Categories | Cooking |
---|---|
Frequency | Bimonthly |
Circulation | 1,000,000 (2007) [1] |
Founded | 1993 |
Company |
|
Based in | Brookline, Massachusetts |
Website | www |
ISSN | 1068-2821 |
Cook's Illustrated is an American cooking magazine published every two months by America's Test Kitchen Limited Partnership (ATK) in Brookline, Massachusetts. [2] On February 2, 2023, Cook's Illustrated was one of ATK's brands included in the sale of its controlling interest to Marquee Brands. [3]
It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions. [4] The magazine also conducts thorough evaluations of kitchen equipment and branded foods and ingredients.
Founder and former editor Christopher Kimball launched Cook's magazine in 1980 with money raised from investors. Kimball eventually sold Cook's to Condé Nast Publications, which discontinued the magazine in 1989. Kimball later reacquired rights to the name, hired several former Cook's staff members, and launched a rebranded Cook's Illustrated in 1993. [4]
Circulation grew from an initial 25,000 to 600,000 in 2004 and one million subscribers in 2007, maintaining a growth rate substantially higher than the general category of cooking magazines. [5] In 2009, Cook's Illustrated magazine had 1.2 million subscribers, a figure that grew by 11% on average over the previous nine years. [4] The 78% renewal rate is twice the 35–40% rate for all consumer magazines. [4] The website enjoys 300,000 paid subscribers, about half of whom also subscribe to one of the magazines. [6]
The magazine's staff also produces the PBS cooking shows America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country , and publishes cookbooks including The Best Recipe and America's Test Kitchen series. A sister magazine, Cook's Country, which emphasizes home-style cooking and reader submissions, launched in October 2004; the two magazines come out in alternate months. Though the company is still officially known as Boston Common Press, most of its publishing activity is done under the America's Test Kitchen brand.
On November 16, 2015, a news release from Boston Commons Press announced the departure of Kimball over a contract dispute. The 2016 TV programs had already been filmed and Kimball appeared as host, but his direct participation in the company was ended immediately. He remains a minority stockholder in the closely held company. [7] There had been signs of a dispute between the corporate leadership and Kimball ever since September 2015 when David Nussbaum was appointed from outside the company as CEO, above Kimball. [8]
On February 2, 2023, Marquee Brands became a majority owner of America's Test Kitchen Limited Partnership and its associated brands, including Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. Also David Nussbaum was replaced by Dan Suratt as CEO of ATK.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(June 2022) |
Each issue of Cook's Illustrated is 32 pages in length. While formerly printed almost entirely in black-and-white, the magazine received full color photos and illustrations in 2018, aligning with 25th anniversary of the magazine. The front and back covers contain color illustrations of various foods and ingredients, and the inside of the back cover contains color photographs of the recipes featured in the issue.
Founder Kimball's philosophy, which his magazine reflects, is that there is a "single best way to make a dish" that leads to "nearly bulletproof" results. [4] About 10,000 "friends of Cook's'" provide feedback that help the magazine choose recipes. [9] Approximately ten recipes are presented in each issue, taking the form of a narrative in which the author discusses the recipe's evolution. The author of each article usually begins by relating the reason why they decided to create the recipe. For instance, they might have enjoyed the dish from their childhood, wanted to simplify a typically time-consuming recipe, or tried a dish in a restaurant that they wanted to recreate. The article then follows the recipe's development, which invariably begins with numerous problems in its original incarnation. The author then describes iteratively modifying the recipe's ingredients and cooking method, each time presenting the recipe to a panel of tasters who provide feedback. At the end of the article, the author reaches a final recipe and lists the ingredients and preparation instructions, often with minor variants. Recipes typically include hand-drawn illustrations of any difficult cuts or other uncommon preparation.
Recipes in the magazine often utilize unorthodox, but easy, inexpensive, and commonplace ingredients and instructions. [4] For instance, a recipe for Chinese barbecued pork substitutes ketchup for the traditional red bean curd, which can be difficult to find in the United States; a method for improving inexpensive beef roasts suggests turning off the oven during the final hour of cooking to improve the beef's texture; and a recipe for low-fat cookies includes pureed dates, an unorthodox ingredient that the author preferred over more traditional low-fat alternatives.
Each magazine also includes a detailed taste test, in which a panel of tasters evaluates different brands of ingredients such as ketchup, dark chocolate or balsamic vinegar. In addition to testing each ingredient by itself, tasters also try the ingredient in several recipes, such as pots de crème and brownies in the case of dark chocolate. Often, a category is sub-organized into purposes, such as "best teas plain" and "best teas with milk". The magazine also applies this process of testing and evaluating to kitchen tools and products. [10]
Every issue includes a detailed equipment test, where a panel of users tries a variety of items such as knives, cutting boards or baking sheets. In the case of more expensive pieces of equipment, an overall winner as well as a "best buy" are selected. Both types of tests sort their results into four categories: Highly Recommended, Recommended, Recommended with Reservations, and Not Recommended. As with recipes, much space is devoted to explaining the selection and testing process, and any exceptions to the general conclusions. [11]
In addition to the featured test, most issues test a few other products with less detail, where the best and worst brands in each category are presented with a brief description of the products' highlights and drawbacks. The magazine also features a "Kitchen Notes" section, providing tips on completing common cooking chores, often relevant to the recipes in the issue; a "Recipe Update", in which the magazine provides variations on recipes from previous issues; "Quick Tips" submitted by readers; and "Notes from Readers", in which the magazine's editors respond to reader questions. Many issues also include a two-page spread illustrating details on a general method or task, such as "Mastering the Art of Stew" or "Stocking a Baking Pantry".
Year Published | Title | Description | New York Times Best Seller |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Cook's Science | How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of our Favorite Ingredients | |
2016 | All-Time Best Appetizers | A perfectly curated selection of our favorite appetizer recipes | |
2016 | All-Time Best Soups | Definitive takes on classic soups and new recipes that blend favorite flavors with delicious results | |
2015 | Kitchen Hacks | How Clever Cooks Get Things Done | |
2014 | The Cook's Illustrated Meat Cookbook | The Game-Changing Guide That Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes | |
2013 | The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book | Baking Demystified with 450 Foolproof Recipes from America's Most Trusted Food Magazine | |
2012 | The Science of Good Cooking | Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen | |
2011 | The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook | 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine | |
2009 | More Best Recipes | ||
2007 | The Best International Recipe | ||
2004 | Baking Illustrated | The Practical Kitchen Companion for the Home Baker | |
2004 | The New Best Recipe | The timeless kitchen companion featuring 1,000 foolproof recipes, illustrated kitchen tutorials, and unbiased product ratings | |
A recipe is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare or make something, especially a dish of prepared food. A sub-recipe or subrecipe is a recipe for an ingredient that will be called for in the instructions for the main recipe.
A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes.
Christopher Kimball is an American editor, publisher, and radio and TV personality. He is notable as one of the founders of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country and as the creator of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street.
Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients and formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray, or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. It is usually made with ground beef, although ground lamb, pork, veal, venison, poultry, and seafood are also used, sometimes in combination. Vegetarian adaptations of meatloaf may use imitation meat or pulses.
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, also published as Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book, is an extensive guide to running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton and first published as a book in 1861. Previously published in parts, it initially and briefly bore the title Beeton's Book of Household Management, as one of the series of guidebooks published by her husband, Samuel Beeton. The recipes were highly structured, in contrast to those in earlier cookbooks. It was illustrated with many monochrome and colour plates.
Julia's Kitchen Wisdom is the final cookbook authored by chef and television personality Julia Child. Co-authored by David Nussbaum and edited by Judith Jones, the book covers basic cooking principles and techniques and was designed to serve as a reference point for amateur cooks. Julia's Kitchen Wisdom was the 17th book written by Child and gained widespread popularity following the release of the 2009 film, 'Julie and Julia'.
Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Sweet and sour sauce remains popular in Asian and Western cuisines.
A bacon sandwich is a sandwich of cooked bacon. It may be spread with butter, and may be seasoned with brown sauce or tomato ketchup. It is generally served hot. In some establishments the sandwich will be made from bread toasted on only one side, while other establishments serve it on a similar roll as is used for hamburgers.
Omurice or omu-rice is a Japanese dish consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and thin, fried scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup. It is a popular dish also commonly cooked at home. Children in particular enjoy omurice. It is often featured in Japan's version of a children's meal, okosama-ranchi (お子様ランチ).
America's Test Kitchen is a half-hour long American cooking show broadcast by public television stations and Create and distributed by American Public Television. Originally hosted by Christopher Kimball, the program currently is co-hosted by Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off is a video game for the Wii developed by Office Create and published by Taito in Japan, Majesco Entertainment in North America, and 505 Games in Europe and Australia. It is a spin off of the Nintendo DS game Cooking Mama. The game was released in Japan on February 8, 2007 and in North America on March 20, 2007. In Europe, it was released on May 11, 2007, with an Australian release closely following on May 18, 2007. The Wii sequel to this game, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen was released in the US in November 2008.
Create is an American digital broadcast public television network broadcast on digital subchannels of PBS member stations. The network broadcasts how-to, DIY and other lifestyle-oriented instructional programming 24 hours a day.
Cook's Country is an American half-hour television cooking show on public television stations and Create and distributed by American Public Television. The show is based on Cook's Country magazine.
The fifth season of the American reality television series The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2009 in New York, New York and Miami, Florida.
The idea of drinking whisky with food is considered outré by many, but there is a growing interest in pairing whiskies with complementary foods. The Scotch whisky industry has been keen to promote this. Single malts, pot-still whiskies, bourbons, and rye whiskies offer an interesting range of tastes and aromas, which are just as varied as wine. Jake Wallis Simons compares whiskies in bourbon casks to white wines, due to their lighter flavor, and those in sherry casks to red wines, with their greater fruitiness. A few Scottish cook books contain reference to the use of whisky in cooking, and a few traditional Scottish recipes that use whisky exist.
American fried rice is a Thai fried rice dish with "American" side ingredients like fried chicken, ham, sausages, raisins, and ketchup. Other ingredients like pineapples and croutons are optional.
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street is a multimedia, instructional food preparation organization created by Christopher Kimball. The organization comprises a weekly half-hour television program seen on public television stations, a magazine called Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, a cooking school, a weekly one-hour radio program heard on public radio stations called Milk Street Radio, a website for video podcasts, as well as Milk Street Live! which broadcasts live cooking events.
Tuttorosso is a brand of tomato based products which is a subsidiary of Red Gold.
Carla Lalli Music is an American chef, cookbook author, and YouTube personality. She was a food editor at large of Bon Appétit and was known for her appearances in videos produced for the magazine's YouTube channel, most notably as the host of Back-to-Back Chef. Music left the magazine in 2020 in response to allegations that Bon Appétit and Condé Nast Entertainment had engaged in racial discrimination.
Bridget Lancaster is an American chef, food writer, and television personality who is best known for co-hosting and executive producing America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country, which air on American Public Television (PBS). She co-hosts with Julia Collin Davison.