Reviews For Cooking Light Magazine

For those pursuing the lighter, yet not tasteless side of cooking, Cooking Light can be a real treat. Besides a varied array of recipes, the magazine is usually full of articles on health and fitness. Not only cooking light, but living light.
As a man who enjoys good food and counting fat grams, I like the magazine. However, due to the fact that it is slanted towards women, many of the articles leave me out especially in regards to exercise. This isn't to say that each issue is like this, but there is an obvious bias. This bias is understandable, and doesn't prevent me from enjoying some of the articles and getting ideas from the recipes.
This is a publication I'd recommend for those who are looking for ways to trim the fat without losing the taste of good food. Each issue varies the cuisine so that it does not cater to one particular palate or ethnicity. Likewise, the publication addresses each part of the meal and not only one area -- such as entrees or desserts. What I like is that there is an index near the end of the magazine which breaks down the recipes into subjects (appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc.); this makes planning a meal or finding a favourite much easier.
My suggestion would be to include MORE recipes or cooking techniques in the magazine and less extraneous articles about health and fitness since the magazine is about cooking light.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Anyone

I am not a cook. I don't enjoy it. And, truth be told, I am really no good at it. There I feel better with that out of the way. With that said, I'd still like to recommend Cooking Light.

LAYOUT
Cooking Light really should re-name itself as something more like Healthy Living. The first section of each issue typically features components of a healthy lifestyle (usually exercise). In fact, this year they have added monthly features both in exercise and cooking which can build on each previous issue.

RECIPES
The recipes featured are simple to follow and step-by-step. Occasionally I come across ingredients which I'm unfamiliar with or unable to find. Usually I will find that other readers have had the same difficulty and have written to the editor for answers. Cooking Light features healthy, light recipes for various types of gourmands, including: 30-minutes-or-less (which I readily admit to using often), vegetarian, old favorites, seasonal and a feature item. There is also a wine section at the end of each issue which is often helpful.

PROS
I enjoy the various sections. The recipes (which offer a light alternative to cooking) are changed often and range from simple to elegant. I enjoy the index, as well as the menu idea page which suggests extras to accompany featured recipes. Cooking Light's new Cooking Class is a nice addition (articles which elucidate simple to complex cooking skills step-by-step).

CONS
Despite my initial disclaimer, I do feel that Cooking Light is sometimes lacking. Frequently their dishes seem to be flavor deficient. I consistently add more spice than is called for. I have made several dishes which failed and others which simply needed more spice.

I would recommend this magazine to most, but particularly to the slightly cooking disadvantaged. The recipes tend to be simple and easy to follow. Oh, did I mention it's also healthy?


Recommended:
Yes

I've been trying to change my cooking in order to make it "healthier" for awhile, and thus far had been unsuccessful in finding recipes that my husband, (a pizza and steak kind of guy), would enjoy. I also have a picky five year old. I was almost at the end of my rope when I decided to give a few recipes I found on this magazine a try. To my surprise they were a big hit with both and as a result I began subscribing to the magazine. Even though the cooking is "light" they don't shy away from flavorful ingredients like butter and bacon when necessary.
The content of the magazine is not limited to food, it also covers exercise, beauty and other topics you would find in regular women's magazine. This may be a turn off to some, especially because the topics are covered ad nauseaum in other publications.
However, it is chock full of recipes. A big help is the index near the back. It lists all the recipes and corresponding pages and is broken down by type of dish (appetizer, dessert, etc), then by ingredient. It also has a color coded "level of difficulty" indicator next to recipes (quick and easy, make ahead, freezeable). This particular feature makes the magazine very user friendly.
That being said, some of the recipes do require more "gourmet" ingredients. I happen to like this but it may inconvenience more casual cooks. I haven't had a problem finding them but I live in a metropolitan area.
A further caveat is that many recipes do require a certain level of competence in the kitchen. I would not recommend this to a novice cook.
Thus far, it has been worth the price of the subscription for me.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Anyone

Cooking Light is not just a cooking magazine but more of a Healthier Lifestyle magazine. It is not filled from front to back with recipes which for me is a good thing because they tend to get overwhelming. It also includes health facts and exercise tips and some generally interesting stuff. The good thing is it is not too preachy. Ya, it has recipes too which they say are light but they really are light"er" than regular full fat recipes. You have to use your judgement if you are truly counting calories and fat. On the whole this magazine has enough of everything to please.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Anyone

I like this magazine a lot, but I do have one little problem. I expect a magazine with "cooking" in its title to be mainly about cooking. But sometimes you have to wade through a lot of other stuff to get to the food articles. Granted that the other stuff is clearly health-related and often very useful, it does seem that if you are going to call your magazine "Cooking-Something" it ought to be about cooking and nothing else.
There are some excellent recipes in this publication, even for those who are not particularly interested in cooking "light". The best recipes are those that use fresh, natural ingredients--seafood, poultry, fresh vegetables and herbs. The worst are those crammed with artificial substitutes. You cannot convince me that a natural food product, no matter how fatty, is more detrimental to my health than something whipped up in a laboratory to take advantage of the low-fat trend. TASTE some of that stuff. Does it taste like it's good for you? Now taste a nice piece of fresh fish and some just-picked garden broccoli. Notice any difference?
On the whole, however, this magazine does a very good job.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Anyone

I started buying the Cooking Light magazine after i saw one at a friends house. I found some really tasty recipes in it. We eat more of the reduced fat or no fat foods because of health problems. I find these recipes in the magazine fit right in. Besides that most are easily prepared and dome within a modest amount of time. Especially on days where it's rush here, rush there. I have even shared a few of these recipes with friends. It's a magazine i'd recommend to any woman, and especially a working woman, There are some very useful coupons in this magazine also. This is a helpful magazine also with cooking hints and abbreviations.


Recommended:
Yes

I LOVE to cook and try out new recipes all the time. i have tried a lot of magazines, and never like them. When I found Cooking Light it was as if someone looked in my head and created the recipes!
I have a newborn and it makes it difficult to cook elaborate meals. Now, the recipes I have found here are not elaborate, just taste like it. My husband, who is my tester, has never found fault with a meal from this magazine. I don't think it's just my cooking, either.
Cooking light make a new Moms life easier and a new Dads life a lot tastier!


Recommended:
Yes

Cooking Light is a magazine that has some fabulous features. It has fantastic recipes that cover meals, desserts, snacks, etc. A good example, and my personal favorite, was the feature that shared the recipes for every kind of pancake! The best thing is that every issue has a good diverse selection of recipes. Don't be faked out though, this is not a magazine of only recipes. It does include articles on health and beauty. I could do without the beauty articles (if I wanted that I would buy Allure), but there are some interesting looks at health- including creative ways to exercise. Examples of some of the other kinds of articles include first-aid, wine, gardening, travel advice, and even some emotional advice. You'll find yourself flipping to the recipes first and then going back and reading the articles that interest you. But there is something in here for everyone!

Recommended:
Yes

I've used recipes from Cooking Light for about 3 years now. There is such a variety including entrees, salads, appetizers or desserts that there is no limit to "lightening up" your diet. Americans over eat all the time and it shows in recent health reports. Cooking Light is a way to turn part of that problem around.

I have tried many of the recipes and they are always very good. There's a little to many fish recipes for me but the rest are great.