Cooks Illustrated... any followers?

[Snappy Lunch]

I did get the magazine in the past, but let it lapse. I did enjoy the product reviews. I wanted to get Food & Wine and Saveur, so had to let it go.

 

[Scotto]

I love their approach, and some of the techniques are absolutely brilliant, like the vodka-in-pie-dough technique. One of the main deep thinkers there, Kenji Alt-Lopez (and one of the best writers), is a prolific web writer. You can find his great Food Lab articles here. Highly recommended.

That being said, there are a few annoying factors: (1) they endlessly repeat recipes (how many roasted chicken recipes do I need?), and (2) while I appreciate they focus on easily-available ingredients for ethnic recipes, I would really like the options with the real ingredients as well. Their marketing arm is also notorious for being overbearing, but I personally have never had a problem with them.

 

[The Knize]

<while I appreciate they focus on easily-available ingredients for ethnic recipes, I would really like the options with the real ingredients as well.>

Excellent point!

 

[Yanks27]

I haven't much experience with Cook's Illustrated, but am happy with Saveur. On the recipe side I'm a big fan of recipezaar.com. I like their rating system and usually do well with their recipes.

 

[clubman]

Again, I am not questioning you either, but I would be curious to know what specific recipes you tried that seemed needlessly complicated for somethng simple. I think more of ATC/CI helping make difficult things foolprooof. But if may be that a really skilled cook can eliminate some of the steps that are designed to enhance the "fool-proofness" of recipes relying instead on skill, experience, and judgement.

It was years ago when I tried the recipe, but it was for prime rib for a Christmas dinner, and it involved removing the bones first, then browning the whole thing, then reattaching the bones with twine, then rubbing it down, then roasting it! The jus was equally convoluted. The end result - no better than my usual effort (rub with salt & pepper, roast at 475 for 15 minutes, then 325 until the thermo in the center reads 120-125).

I saw a link to this a while back, I thought it encapsulates the Cook's Illustrated vibe pretty well - funny stuff!

http://www.americastestkitchentv.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=275388

 

[The Knize]

It was years ago when I tried the recipe, but it was for prime rib for a Christmas dinner, and it involved removing the bones first, then browning the whole thing, then reattaching the bones with twine, then rubbing it down, then roasting it! The jus was equally convoluted. The end result - no better than my usual effort (rub with salt & pepper, roast at 475 for 15 minutes, then 325 until the thermo in the center reads 120-125).

I saw a link to this a while back, I thought it encapsulates the Cook's Illustrated vibe pretty well - funny stuff!

http://www.americastestkitchentv.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=275388

That sounds like a good example of overcomplication to no particular beneficial effect alright.

The link is hilarious!

Part of it is that CI probably much reflects Chris Kimball's--founder, editor in chief, etc.--personality, and, as much as I like him, CK is pretty easy to mock. Indeed, he frequently mocks himself.

I would guess that the detail in the recipes is designed to reassure those that are not confident cooks that they are doing what they should be doing, and to try to make things fool proof, if the instructions are followed carefully.

I am probably pretty bad for doing this, but I generally do not follow any recipe from anyone all that closely. I skim it and get the general idea and that is usually enough for me, but I generally know what I am doing.

I will say that something like ATK's recent take on French omlets really is useful and a step forward. Nice fool proof method for something I have always had uneven results doing. Detailed and precise, but in this case, I think that detail and precision is justified!

ATK also came up with the idea of running crepe batter through a blender and letting it rest when the conventional wisdom was not to work it to much for fear of making it tough. Amazing, but ATK was correct. And that method is both faster and results in a better product in my experience and I have made a lot of excellent crepes over the years.