Diff. between Cooks Illustrated & Cooks Country

socks

17 years ago

I cannot decide which to get, Cooks Illustrated or Cooks Country. Which one do you like better? Why?

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Comments (7)

claire_de_luna
17 years ago
It's not an 'either' or an 'or'. They both come from America's Test Kitchens, and each comes six times a year; Cook's Country comes in the month (before/after) the month you receive Cook's Illustrated. Cook's Country is more ''farm style/comfort food'' cooking, whereas CI covers everything else, which includes equipment and product ratings, (like box graters to olive oil). They are both good publications.
jakkom
17 years ago
I prefer Cooks Illustrated and Fine Cooking. Saveur is too pretentious, and Cook's Country does mid-America recipes which are mostly too high in fat and salt for our household.
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See, I have a beef with Cook's Illustrated (aka, America's Test Kitchen & Cooks Country). They are not very "customer" friendly, IMO. I had trouble once with a bill from them for their CI magazine (one I didn't owe, I might add) and they were very nasty and threatening. There are also a lot of complaints about them on line regarding their billing practices so I know it was not just me running into problems with them. That being said, I do like their recipes! I watch their shows but, of course, you can't go to their website and see the recipes unless you subscribe (another pet peeve I have). However, with a little googling, I have found every one of their recipes somewhere else - for free. Years ago I bought a few of their cookbooks, but to be honest, I never use them. The cookbooks I use the most are the Barefoot Contessa's books - I have all of them - about 10 of them. I can't think of one recipe of hers that hasn't been delicious (and easy). Also, my two other favorite resources is allrecipes.com and food.com. On their sites you can ask it to show you the ingredient list for 2 people and I find that very helpful, since we are empty nesters also and don't like leftovers.
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Yes Kathleen and only someone who knows the island would know that! I take it from your user name that you're from LI as well...where abouts? The original recipe is as follows. Cook's added beer, vinegar, and a quick knead before the final rise. Sue No-Knead Bread Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1.5 hours plus 14 to 20 hoursÂ rising 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1.5 pound loaf.
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Oh it IS exciting, and I'll definitely post pictures. Lpinkmountain may join us, if family responsibilities allow, and I've also been in touch with Naturegirl, who would like to meet us and I've not met her, so that's also exciting. I've emailed both of them to try to nail down a day when they can either just meet us here at the farm or go somewhere for lunch and adventure. Lars, I'm sure Elery would very much appreciate your hot sauce and you can try some of mine too. You guys can have your very own tasting and I'll just trust your judgment. (grin) Even if you don't make it all the way to the U.P., I still hope you and Kevin at least make it as far North as Mackinac Island. Although it's very "touristy" now, it's still beautiful and interesting and historic. I also would like to take you to Traverse City, the "Crown Jewel" of Michigan, and let you and Kevin do the winery tours, the Peninsula is astonishingly beautiful and I'm the world's best designated driver. South to Saugatuck for the "art scene" too, and cooking in between! Kevin and Elery can just eat and laugh at us. They are both pretty quiet, but I'm also glad they get along well. Lpink's husband is also a little quiet but a very nice man, so if he's with her I'm sure Kevin would like him also. I don't think all three of them together make as much noise as I do, though, LOL. I may have to do a little canning while you are here, though, as I don't think my garden is going to slow down while I visit... Meanwhile I've made AnnT's scones, they are waiting in the freezer for baking, and I just finished running the dough for pappardelle through the Atlas. I bought fresh local oyster mushrooms today at the farmer's market, as well as some sockeye salmon. I just need to mix up some spices for chicken chorizo to go in the shakshuka... Annie
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Hey, look at that, Jack, the pictures are there! I use the ground pork to make my own sausage. Most of the sausage I get is too spicy, or has too much sage, or is heavy with black pepper. I use Alton Brown's recipe for seasoning and just make my own sausage mix, I like it so much better. We also make Italian sausage and Elery likes the pork to mix with venison for sausage too. Plllog, I only know what the cookbook told me, and I'm sure I'll never call it anything except "that pork chili stuff" anyway. It's in the 2009 Cook's Country, titled "New Mexico Pork Chili" with a subtitle of "Carne Adovada", and goes on to explain in the forward that carne adovada means marinated meat. It's doesn't matter, I guess, I'm sure I won't call it "adovada" or adobada" because I won't remember which one is which. I keep trying to type "avodaba" and think of avocados, which has nothing to do with anything in this dish. Whatever it is, it was good, although a little spicy for me, and I had heartburn for two days! sleevendog, since it said "New Mexico Pork Chili", I thought I'd use some dehydrated Hatch Chili I'd purchased at Trader Joe's on a recent trip. I think I got a little heavy handed, because the recipe called for chipotle but no other chilies. Nothing really recreates that smoky flavor of chipotle, so I used some of both, plus the 1/2 cup of chili powder the recipe asked for. It was a little....um.....much. Elery loved it, but I'd have liked it better with just the chipotle that the recipe asked for, I think. I'm such a wuss.... I could definitely see this with beef and probably even chicken. Just gotta get a little lighter on the chilies! Annie
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socks
Original Author
17 years ago
Y'all confirmed what I was thinking. Think I'll stick with the Cooks Illustrated. Many thanks.

Susan
User
17 years ago
On the subject of food magazines....I recently received a gift subscription to "A Taste of Home." I appreciate the thought, but I don't care for the type of recipes in it.

If you like Sandra Lee from the Food Network and her Semi-Homemade recipes you may like it. I find it's too heavy on cutesy presentation and processed food ingredients.
aliceinmd
17 years ago
Each of them also has its own electronic version which gives you access to the current print issue and all preceding issues. As much as I enjoy having hard copies in hand, I've subscribesd to the the CI electronic version for a couple of years.

As part of that online subscription, of course, I also receive the many advertisements that go along with it, including one at the end of each year for that year's issues in a bound volume PLUS the previous year's bound volume. So, if I can hold off for a while, I still get all the paper copies. Hey, if they're going to give me the choice, I'll take it!
socks
Original Author
17 years ago
Alice, if you subscribe to the print edition, does that also give you access to the online editions?

Susan
aliceinmd
17 years ago
Unfortunately, the print and electronic edition subscriptions are entirely separate.

I should also mention that after I purchased one "set" of two bound volumes (the current year and the immediate past year) the company re-used my credit card to send me the next year's volume "on approval." I returned it and managed to cancel all future "subscriptions," but I so wish I hadn't had to go through all those gyrations.

Diff. between Cooks Illustrated & Cooks Country

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claire_de_luna

jakkom

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Diff. between Cooks Illustrated & Cooks Country

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jakkom

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