Fine Cooking truly is "for people who love to cook"

I subscribe to six cooking magazines - that's right, six: Taste of Home, Quick Cooking, Light & Tasty, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, and my all-time favorite, Fine Cooking. I will renew my subscription to most of them and love them all for different reasons, but what makes Fine Cooking unique is its focus on the theory and science of cooking. I can't tell you how many times I've been reading an article and had an "Aha moment": "Oh, so that's why..."

Here's an example: I make really great cheesecakes in a variety of flavors. One of the things that makes them so good is the addition of rich, gooey toppings. My guilty secret is that, for years, I used these toppings to cover up the many cracks in my cheesecakes -- really, they looked like they'd been dropped. I tried all kinds of techniques. Not until I read an article on cheesecakes in Fine Cooking was I able to produce my first crack-free cheesecake -- and this was after years of trying! (I still use the toppings, but I don't feel guilty about it anymore!)

Let's take a look at the January 2002 edition so you can get a feel for the wealth of information Fine Cooking offers. First, the regular columns:

At the Market: This is a guide on buying simple produce like oranges and kale to gourmet foods like caviar. It also includes a recipe for using that kale you just bought!

Q&A: Although the questions are sometimes simple, the answers never are. They're always thorough and based on sound cooking theory. From this issue: Why carrot cake recipes call for oil rather than butter and how commercial yeast is made. I always learn something here.

Technique Class: This month's column is about steaming mussels and clams -- not a recipe, but how to choose fresh ones, which ones are the best for steaming, what it means when you can't open a shell, etc.

Enjoying Wine: This month's focus is on aperitifs -- what they are, how to make them, and what foods to match them with.

Cuisines: This column usually focuses on a small number of foods from a particular region. This month's column is about Portugal's red pepper paste, paprika, bay leaves, and garlic.

Tasted and tested: This column features reliable, detailed reviews of cooking tools, cookbooks, special foods, etc.

Tips: This is one of my favorite columns, featuring reader-submitted tips on things like measuring bread dough, safely transporting hot foods, etc.

Flavorings: This is a detailed description of the origins, characteristics, and use of a particular flavoring. The choice for January 2002 is fennel (probably my least favorite flavoring, but at least now I know everything there is to know about it!).

Those are the regular columns. Each issue also includes a number of feature articles about particular dishes or cuisines. What makes these features so wonderful is the in-depth treatment that offers more information than you'd ever find in other magazines and cookbooks (even the Joy of Cooking, one of my favorites). For instance, the January 2002 edition offered an article on Mocha-Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yes, the article contained the recipe, but there was also a full two-page spread on how to make sure your cookies come out just perfect, discussing things like how to get the very best flavor from the coffee and cinnamon you use. (By the way, I've made these cookies several times, and they're absolutely wonderful.) Other features from this issue included Elegant but Easy Cornish Hens (5 pages!) and Creating Your Own Quick Recipes.

This is a wonderful, wonderful publication. But the great thing about magazines is that you can almost always find something for your particular needs. So if you're looking for recipes for wholesome, tasty meals you can put on the table in minutes, try Taste of Home or Quick Cooking. But if you see cooking as therapy or entertainment, get a thrill out of impressing people and watching their jaws drop when you serve your latest creations, or just want to sharpen your skills, you can't do any better than Fine Cooking.