Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
On the one hand, it’s not expensive; digital + magazine is $2.50/mo, digital all access (no hard copy of the magazine, but full access to three paid websites) is $4.17/mo.
On the other hand, there are millions of recipes and instructions and tutorials all over the internet. It’s not like it would be hard to google answers to whatever I want.
My wife used to get it, she loved it. I got her their 20 year anniversary cookbook a couple of years ago and its one of the ones we use most regularly. The biggest thing I like about Cook's Illustrated vs the internet is searching on the internet you never really know if the recipe/technique you are looking at is actually good until you try it. Cook's has tested and figured out why it works and tells you that why.
Is it actually worth getting a subscription? Not sure I can say...
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
I subscribe, use all three sites frequently, and like it a lot. My main interests are recipes and equipment reviews and since it's digital, I don't have to wrestle that monster cookbook of theirs.
I used to subscribe to the magazine and I let it expire for some reason. I like their TV shows; I will probably subscribe to the websites soon. You get a lot for your money with those guys.
We've subscribed on and off for years. No real reason we let it lapse. Probably will subscribe again someday. Overall, I like their recipes and research. However, as you note, there's a lot of recipes available online, and while choosing among them based on a search can be daunting and a bit random, if you focus on websites you find reputable, you can do pretty good for free (I have always liked Simply Recipes).
My modus lately has been to look at a dozen variations on a recipe, then use something from each. The realization that there is no real way of making anything has been a revelation.
I was a long time subscriber to Cooks Illustrated and Cooks Country. When I retired a few years ago I found out that my local library carries both mags online so now I read them ("for free") via that service - Zinio/RBDigital.
My library also provides access to a few other cooking related magazines that I enjoy. So if you are not quite sure you want to spend the money for your own subscription you might see if your local library offers any magazines online.
I do pay for a subscription to Chris Kimball's (the fellow that created Cook's Illustrated/ATK empire) new endeavour "Milk Street". It's the magazine and tv show he started a year or so ago when he and Cook's Illustrated parted ways (don't recall the deets on why he was forced out). It focuses more on international food but is otherwise very similar to CI/CC/ATK.
I'm an all-access subscriber. When they are creating a recipe they dig into old recipe books, test them out and make improvements.
Their current issues explain in detail how they came up with the recipe, but their database is more like "here it is" without the details. Thus, the magazine (online or digital) is best.
Equipment & product reviews have also been a good resource. If you're grocery shopping and want to know who makes the best diced tomatoes just do a search on their database.
One time we were hosting an Italian foreign exchange student. I made him Cook Country's skillet lasagna and he said it was better than what his mom cooked him...I was shocked.
It's very much like AR. They Want to know the why. Always looking for better ways to cook particular dishes and generally to enhance the cooking experience. When they do one of their "cooking class" recipes they not only tell you hat to do but why you do it.
IMO it's well worth the subscription.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I’ve been a subscriber since it first started. I’m a firm believer they help you understand "The why you’re doing it this way" so those lessons can be applied elsewhere and in the future just like AR. Besides that, every recipe I’ve tried has worked and been delicious except the lemon poppy seed pound cake (too much lemon for me), but, the important bits the cake was perfect and I have since cut the lemon back or elimated lemons and poppy seeds and have had a delicious pound cake.
Their recipes and and techniques work. May have to invest in the digital subscription.
I have the multisite subscription and love it. The access from my phone is a big help when shopping so I can know what to buy for a recipe or which brand of an ingredient is best.
With the online version you also get to comment on the recipes. That's really helpful since people can share tips or issues they've had with a recipe, or adaptations they've made such as adapting one for a pressure cooker.
Edit: Sometimes the cooks who developed the recipe will answer user comments, thereby giving folks the opportunity to directly interact with the pros you see on TV.
Last edited by MattTheGR8; February 19, 2019, 10:14 PM.
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