What's your favorite cooking magazine?

[lmb823]

Hello helpful chefs! My sister-in-law is about to finish culinary school. I would like to get her a magazine subscription for Christmas...but there are so many out there and I'm not sure which are good and which are not. She doesn't have a specialty yet. Which are your favorites?

Thanks in advance!
Laura

[adamm]

cooks illustrated is a good magazine, also if she doesnt have membership to the american culinary federation that might be a good gift to give. You get a magazine with the membership.

[KYHeirloomer]

You're right, there are so many to choose from.

But, for somebody in the industry, my hands-down choice would be Food Arts.

Among consumer magazines, my nod goes to Saveur.

[shroomgirl]

Saveur or Gastronomica

[madchef]

Definately Saveur

[Breton Beats]

Art Culinaire (https://www.getartc.com/aboutac.asp) . (on my wish list) Not really a magazine. but hard bound books with the most beautiful pictures, professional platings, and "basic instruction" gorgeous. ($60 for a year=4 books)

Food Arts is for somebody more interested in the business side of the industry with sales,marketing, PR, and even the food bits are written that tone.

Saveur would be my favorite bet, of all the "mainstream" food mags out there it is the one I would read because more than recipes and ads it talks about different cultures and countries.

Cooks Illustrated is great but can be sort of redundant for someone just graduating from culinary school. I subscribe because it fills in the gaps between professional cooking and daily home cooking (which I can't do).

Gastrinomica is by far my favorite of all food related writing. But it isn't really about cooking. It talks about food in all other genres like art made from food, poetry with food, short stories, bizare stories(like what the exploreres ate at the south pole including a recipe on penguin), and so forth. Most stories aren't written by chefs. It can be artsy and academic in its tone.

I also like Cuncina Italiano because it gives some traditional italian dishes and methods, which in my French centered world I don't often hear about.

Vogue Cooking or Fine Cooking is good for presentation ideas or if she is working in catering.

[foodpump]

Since I'm not in the rest. biz but run a bakery, I tend to shy away from all the glossy mainstream mags and focus on Cook's Illustrated. Frankly there is only so many glossy ads of luxury cars and luxury home appliances that I can stomache... True, Cook's is a very down-to-earth mag, but the articles are very well written and a lot of testing and science explained go into the articles. Not many mags go into this kind of depth, and the effort Cook's puts into their mag is appreciated.

One caveat with virtually every cooking mag you'll find printed in N.America: The recipie quantities are given in volume or a hodge-podge of various measurements. For a professional cook, and especially baker, this is frustrating and very annoying, as we measure by weight and not volume.

[lmb823]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the great suggestions! I think I'll go with Saveur. And will include a note about how helpful this forum is.

Laura

[durangojo]

i know i'm a bit late on this(some of us have to work for a living!), but while i like cook's illistrated, i think it is very technical and not a magazine to sit down and 'relax' with..maybe pick up a copy of each or thumb through a few at your local bookstore...i love saveur, but i think my all around favorite is taunton's 'fine cooking'..great for novice or professional...lots of good advise, food history, interesting writers and great recipes...also, i love bon appetit as well for ease of recipes...and its fun!
joey