Best Cooking Magazines

By Leslie

This weekend one of my friends made a really amazing spicy thai soup.  It contained shredded chicken, rice noodles, curry, ginger, sriracha, and fresh herbs.  She mentioned that she found the recipe in the most recent Cooking Light magazine.  It got me thinking about the best magazines for recipe and meal ideas. 

While I use the Cooking Light website regularly, I had almost forgotten about the actual magazine.  The only one I subscribe to is Real Simple, which is FULL of easy, healthy recipes and inspiration.  (I also love it for the other topics like organization and random cleaning tips.  Who doesn't like Real Simple?) 

In the past I have subscribed to Everyday with Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart Living.  One was a gift, and the other arrived for free with another magazine we receive monthly so I never actually continued my subscriptions. My mom has received Better Homes and Gardens for years and I've found some excellent recipes in there as well.  

I like a magazine that covers recipes, restaurant reviews, tips and tricks, some basic food education...and of course pretty food pictures.    

Some others I've heard good things about:

Food and Wine

Bon Appetit

Food Network Magazine

Saveur

Readers - what are you favorite magazines for meal and dining inspiration?  Do you suscribe to any, and if so, which ones? 

Comments

[K]

I got a groupon deal for Bon Appetite. So far I've only received one magazine and it inspired us to make several different dishes. So far I'm enjoying it.

[Blythe]

I'm a big fan of Sunset Magazine. It's targeted toward the western US but the recipes are great and the ingredients usually aren't region-specific.

[Tara]

Cuisine at Home is amazing. Full of photos, helpful tips, and no ads.

[carrie]

as far as i'm concerned, real simple is the bible.

[Jen L.]

I loooooove Real Simple, especially their "Ten Things To Do With..." feature. I have made a lot of their recipes and loved every single one.

[Michelle]

Taste of Home is good and I used to like the Food Network magazine. Rachel Ray, though - HATE. I have yet to be inspired to make anything from her magazine. I'll be glad when my subscription runs out.

[Christy]

I love Real Simple, but I cancelled it after I had my son and I was getting the next magazine before I'd even looked at the one I already had.
I also get Food Network which has good and bad parts, but everything I've made from there has been good. I'm thinking of getting Taste of Home or something else now that I have more time.

[Leslie]

Thanks for the suggestions. There are a few I had never heard of! It's funny how people are so hot or cold about Rachael Ray, right?

Jen L- I love that section too. Recently it was "10 things to do with rotisserie chicken." I tore it out and I've been looking at it everyday.

[Jennie]

I'm one of those who love Rachael Ray. Everything I've ever made is delicious, relatively easy, she's all about substitutes and she has a nice travel component to her magazine (which I really do love, it's probably my favorite cooking magazine). I like Food Network and Cooking Light, a lot, but they're a little more hit or miss. Sometimes I mark dozens of recipes a month and sometimes just a few.

[MK]

Kiwi Magazine for readers with little ones at home is a great magazine with lots of yummy recipes and really cute snack and birthday party food ideas! I love it! Also a huge fan of Whole Living, which I think is a Martha Stewart publication, but filled with lots of whole, all-natural, organic type recipes.

[Caitlin]

A perennial favorite in our house (and the one we often give to others as a gift) is Cook's Illustrated. They walk you through their testing process explaining what worked, what didn't, and why. It's fascinating and educational - and the recipes are really fantastic.

It's a little pricier than most mags because there are no ads in it, but definitely worth it and makes a fantastic gift!

[Michelle Smiles]

I get Rachel Ray, Cooking Light, and Food Network. None of 100% of the time inspiring but I like them.