Customer Reviews

Bon Appetit (1-year)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I've recently been trying to de-clutter my house. As part of that project, I've been going through 20 years of Bon Apetit magazines, culling recipes that I remember fondly and recalling a few food disasters. I've also noticed how the magazine has changed over the years.

Photography is and always has been a strong point for this magazine. I rarely get a new copy without seeing a beautiful picture of something I just have to try making. I've cut out hundreds of dessert recipes - I find pictures of chocolate cakes much more evocative than pictures of steamed vegetables. A large number of the recipes in Bon Apetit come with photos, and I find that helpful in deciding whether I want to try them.

The recipes usually turn out very well. I've made some wonderful desserts, and my wife was stunned (favorably) by some black bean cakes I made for her birthday. The writing is clear and I'm not often left wondering what exactly is meant by the instructions. A few recipes haven't turned out well, and I'm an experienced enough cook to believe that it wasn't my fault, but over 20 years and out of hundreds of recipes, that isn't at all bad. There have been more than a few recipes that simply didn't sound good, but the magazine staff has generally avoided strange food combinations just for the sake of novelty.

My complaint is that the ratio of recipes to other stuff has fallen over the years. Bon Apetit has become more of a lifestyle magazine, and the lifestyle isn't mine. It seems aimed at young and fabulous singles, footloose young couples, and retired couples who don't have young children. After reading some of the party, travel, and buying features I come away with the vague sense that my own kitchen and lifestyle would be found wanting by the editorial staff. I find that very annoying. I sometimes wish that the editors showed more recognition of the fact that not all readers are organized and fabulous and possessed of vast amounts of unused storage space. Some of us are harried, insanely busy, and couldn't find the nutmeg grater if the childrens' lives depended on it. How about occasional restaurant, vacation, and purchasing tips for the unfabulous?

The magazine generally includes several recipes that are easy and fast. My wife and I usually like them a lot; the kids squinch up their faces and act like we're poisoning them. I guess we'll stick to the desserts. I still like this magazine, but I'm afraid I don't like it nearly as much as I used to. We've grown apart, I'm sad to say. I think I've been left behind for people with ovens that can cook wonderful intimate meals for their 50 closest friends and grills that crank out enough BTUs to melt the polar ice caps.

Of the three primary cooking magazines (Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Food and Wine), Bon Appetit is the one about how people cook on a daily basis. There is some travel and restaurant coverage, but it is not the focus of the magazine like it is in Gourmet. There are articles on wine and contemporary recipes combining exotic ingredients, but not to the same extent you find in Food and Wine. Here, the food is the star, and it lives up to its top billing. For people who cook more often than on special occassions, this is the magazine for you. The photography displays the food to advantage and the recipes are consistently well-written and produce delicious results. While you will find complex and elaborate recipes that are fun to make when you have the time, there are also plenty of recipes and menus that you can incorporate into your daily cooking. Bon Appetit may not be as flashy as its peers, but if you're looking for a magazine to cook with, this is the one.

Bon Appetit is such an underrated magazine for people who like to cook.

I am a longtime subscriber, and I have kept all of the past issues. The magazine is always full of both easy and sophisticated recipes. You will really love the November and December issues, with Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hannukah recipes.

The photography, the recipes, the product descriptions, the cookbook reviews, this magazine has it all.

In comparison to its closest rivals, which I perceive to be Gourmet, Cook's Illustrated, and Cooking Light, Bon Appetit is the clear winner. Gourmet is too high end, with a sparse design style. Cook's Illustrated lack the photography that is essential to a cooking magazine. In my view, Cooking Light is both too niche and too low end.

Bon Appetit sets the perfect tone. Don't let the title scare you away.

Each issue of Bon Appetit is filled with recipes that make home cooking interesting. Articles on topics related to food, wine, restaurants, and travel provide some light reading, but the emphasis is on recipes ranging from simple ideas for dishes based on store-bought ingredients to elaborate meals entirely from scratch. Most are geared toward those of us who have some cooking experience but also have a life outside the kitchen, and allow you to achieve surprisingly good results with relatively little effort. The recipes are seasonal and often trendy, but not weird; ingredients can usually be found in well-stocked supermarkets. One of the best features isn't even in the magazine - it's the way all the recipes are available for review on the Epicurious web site. If you like Amazon reader reviews, you will love Epicurious recipe reviews, which let you reap the benefit of a whole community's experience with each recipe. Subscribing to Bon Appetit gives you the best of both worlds - a magazine you can read at your leisure, wherever you like, and a community of cooks with whom to share ideas if you wish.

I've recently started reading my Bon Appetit from cover to cover just because everything is so good (pictures, recipes, articles, etc...). Having three small busy children, my time is limited for meals during the week and my favorite section of this book is "Fast Easy Fresh". I can always find a few recipes that are easy to make yet edible in the eyes of my children. My second favorite section is "Readers' Timesaving Recipes". These readers seem to share the same type of lifestyle as me (limited kitchen time) and they submit very yummy, quick recipes that I can whip up in no time.

My husband and I believe that dinnertime as a family is so important to the well-being of our children that making meals that require endless preparation and cooking just isn't a priority for us.

I also love to entertain and have dinner parties so the new column that begins in the April 2005 issue entitled "Party Improv" is a great addition. I like that they give big, delicious ideas with little effort... including suggestions for table settings, cocktail concoctions, music, wine and a complete menu for your party!!! They thought of it all!

I highly suggest getting your subscription today so you don't miss out on any future issues!

I have subscribed to Bon Appetit for five years now, and have been noticing a downward shift in the magazine's quality for quite some time. As other reviewers have mentioned, when the magazine was edited by the late William Garry, I would frequently make at least half the recipes printed for the month. They were tasty, just complex enough to keep things interesting, and reliable.

Since Barbara Fairchild has taken over, the magazine has indeed gone too yuppy. My most recient issue, October 2004, brings yet another attempt to revamp its contents. The regular column, Every Night Cooking, which used to cover weeknight dinners that could be made fairly quickly, has been replaced by something else called Fast Easy Fresh. F.E.F's contents consist of only a handful of dinner ideas, along with other useless recipes such as Tangerine Granita with Vanilla Bean Cream (have you seen the cost of a vanilla bean lately?) and Smoked Paprika and Red Pepper Butter. When I'm looking to put dinner on the table in less than half an hour, flavored butter will not be the recipe I turn to first.

One last side note: Bon Appetit's advertising has gotten out of control. I consciously took note of the number of ads in my latest issue before sitting down to write this review, and, I kid you not, there were ads on every other page -- and that was the least of it. Sometimes I would flip ten pages without seeing a single recipe. I realize that the subscription price is not astranomical, like Cook's Illustrated's seems to be, but bear in mind that Cook's gives you a magazine full of recipes, and only recipes -- no ads accepted.

While the dishes I've recently made have come out fairly well, I don't usually test out recipes on dinner guests without first trying them on myself and my husband. I don't have that kind of confidence in Bon Appetit. On the other hand, when I've taken that adventerous step using Cook's, I've not been disappointed. Yes, Bon Appetit features beautiful photos (when the pages are not being sliced in half to accomodate an ad) but I'm not sure that with all my concerns, pretty pictures are worth my money.

I used to adore Bon Appetit, but yesterday I received what is now the fourth issue since the magazine's mind-blowing overhaul. Let me tell you, I'm not at all wierd with change, but this new format is HORRIBLE. The font is microscopic and difficult to read, the photos look unappetizing, the quantity of recipes has decreased dramatically, and, most importantly, so has their quality. The magazine has become very difficult to read and is so not user-friendly. The last four issues have gone straight to the recycling bin.

It seems the magazine's quality in general has decreased since the late editor in chief, William Garry, passed on, and his replacement, Barbara Fairchild, took over. I am not alone in voicing my displeasure. Go over to the forums at Bon Appetit and check out how disgusted everyone is with these sudden and ridiculous changes.

I emailed the editor to express my opinion and have not heard back. If some of these issues are not resloved soon, I will let my subscription lapse for the first time in 11 years.

It sounds silly, but I feel like I've lost an old friend.

I am a long-term (soon not-to-be) subscriber. 10 years ago, you would get this magazine and end up keeping the whole issue because there were so many good recipes. Not any more! Since William Gaines passed away and Barbara Fairchild took over, it's become a love letter to yuppies who frequent gourmet markets. Like the Aug. issue: under Every Night Cooking they suggest Portuguese Clams with Linguica and Tomatoes. Not at my house! And the people they profile are not down-to-earth every day people, but wealthy yuppies at their summer home in the Hamptons trooping to the beach with their Sancerre and couscous. Give me a break! Even the Thanksgiving issue isn't a keeper anymore. I'll thumb through my 1995 back issues and dream of a simpler time.

I've subscribed to Bon Appetit for about 20 years now and out of all the major cooking magazines I like this one the best. Gourmet is nice but focuses more on travel. Food and Wine is OK, but focuses more on wines. I like all the other cooking magazines for different reasons, but I think that Bon Appetit does a great job publishing fantastic recipes the best. The recipes are not usually quick, easy ones, but, then again I enjoy cooking somewhat complicated dishes that take time to prepare. If you love to cook and want to try some good recipes, then I highly recommend Bon Appetit.

I have been subscribing to Bon Appetit for close to 10 years and I decided to write this review because I feel the magazine has really changed...for the worse...over the last 2 years. I used to love BA because the recipes were fantastic, ideal for entertaining, mostly easy and/or fast, with a few exceptions, and not too "fancy" with hard to find ingredients and things that a lot of people, just don't cook. It seems like the magazine has become much more "high end", more like Gourmet , which I don't like. I love to cook but I don't like to spend hours and hours searching for ingredients and standing over the stove everytime I decide to do so.