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Cook's Illustrated provides readers with recipes, cooking techniques, and product and food recommendations exhaustively developed in our extensive Test Kitchen facility - the same kitchen featured on our cooking show, America's Test Kitchen. Included are best ways to prepare favorite American dishes -- from pot roast and chocolate chip cookies to grilled salmon and fruit cobbler. Best (and worst) cooking equipment -- from chef's knives to cookie sheets. Best brands -- from canned tomatoes to baking chocolate. Best cooking techniques - from brining shrimp to baking ham. And all of this is provided without a single page of advertising - just 100% cooking information.
Product Description
Cook's Illustrated provides readers with recipes, cooking techniques, and product and food recommendations exhaustively developed in our extensive Test Kitchen facility - the same kitchen featured on our cooking show, America's Test Kitchen. Included are best ways to prepare favorite American dishes -- from pot roast and chocolate chip cookies to grilled salmon and fruit cobbler. Best (and worst) cooking equipment -- from chef's knives to cookie sheets. Best brands -- from canned tomatoes to baking chocolate. Best cooking techniques - from brining shrimp to baking ham. And all of this is provided without a single page of advertising - just 100% cooking information.
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After you place your order, we will share your name, address and order information with the magazine vendor and, if we're requested to do so, an organization that verifies publishers' circulation records. See Details.
After you place your order, we will share your name, address and order information with the magazine vendor and, if we're requested to do so, an organization that verifies publishers' circulation records. See Details.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
168 of 170 people found the following review helpful
Subscription Term Name:1 year
Cooks Illustrated is like no other cooking magazine I have ever read. It's a sort of Consumers Reports for cooking, aimed at the beginning gourmand. The magazine includes recipes, tips sent in by readers, standard methods for important cooking procedures, reviews of gadgets or food items, and reviews of cookbooks. All of these are accompanied by beautiful black-and-white illustrations and photos of the foods and techniques used (which explains the "Illustrated" part of the magazine title).
My favorite articles are those that delve into the development of the recipe featured. These articles all provide a standard format of describing the "perfect" representation of the items and then the authors explain their process for creating their final recipes and the method by which to read and make the recipes. While this sounds scientific (and indeed, it is), the writing is delightful and down-to-earth, not dry or esoteric as other gourmet magazines. In addition, sidebar articles explore choosing particular ingredients or comparisons of different brands or gadgets relating to the recipe shown and give clear direction where the more elusive ingredients and gadgets can be purchased.
While I am not always confident that the recipes in other magazines or cookbooks have been tested, I am always certain that the recipes in Cooks Illustrated have been rigorously reviewed and have been designed to be made by the average cook, not trained culinary experts. If you are seeking a magazine that provides tried-and-true recipes for basic food items (ranging from Beef Stroganoff to Salade Nicoise), this is a perfect choice. It is obvious that this magazine is a work of love for its editors and writers. There are no advertisements, and the only color photos are on the inside of the back page of the magazine.
(At one time, Cooks Illustrated had a special featured area on Amazon.com. The articles posted there are still available on Amazon.com, but you have to dig. Search under the book The Best Recipe, click through to the book description, and under "Book Information" in the left column, click the Amazon.com articles link and explore from there. These articles are great--albeit more brief and non-illustrated--versions of the articles in the magazine.)
79 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Subscription Term Name:1 year|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Cook's Illustrated" serves as a mentor to me and others who refused to learn the art and science of cookery in the kitchens of their loved ones. I did take a home economics class in high school, but my main memory of it is my teacher's repeated iteration of "Oh mercy, Elaine. Mercy." It took a long diet of college jello and Spanish Rice, and then a marriage in which neither of us fathomed the mysteries of the kitchen to get me interested in the art of cooking for myself and others.
Most of the other magazines in the culinary market don't seem to cater to the cooking-challenged. For instance, the seemingly simple instruction "beat enough sugar into the meringue to stiffen it" caused me to set the oven on fire. I added cups and cups of sugar to my three egg whites and the darn meringue finally got grainy, which I figured was the equivalent of 'stiff.' Not so. Once enough heat was applied, the meringue flooded over the sides of the pie plate and set the oven ablaze. It was not easy explaining my culinary mishap to a sceptical fireman.
My inadvertent attempt at incendiarism wouldn't have happened if I had been following a recipe in "Cook's Illustrated." Here the recipes are lovingly detailed, and there diagrams on 'simple' techniques such as How to Slice an Onion. Most of you probably learned about such matters at your mother's knee, but I was more interested in Astronomy than Onions back in the good old days when someone cooked for me. As a consequence, I've been slicing onions incorrectly until the December 2004 "Cook's Illustrated" hit the newstand.
The contributors to this magazine test their recipes multiple times, varying the ingredients, using different cooking utensils, until they get what they consider to be the perfect outcome. For instance, in the article on "Balsamic Braised Chicken," John Olson writes: "At that point, I stopped my tests with the high-end vinegar. Simmering such a vinegar might well be considered high crime in Italy. All the time and effort expended to create its subtle flavor balance would be wasted, as boiling destroys it. (This is not a problem with the cheap stuff.)"
"Cook's Illustrated" recipes are adventures into a mysterious art, as well as producers of wonderful dishes. The editors don't accept advertisements, so you can trust their ingredient and product recommendations. If you are a fan of the show, "America's Test Kitchen" on public television, then you'll definitely love the magazine that details this program's favorite recipes. Also check out their website at cooksillustrated.com for eleven years worth of recipes.
Most of the other magazines in the culinary market don't seem to cater to the cooking-challenged. For instance, the seemingly simple instruction "beat enough sugar into the meringue to stiffen it" caused me to set the oven on fire. I added cups and cups of sugar to my three egg whites and the darn meringue finally got grainy, which I figured was the equivalent of 'stiff.' Not so. Once enough heat was applied, the meringue flooded over the sides of the pie plate and set the oven ablaze. It was not easy explaining my culinary mishap to a sceptical fireman.
My inadvertent attempt at incendiarism wouldn't have happened if I had been following a recipe in "Cook's Illustrated." Here the recipes are lovingly detailed, and there diagrams on 'simple' techniques such as How to Slice an Onion. Most of you probably learned about such matters at your mother's knee, but I was more interested in Astronomy than Onions back in the good old days when someone cooked for me. As a consequence, I've been slicing onions incorrectly until the December 2004 "Cook's Illustrated" hit the newstand.
The contributors to this magazine test their recipes multiple times, varying the ingredients, using different cooking utensils, until they get what they consider to be the perfect outcome. For instance, in the article on "Balsamic Braised Chicken," John Olson writes: "At that point, I stopped my tests with the high-end vinegar. Simmering such a vinegar might well be considered high crime in Italy. All the time and effort expended to create its subtle flavor balance would be wasted, as boiling destroys it. (This is not a problem with the cheap stuff.)"
"Cook's Illustrated" recipes are adventures into a mysterious art, as well as producers of wonderful dishes. The editors don't accept advertisements, so you can trust their ingredient and product recommendations. If you are a fan of the show, "America's Test Kitchen" on public television, then you'll definitely love the magazine that details this program's favorite recipes. Also check out their website at cooksillustrated.com for eleven years worth of recipes.
87 of 95 people found the following review helpful
Subscription Term Name:1 year
This is a good magazine for the home cook that wants to branch-out from the standard Family Circle or Good Housekeeping no risk recipes.
My BIG problem with this company is once they've got your contact information, you will receive more junk mail than you thought one company could generate; hawking every single publication they produce, relentlessly.
I stopped subscribing and it took a year to stop receiving their snail spam; and there's no way to 'opt out' online
My BIG problem with this company is once they've got your contact information, you will receive more junk mail than you thought one company could generate; hawking every single publication they produce, relentlessly.
I stopped subscribing and it took a year to stop receiving their snail spam; and there's no way to 'opt out' online
Most Recent Customer Reviews
THEY WILL SELL YOUR NAME/ADDRESS
This magazine will sell your name and address to every magazine under the sun, so you will receive a lot of offers in the mail. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Chanfrancisco
Bleak look magazine with OK food
At first glance this magazine looks very boring - no color pictures, dull newsprint-like paper. I have always found it challenging to make a recipe that doesn't show what your end... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Johnson
elevates the art of cooking....
I have loved this magazine for many years and have a nice collection of issues from both my on/off subscription years and one-off bookstore purchases. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Desert Gypsy
automatic renewal:
THis is a BAD idea for comsumer but GREAT for magazine company.
If I like this magazine I will renew on my own. Read more
If I like this magazine I will renew on my own. Read more
Published 2 months ago by vicki mac
beware if you want to cancel
I made the mistake of trying an online subscription to this magazine. I accepted the "trial" membership and then decided to not continue past the trial. Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Evans
How to Order Cooks Illustrated
Cooks Illustrated is a great magazine with no ads
It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Read more
It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dustin A Horn
Support for my Obsession with Cooking
I ordered this magazine for my mom's caregiver who loved reading through the copies that a friend subscribed as a gift for me. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Karen
Focuses on the food and not advertisements
Bought a subscription for my wife for the holidays. The magazine is great and unlike a lot of other food magazines - they actually focus on the food and not the advertisements. Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. Hazlett
Really enjoy this
I bought this subscription as a gift for my husband, who loves to cook. We have loved sitting down and selecting a recipe to make together. Read more
Published 5 months ago by JStar
Not ALL THAT!
I have been a long time CI subscriber both magazine and web. I really agree with all the critical reviews here but wanted to add that the recipes and reviews are not all that... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Vince J. Filippelli
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