Taste of Home magazine

[IrishCream]

Peas in cheese sauce. Enough said.

[Toliver]

This has been an interesting turn of events.

I received my February/March issue of Taste of Home and thought to myself "Wow, that's a nice cover photo" of a Layered Mocha Cheesecake. Then I began to read the issue and inside there were even more really nice photographs of the food. Obviously, the magazine has stepped things up a bit and has spent money on a food stylist and some really good food photographers. I'd say some of the photos were even comparable to those seen in Bon Appetit magazine.

Then I noticed the ads in the issue.

Hmm. I thought the magazine was supposed to be ad-free.

While it's nowhere near as bad the ad content of, say, Bon Appetit, apparently Taste of Home magazine now carries ads.

And the hidden toothpick is now a hidden cupcake! What's up with that?

So what do you think? To channel Martha for a moment, are these changes a "good thing"?

[Kim Shook]

I don't get the magazine right now, but have in the past and probably will again when the kids across the street are fund raising next fall ! I like the magazine - I've tried a lot of the recipes and found them fairly good with some tinkering. I am a romantic, so I love the idea of a bunch of regular ladies who love to cook and try recipes and send them in to be published. I like reading about their lives and their mom's best meals. I like that they send in the grace that their family says before meals. I don't really find the language contrived. I think of it as language that these nice ladies speak in and appreciate.

TOH recipes seem to have the reputation of cream of crap soup and flavoring packet ingredients, but when you actually read the ingredients in the recipes, many of them don't have prepared/canned ingredients at all. Lots of the recipes call for fresh ingredients. The recipes aren't sophisticated, but many aren't dreck either.

[Kent D]

I'm not exactly their target demo, but I've had a subscription for over 10 years. When I renew, I renew for 3 years at a time, which doesn't seem to stop them from sending "renew now" notices at least once a month, even though my subscription runs through Dec 2010.

I wasn't crazy to hear that they were adding "limited advertising" a couple issues ago, although it's no worse than their included coupon booklet/ad they've mailed out with the issues for years. I'm more disappointed that they eliminated the "Men in the Kitchen" feature, and got rid of the toothpick search for cupcakes, Christmas tree bulbs and whatever else. And they quickly reversed the decision to put most of the recipe pictures on the web instead of in the magazine -- I imagine all the little old ladies raised a ruckus about having to log into the internet to see what a layer cake looks like.

[nliedel]

I have a stack of most of the issues under my bed. They're a go-to magazine when it's time to start taking potluck stuff and doing holiday cooking. No, I don't follow the recipes verbatim, which I rarely do from any recipe, but they're an interesting view on basic American cuisine. Sort of a snapshot into the every kitchen. Can it be a silly overly-simplified rant on the glories of the pedestrian? Sure, but there is something about it that reminds me of my moms cooking. She passed when I was sixteen, so I think it's a way to get her cooking advice now that I've got kids.

Sometimes I want sublime and sometimes a nice take on an old fashion pot roast is a pleasure.

[CaliPoutine]

I'd never heard of this magazine until I moved to small town Ontario. I swiped a couple from the dr's office( yeah, yeah, bad me) but then tossed them aside until I started my Cooking for Senior'sjob. Eg member Marmish also sent me a whole whack of them because of my job. Because I live in rural small town Ontario, these are perfect for my Seniors. In fact, one of the " Field Editor's" is actually from my town. I know here and asked her what does it take to be a feild editor. She said " She needs to send in a recipe here and there".

Now, before I plan the next Senior meal, I look thru the stack of magazines I've collected, the 7 books I bought( hey, they were on sale for 5.00 each) and the website. The last few meals I've cooked for The Seniors, have been from TOH.

I also found a great cupcake recipe( chocolate w/cheesecake filling) for my own use ( from scratch too) that I've made now more than a few times.

I actually bought a subscription too, but I havent received the last 2 issues of the magazine. Their customer service is HORRIBLE, but I guess with only 7 paid people, I shouldnt expect too much.

Edited March 6, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

I buy single issues of the TOH magazines occasionally. I have a stack of TOH from the late 90's that my MIL gave me (she used to have a gift subscription).

I've gotten some good ideas from them, but have also seen some really nasty stuff. Like a chicken lasagna made from lasagna noodles, frozen mixed veggies, and that Kraft Singles cheese.

I'm cooking for my family, and my preteen sons and the little kids don't really appreciate fancy plated meals, so my focus is more on homestyle and peasant cooking.