyone parting with their issues.

Although I have always felt that the recipes themselves were not tested. I have always felt that the food presented is absolute cutting edge.

Nick

Edited by ngatti (log)
Posted (edited)
I agree.  I was very surprised at how appealing the recipes in Cooking Light can be.

Cooking Light has the largest subsciber base of any food/culinary mag in America.

I keep thinking that I should subscribe to Cooking Light -- proving that indeed, hope does rise above experience to 'spring eternal.'

In this case it's the hope that by repeatedly looking at beautiful photos of 'lite' food preparations, I might eventually be actually interested in them....

:biggrin:

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

Posted (edited)

I am divided on Cooking Light, they have some great issues and some that are really bad. I picked up 20 back issues on Ebay for $4.00 and am currently going through them ripping out pages that I like. There are issues from about 1993 up to 2002 and it is very interesting to see the changes (first great praise for magarine and then their sudden drop of it).

I actually like the magazine because of their fitness sections, but again I also read Shape, Self, and Fitness.

I still have to wait and see where the new Eating Well is going to go, but in general I prefer them over Cooking light.

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Posted

Nick,

I usually don't follow the Art Culinaire recipes from beginning to end, particularly as a home cook. Two dishes that I have found particularly successful are the artichoke ravioli and the uni with scrambled eggs. Generally, however, I will use bits and pieces of a recipe. Also, the presentation of a dish is so extraordinary that I try and adapt some of these.

Posted
Cooking Light has the largest subsciber base of any food/culinary mag in America.

I thought it was Taste of Home. I've tried locating the article that said that on Google but couldn't. Anyone else?

Anne E. McBride

Posted (edited)

Thanks Helena. That's what I thought, but for some reason it wasn't coming up in my search. I may have printed it at the time of publication. A bit of searching through my office may locate the actual article.

Edited because I did find the article: "Taste of Home also claims the highest circulation of any food magazine, about 4.5 million, which is more than Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Gourmet combined." It was published in the March 22, 2002 issue of the NYT.

Edited by swissmiss (log)

Anne E. McBride

Posted
Cooking Light has the largest subsciber base of any food/culinary mag in America.

By a lot.

It's something like 1.6 million circulation for Cooking Light versus around 950,000 each for Gourmet and Food & Wine. Bon Appetit is the only other food magazine in Cooking Light's league, at something like 1.3 million.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

Posted
Nick,

I usually don't follow the Art Culinaire recipes from beginning to end, particularly as a home cook. Two dishes that I have found particularly successful are the artichoke ravioli and the uni with scrambled eggs. Generally, however, I will use bits and pieces of a recipe. Also, the presentation of a dish is so extraordinary that I try and adapt some of these.

absolutely lizziee! I find the mag essential. I just rarely attempt to cook from it.

Nick

Posted

Although I read pretty much every food magazine and website I can sink my teeth into, I'm still waiting for the ultimate food magazine, for true fanatics like us...

Anti-alcoholics are unfortunates in the grip of water, that terrible poison, so corrosive that out of all substances it has been chosen for washing and scouring, and a drop of water added to a clear liquid like Absinthe, muddles it." ALFRED JARRY

blog

Posted

Nick et al,

You can order The Best of Art Culinaire issues 1-15 and 15-30 - they're two large hard-bound collections with photos and recipes. If there's anything you're looking for, I have both collections.

Liza

Posted

The Best Of Art Culinaire

P.O. Box 9628

Morristown, New Jersey 07963

Tel# 973-993-5500

Fax# 973-993-8779

www.getartc.com

Each book is $38.00

Posted

I will flip through an issue of Gourmet or Food & Wine if I am at the home of a subscriber or my dentist's office. However, I don't think I can say which is better. They seem awfully similar and similarly awful.

I take Saveur and Food Arts. I like Saveur because it is not just a collection of recipes delves somewhat into the culture behind the food.

Posted

Edited because I did find the article: "Taste of Home also claims the highest circulation of any food magazine, about 4.5 million, which is more than Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Gourmet combined." It was published in the March 22, 2002 issue of the NYT.

How's that work? I've never seen this magazine in any store or heard of it. Is it a freebie to doctor's offices or something?

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Posted
Although I read pretty much every food magazine and website I can sink my teeth into, I'm still waiting for the ultimate food magazine, for true fanatics like us...

If someone came up with the money, we'd create such a magazine.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

Posted

I just got my last free F&W mag (some credit card special dealy) and it seems to have gotten progressively less interesting in the last year. I used to get excited when it came in the mail, the last few months my reaction has been "hmm, wonder if this will be worth reading?"

I don't get gourmet...they haven't sent me a "free" offer :raz:

Posted

Edited because I did find the article: "Taste of Home also claims the highest circulation of any food magazine, about 4.5 million, which is more than Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Gourmet combined." It was published in the March 22, 2002 issue of the NYT.

How's that work? I've never seen this magazine in any store or heard of it. Is it a freebie to doctor's offices or something?

Word of mouth, mostly. Pretty amazing, huh? My non-foodie cousin who likes to cook gave me a subscription once. Not my aesthetic, but I can see the attraction. My non-almost-anti-foodie girlfriend who likes to eat discovered them and loves their stuff so now I have the 1996-2000 and 2002 recipe annuals. :rolleyes:

I have a free subscription to Food and Wine which I enjoy flipping through, but I doubt I'll continue it if I have to pay for it. I really dislike Gourmet now. The content is okay, but I hate the fashion-mag layout and having to fight through all the ads to read the articles. I think I like Bon Appetite the best, but it's nothing I'm passionate about. Besides, who has time to read anything besides egullet? :wink:

Posted

I can't figure out why Taste of Home never shows up on the lists of top-100 circulation magazines, for example:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0301522.html

What could be going on there?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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