Critiquing Issue #74 - April '09

[cjs]

Just looked through the issue and a couple of things popped out at me. First of all, one of C@H's claims to fame is no advertising. On almost every page there are multiple pictures of products - labels showing....

Most blatant - 3 products front and center advertising for the dinner rolls. Prices and all. Two recipes could have been on that page!

I'm torn on the theme of choosing a dish and making several versions of it - savory, sweet, etc.

My overall impression of this issue is its messy, over-filled with how tos, and a little difficult to follow.

Am I being over critical? I really was not looking to be disappointed with the issue, but....I am.

[chef_Tab]

I doubt you are being over critical, but, since I have not received mine yet, I can hardly agree or disagree. I too am hoping to not be disappointed. Especially since I just "found" [Email]C@H[/Email] and have gifted it to two SILs.(and bragged about there being no advertising)

[Mare749]

No, I don't think you are being too critical. I just went through it last night and was completely underwhelmed. The only recipe that "jumped out" at me was the carrot cake, and that is only because I found it interesting that it contained pistachios.

Do we really need ANOTHER pan-seared steak, chicken salad, or roasted chicken recipe??? And what about the strawberry salad with pecans and feta? There is absolutely nothing new about that! I got that recipe out of a competitor's magazine years ago. You know, the magazine that only has recipes that reader's send in.

Although this issue's spotlight: Vegetarian for a day sounds intriguing, none of the recipes look or sound particularly appealing. Also, as Jean mentioned, there are way too many "how to" sections. Most of us that buy this magagazine have at least some cooking experience! How often does someone on the forum ask for a detailed explanation on how to make crepes???

Where are all the great recipes that we used to look forward to with each issue? I didn't even make one thing out of the last issue, and if it wasn't for Old Bay's birthday coming up, chances are I wouldn't be making anything from this one. Even the recipe that Bill chose for his birthday dinner is from an issue five years ago. I'm starting to regret my decision to renew my subscription.

Maryann

[BarbaraS]

I agree with you and Jean!! The only recipe I was interested in was the Chocolate Almond Souffle.

Okay, C@H gets new subscribers all the time, but the recipes were underwhelming and not very interesting.

Barbara

[piano226]

At first I thought it was just me but I also found the last issue totally boring.

[luvnit]

It's very disappointing to me. I feel like they have dumbed-down the magazine and really have no inspiring recipes. I thought I was being overly sensitive to the new formatting. But I was trying to keep my mind open and wanted to see what you all thought. You know, like, maybe I missed something really great. But alas, this is not the case.

I don't particularly mind the product placement except for the fact that it seems to cheapen the overall look of the magazine.

I recently read my MIL's Taste of Home magazine and they have revamped their publication too. They also started advertising. So it was loaded with ads. I don't really see any food here that you wouldn't see in that magazine. I guess my point is that this magazine was special. The recipes were special and when I cooked my neighbors all wanted to know, "What are you cooking tonight?!"

I hope this changes. My thought is that they are probably going to sell advertising in the magazine. And you know, if they did it tastefully and thoughtfully, I could probably accept that. But the quality of the recipes would have to be there for me to continue to be a subscriber.

[HomeCulinarian]

I received mine yesterday and my first impression was it was light on recipes. I'm planning to try the Lite Pasta Alfredo on page 7 this week. I was also interested in the rhubarb and apple crisp recipe. I LOVE carrot cake, but the calories make that one off limits.

I agree that I was uninspired by the veggie recipes. It was a good idea and maybe a regular feature for future issues. This time there wasn't anything I wanted to try. The dim sum is interesting, I like to order it at a good restaurant, but it's not something I would make.

The crepes could have shown a few more variations. The crab fluffs look good. They show a sauce with them, and no recipe for it.

I don't really mind the product placements. Don't think it's over done.

Early CAH issues spent a lot of space on how to's and explanation of different ingredients. Maybe that's what they're going back to. This issue they picked Dim Sum, which would probably interest many readers, not me this time.

I'm not so disappointed to give up on CAH, though.

[cjs]

O.K., since I'm not in the minority here, I'm hitting the moderator button to alert them to our feelings and just hope the msg. can reach Joy.

If we can't even get one Dinner review out of an entire magazine, something has gone terribly wrong with the direction of the magazine.

[Roxanne 21]

I just received Issue 73-------what a HUGE disappointment that is!!!!! And from what I am reading, Issue 74 is just as bad....if not worse!!! I used to really be looking forward to the new ideas and twists on many favorites..................HELLO!!!!!! Come back to what we are looking for with this magazine. Advertising...I can understand with the economy the way it is, BUT I would be willing to pay a few dollars more to get rid of that...very intrusive and NOT necessary, IMHO. If this should continue, I will definitely unsubscribe....not that that will make any difference, I'm sure.

I hope the powers to be will take a re-look and note what was a winning formula....I will be very disappointed if this present format continues---

[pjcooks]

Rox, you got yours before me???? (Oh, yeah, I forgot to renew)

Kismet, perhaps??

PJ