Gourmet's gone; now what do you read?
Ever since Conde Nast ceased publishing Gourmet late last year, maybe you've been searching for a food magazine to suit your cooking style and personality, flipping through glossy after glossy, gazing at glam photos of roast chicken and chocolate tortes or Paula Deen and Rachael Ray.
It would be easy to become overwhelmed. There are dozens of food magazines, from the usual suspects (Bon Appetit, Saveur, Everyday Food) to specialty magazines (Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times) and imports (from Australia, Italy, England)
Samir Husni is not surprised by the numbers. He's a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi at Oxford and director of its magazine innovation center.
Food "was one of the earliest adapters to specialized publications. Food magazines and farming and automotive magazines - they were reflective of society," he said. "Food rose to the top of those categories because it's one of the essential elements."
The value of a food magazine "comes from what I call the 'usability,' " he said. "The first place where you see that is in the recipes."
A glance through the recipe index (most food magazines have them now) lets you know the magazine's direction - upscale, easy-to-do, comfort.
"Everybody is making it easier because they know that it's the recipes that are going to grab you. The recipes and the pictures," Husni said.
Most magazines play to two types of cooks. There's the person who is "so overwhelmed and they want to simplify their life, so they want to see the final product, they want to see the ingredients, they want to see the recipe," Husni said. "And there are the people who have the dream that they are going to be on Iron Chef."
Which one are you?
Comparing food mags
We perused seven food-focused magazines, averaging the number of recipes from two issues of each. Here's how they stacked up.Bon Appetit. Motto: "Eat Well/Savor Life"; $4.99
Average number of recipes: 74 (7 cents per recipe)
Usability: Jam-packed design with cooking prep and shopping info tucked among the stories. A recipe: Pork Meatball Banh Mi.
Nonfood stuff: Travel, entertainment ideas, booze bits, and kitchen utensils, with dash of celebrity.
Typical reader: Those who know the difference between couscous and quinoa; want ideas for boosting their culinary cred.
Gut reaction: Feeds the mind and appetite.
Cook's Illustrated. Motto: "Home of America's Test Kitchen"; $5.95 (bimonthly)
Average number of recipes: 11 (54 cents per recipe)
Usability: The ultimate culinary coach, explaining the how and why, helping you avoid pitfalls, and embellishing recipes with variations. Mostly drawings, few photos. A recipe: Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.
Nonfood stuff: Valuable equipment testing, from basting spoons to electric pressure cookers.
Typical reader: "Practical, down-to-earth people who think of themselves more like chefs than cooks," Husni said.
Gut reaction: You want to elevate your game in the kitchen? Grab one.
Everyday Food. Motto: "Great Food Fast"; $3.50
Average number of recipes: 51 (7 cents per recipe)
Usability: It's a small book from Martha Stewart and friends that's stuffed with a lot of concise, helpful information on cooking techniques, utensils and nutrition. A recipe: Pork Tenderloin With Swiss Chard and Polenta.