I was a subscriber for about 5 years. What got me started was America’s Test Kitchen, which supplemented my addiction to Alton Brown’s Good Eats. I no longer get the print magazine but remain an online subscriber. I like the ready access to old recipes, and I think most of them are solid.
That said, the main value for me is the equipment reviews. I’ve come to think that Serious Eats – particularly Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Food Lab – has eclipsed Cooks Illustrated. For all of Cooks Illustrated’s supposed use of the scientific method, I find that they actually dumb a lot of recipes down.
I’m sure CI doesn’t need an apologist, but I just don’t understand the comments about simplified recipes. Pick up any “old” classic cookbook (Hazan, Pepin, Childs), and you won’t find anythting overly-complicated. Also, there is the school of thought that simple dishes are more challenging to get right than complicated ones.
I can go along with the too much sugar perspective, though. What I find helps with some desserts that can be on the sweet side is to garnish them with something tart or savory to try and bring things into balance.
Might be an aside, everyone should be Lopez-Alt’s new book! Between that and the Franklin Barbecue book coming out this year, I haven’t been this excited for cookbook releases in… ever?
I think you misunderstood. CI and team will simplify their techniques or approach if they determine that method A is too hard/difficult/complex and will instead derive some “new” method or simpler method. Sometimes I feel they do this in order to fill column inches and print some “newer and better recipe” of some common dish. But hey, they have to sell magazines. And sometimes the simpler method really does make sense (ie weeknight roast chicken).
For enthusiast cooks who are willing to do lots of things for that extra 1-2% final product quality… these shortcuts aren’t desired.
An example off the top of my head, and it’s not the most egregious example, is their “french rolled omlette” recipe. Some interesting stuff about adding dabs of butter into the egg mixture and rejecting the use of cream. But their simplified method of “rolling” the omelette I felt was unnecessary. Supposedly Julia Child’s method was too difficult.
If that was the meaning, then I understand. And, as you mentioned, sometimes the updated versions work very well. I’ll use the Coq au Vin recipe as an example. The CI recipe uses boneless chicken thighs only. The reason they give is for even doneness for the pieces of meat. I’ve made the recipe with both cut up whole chicken and with thighs only. The thighs only version turned out better.
I have subscribed for a decade, and use it occasionally. A waffle recipe and the pie crust recipe come to mind. I like the equipment reviews a lot. On the other hand, I can’t stand the hype of “the Best…” all the time. I find their recipes to be good for cooks with limited time and skill - probably a step up for many. Certainly Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon is markedly better than the Cook’s Illustrated version. In addition, I had already seen some of their “discoveries” in other cook books. One that comes to mind is Judy Rodger’s technique of parboiling the potatoes in her recipe for roasted potatoes being heralded as their new idea.