Boston Common Press

And did you all know that BCP has hired a new CEO for America’s Test Kitchen and that the CO-​FOUNDER, Christopher Kimball is OUT!!! I am so sorry folks — you all BLEW it!!! Christopher Kimball is the face and the brand, and you threw him under the bus. Well, I am following Christopher Kimball!!! I am cancelling my subscription to the food mag — and I will await Mr. Kimball’s announcement of his new adventure — and I am telling all of my PBS stations about my choice. I voting with my feet!!! DO YOU HEAR ME???

If you like their products, great you are in good company. But check the Better Business Bureau or check the web before you subscribe to ANYTHING from them. Safest bet is to buy their magazines and books from a bookstore. Amazon and Unilocal both have valuable comments that you will want to see.

Disgusting scammers. Avoid Cooks Illustrated, they are crooks. I received an invoice for them in October for a book I never ordered, nor ever received. I wrote back to them with the invoice as I was sure there had been an error.
Silly me. I assumed that this was an honest company.
I received no response other than another invoice. And another. Today I received the 5^th threatening me with a collection agency. I’ve just filed a complaint with the E. Mass. Better Business Bureau and will also file a complaint with the Mass. Attorney General’s office.
What I want to know is why does NPR and TV carry this disreputable company?
Also one would assume they make plenty of money without having to be dishonest?
*** And what’s the bet that the «positive» reviews for them are paid reviews and not at all authentic.

I got a free trial issue from them, and apparently because I didn’t reject it from the mailman, they decided I must be a subscriber. I’m no chump so I called their service number and got them to stop bullying me with fake bills (big giveaway: the bills weren’t in my real name, but a name-​like avatar of mine that I only use online). I’d normally call that done, but these types of scams aren’t meant to work on me, they’re meant to work on the elderly. That’s something I can’t shrug off.
I’m glad they’re local, in case I need to spit.

Absolutely great recipes, well researched and clearly explained. We have and continue to use what we’ve bought. However…
Their marketing is unbelievable. They repackage the same things with very, very slight changes and try to keep selling you the same stuff you’ve already bought. If you buy one book you end up on an auto-​renewal unless you cancel it, then need to return books you have not ordered.
I was a subscriber to the magazine for over 6 years. When I started to see repeats I felt it was not worth the money any longer. Most magazines give you iPad access with a print subscription, but not ATK/​Cooks Illustrated/​Cooks Country. Even web access is extra. They auto renewed my online access without warning, then when I cancelled they sent a confirmation that my subscription would not renew NEXT YEAR. They’re now trying to keep the charge I didn’t agree to for another year. Best way to manage this is to buy the thing off a newstand or at the grocery store when checking out.

I’m a big fan of the Cook’s Illustrated but thoroughly disappointed in your business practices, I ordered an annual from last year and had this year’s turn up in my mailbox with a bill for $ 30. I did not order it, so I now need to go through the trouble of sending it back. Just because I bought something from you in the past doesn’t give you the right to send me something and demand payment.
Your Unilocal reviews reflect this, why pull such a shady stunt with a quality product?

See the Boston Globe consumer article about alleged issues with this company.

Love watching them on TV, but ordered a book once and they just sent me other books then harassed me over payment. US law is quite clear that you do NOT have to pay for unsolicited things sent to you, but now being threatened with a collection agency? wtf?

I have watched cooks illustrated on tV and occasionally purchase the magazine. I have signed up for trial membership on
and decided it was not for me and cancelled. however they still billed me and I am still trying to get a refund. After researching the issue on the web I found that many other people are facing same problems. These guys really act like scammers of the biggest order

The Good: Excellent recipes from ATK.
The Bad: Any order from their company will result in unsolicited books being continually sent. While legally these are ‘gifts’ as they were not ordered the company will send out dunning mail trying to force the receiver to pay. It is a very old scam, totally illegal and unrepentantly done by this company.
So yeah, great food but I will never order one of their products again and will tell everyone I know not to as well.

I really don’t like Boston all that much, or much of Massachusetts, for that matter. I lived all over the state for several years, and it took me all that time to realize I just didn’t like it very much. So snooty. And Boston’s so small. And school-​oriented. And, the worst, Red Sox fans. Red Sox fans are horrible.
So imagine my surprise when I realize my very very favorite magazine of all time is developed right in Brookline, Mass! Right smack in the center of all that snootery!
Fine Cooking, Bön Appetite, Saveur, whatever. Throw them all AWAY. Ignore them forever. When you see them at the news stand in Grand Central, roll your eyes at them. Find yourself a Cook’s Illustrated.
If you like to cook and are always striving to be a better cook, this is the one magazine that is essential. Why? Because they tell you how and why recipes work. The science of it. And that’s how you become a better cook.
Makes me want to go to Brookline. KIND OF.

Cook’s Illustrated is my favorite culinary magazine. I have so much respect and admiration for the people who work for this amazing publication. All of their testing and attention to every detail make each recipe foolproof. As someone else already mentioned, the absence of advertising is truly a breath of fresh air. The magazine is thin, but that’s because it’s actually full of worthwhile recipes, information and fabulous illustrations, with no fluff. I am so excited to have received a subscription again this year as a gift (thanks dad!) and just so you know, you can even put it on your amazon wish list. If you love cooking, want to be inspired or try something new, and are fascinated with the science of why great recipes taste great, this is the magazine for you.

Hurray for America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated!
I love watching the show and also pick up the magazine often. Why do I enjoy these forms of media? They have awesome amounts of innovative ideas to take your cooking to a new level. I probably would have never brined anything if I wouldn’t have read how to do so in Cook’s Illustrated. They also test a variety of cooking and baking essentials and rate them, ranging from olive oils to knives.
These people love their food, and how can they go wrong with an editor who wears a bow tie? I don’t think you can.

Cook’s Illustrated’s Publisher and Editor, Chris Kimball, is MY HERO!
This is the publishing company that brings you the MOST USEFUL cookbooks and magazines EVER published. HOW did my mother live on ‘The Joy of Cooking’… oh so not Joyous to be cooking with that ancient publication!
Cook’s Illustrated is a journal-​style magazine (NO ADS!) that features the ‘best’ recipes that they have tried out… for example, they make over 100 Flan recipes to come up with ‘the best one’…
America’s Test Kitchen is the PBS TV show that accompanies the magazine, and it is my favorite 30 minute cooking show to watch– I actually MAKE stuff from these shows, rather than just watch and drool.
Sure, their recipes might take more than just 30 Minute Meals, but they sure are tasty! And that’s *key* in our kitchen!!!
Their Classic Mac n Cheese recipe is Superduper Good— it takes forever to grate that much cheese, and I don’t really want to know the nutrition info on that particular recipe, thank you…