Reviews For Bon Appetit Magazine

My Son in Law looks forward each time to new recipes. he is a great cook and used it cover to cover

I was given the Thanksgiving issue as a gift and used many of the recipes to make my dinner. In fact, the only non-Bon Appetit menu item was the mashed potatoes. Everything was huge hit. I am going to subscribe now so I can use their recipes more often!

I have always enjoyed bon appitit magazine and couldn't resist the special price. It is a great magazine with lots of down-to-earth recipes and interesting information. However, I am somewhat perplexed that, 2 issues into my 1 year subscription, I got a notice saying that I have one issue remaining on my subscription.

Tis is the first cooking magazine that offers the most exquisite recipes that actually work! The end results are always great.

Beginning, Intermediate, or Expert Chef...this Magazine is simply the best! Highly Recommended!

Nice Editor-In-Chief. Nice pictures of the food. Recipes are laid out nicely.

The world of cooking, gourmet and otherwise magazines is festooned with glossy covers adorned with tempting dishes of un-nameable foods we are supposed to enjoy preparing. But Bon Appetit Magazine has them all whipped with its life-sized scrumptious looking delicacies begging to be devoured. For instance the June 2008 issue has a picture of a Cheddar Burger with Chipotle Ketchup; the life-sized burger looks absolutely delectable.

Bon Appetit Magazine, which bills itself as a food and entertaining magazine, is published monthly by Conde Nast Publications Inc. and is aimed at serious-minded cooks who passionate about the dishes they prepare. They, like me are interested in what new in the world of cooking; not only that but they, like me have a keen interest in straying from the norm in the dishes they cook.

Unfortunately like most magazines in America, Bon Appetit Magazinedepends heavily on advertising to generate revenue, dedicates every other page to colorful spreads bent on selling us stuff we don’t really need, or in some cases don’t need but really, really want, but can’t afford. To its credit, most of the advertising is dedicated to cooking and the stuff of cooks.

Bon Appetit Magazine Contents

Bon Appetit Magazine —a monthly publication—is a striking combination of the trivial and useful information and divided up in the following sections:

o Fast, Easy, Fresh
o Family Style:
o At the Market
o Cooking Life
o Health Wise
o Wine & Spirits
o Prep School
o Features

Conclusion

A glossy well put together magazine Bon Appetit Magazine is well worth the subscription that is if you are a serious cook. However, even the not-so-serious cook will find something within the folds of the gorgeous magazine. When all is said and done I enjoy reading Bon Appetit Magazine not only because of the well put together articles and outstanding recipes, but also because the food look so darned inviting! How come my dishes never turn out looking like the cover of a magazine?

While I have to admit that some of the recipes are a little out there, the ones I have prepared have turned out well enough. Be prepared you will have to shop for these ingredients; the average Bon Appetit recipe does not use your usual American kitchen staples.

For instance in the June 2008 issue a recipe for Hazelnut-crusted chicken with raspberry sauce calls for lightly packed fresh raspberries, safflower oil, chopped hazelnuts, panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), and finely chopped mint leaves; not exactly stuff one might find at the local Jewel.

Did I mention that the photography in Bon Appetit Magazine is a feast in-and-of-itself? No doubt there is a healthy dose of staging and a whole lot of Photoshop behind the gloss, but the effect is real enough. Ready to pick one up yet?

Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Anyone

No, I'm not a gourmet chef. In fact, my kids think scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and frozen blueberries is a first rate meal. However, I do love to eat. And every now and then I get inspired. That's where Bon Appetit Magazine comes in.

While I could do without many of the full length feature articles (I laugh hysterically at the photos of the perfect family gatherings of perfect people with perfect haircuts and perfect clothes and perfect pets in perfect Martha Stewart homes) the recipes are first rate.

For starters, I always enjoy the feature (called RSVP) where people write in from all over the world requesting their favorite restaurant recipes. Though I rarely make these, it's fun to find out how chefs prepare their food. I even like finding out what people are enjoying at various restaurants.

The body of recipes in Bon Appetit is extensive. There's scarcely a category of food I can think of that I haven't seen covered in the magazine. Over the years I've made Scottish scones, gingerbread houses, Thanksgiving meals and barbecue sauces I've found on its pages.

Another great feature is the magazine's "30-minute main courses." Believe it or not, these meals actually CAN be made in 30 minutes. I've tried it. It works. The Cook's Exchange, a page of recipes supplied by readers (and tested by Bon Appetit staff) is also fun and useful. (And great for people like me, whose repertoire of everyday meals sometimes falls into a horrible rut).

In addition to recipes, I enjoy the quirky little articles on food facts; food- and kitchen-related products; and travel.

And when it comes to photography, Bon Appetit is first rate. Whether they're photographing fudge brownies or zucchini bread, the result is always first class.

Perhaps the best thing about the magazine is that it features recipes that you're likely to make. Unlike some food magazines, which cater to an upscale crowd, Bon Appetit recipes call for ingredients which, for the most part, are readily available. And if they're not, there's usually a side bar about what to substitute or where to find what you're looking for.

Who shouldn't read Bon Appetit? Anyone trying to lose weight! By the time I finish reading my monthly copy, the idea of calorie counting (which sounded so sensible the day before) seems absolutely ludicrous!


Recommended:
Yes

Bon Appetit has been a favorite magazine of mine for years. If I am going to entertain and need hors d'oeuvres recipes that are unique and tasteful, I can turn to this magazine. My very favorite sections are the RSVP, which is at the beginning of the magazine, and the section near the back called "Too Busy to Cook?" The first one I mentioned contains requested recipes from chefs or cooks around the world. People request recipes that they have had at restaurants, cafes, bed and breakfasts, etc. The other section, "Too Busy To Cook?", has great recipe ideas. These are always quick and easy. My family over the years has been treated to many recipes from this fine magazine. When I want to cook a family Christmas breakfast, a new hot drink, a tasty bread or soup or .... I can choose current and past editions and know I'll find many ideas! My only negative comment is that many times I don't attempt recipes that seem too complicated or have many ingredients that I may not know where to find. The ONLY bad recipe I made once for my mom's birthday was a three-layer chocolate cake that was an entire page long for the recipe and my mom said it tasted like dirt! One bad recipe out of about 100 or more made...not bad odds!
I definitely like this magazine more than Gourmet, but I also like Cooking Light and use it's recipes quite often too. I do like the idea of the fat/carbohydrate/protein breakdown in Cooking Light that Bon Appetit does not include.


Recommended:
Yes

I absolutely love to cook and I enjoy looking for recipes, especially something a little different or complicated and making it for family and friends or for dinner parties.

What I love about this magazine is the variety of recipes and dishes it offers in the various issues. If you're making a particular dish, the directions usually take you step by step and makes it seem not so complicated. I've impressed many family and friends with unique and delicious dishes from this magazine.

I usually look forward to each new issue and can't wait to check out the various recipes and dishes and articles about food and cooking.


Recommended:
Yes