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[Previous entry: "big moves"] [Next entry: "spinach tofu timbales with tomato pepper sauce"]
I've never been a big fan of recipe magazines like Gourmet. I like my recipes in hardbound books with good indexes so I can find what I'm looking for easily and not ruin anything if I spill ingredients on it. Give me Joy of Cooking, give me The Best Recipe.
That's not to say I don't like a good cooking magazine, though. When, like this morning, I'm curled up in a puddle of sunshine with my big cup of iced latte, sated with quiet and leftover apple cobbler, what I really want to read about is food. Not here's-how-you-make-it kind of writing, but how our food intersects with our culture, what unusual and special dishes can be found around the world, what stories lie behind the food we eat.
So, first I turn to Gastronomica. Published quarterly and stuffed full of art and writing all centered around food, I can drink in cooks' memoirs, historical looks at otherwise familiar tools, cultural foods from obscure corners of the world, and even, every once in awhile, the occasional recipe. About one per issue. One of these days, I'm going to try the Perfect Brownie recipe they published last year -- along with the author's long discussion of how and why she spent so long experimenting.
But really, I don't read magazines like Gastronomica and Saveur to become a better cook -- at least, not directly. I read to gain an appreciation for every facet of food I can find. And it's true, when I love my ingredients, I'm a better cook. But then, I'm also a better eater, and a better reader.
Posted by sev @ 11:10 AM PST |