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August 1, 2012 9:22 AM   Subscribe

What magazines should I subscribe to? Particularly with a crafty, healthy, or food bent?

I LOVE getting magazines in the mail. It makes my day, even. Readymade was my goto, can't live without magazine for a number of years, and it's demise has left a hole in my heart. Are there any comparable magazines out there?

I am particularly interested in crafty things or edible things. I have a subscription to Taste of Home, but it tends to be counter-productive at this point in my life. I'm trying to focus on getting healthy and eating lighter, and the down-home cooking isn't resonating anymore.

To be very clear, am NOT looking for magazines with articles like "6 ways to blast belly fat while you sleep!" Or "What foods are secretly aging your butt!"

I don't want to waste my money on inferior magazines, and I really don't want to go to the store and browse through the selections and decide from there. I'm really looking for personal recommendations, and maybe lesser known magazines that might not populate the racks, so hit me with your best suggestions metafilter.
posted by Syllables to Grab Bag (26 answers total) 32 users marked this as a favorite
 
My wife and I were also sad victims of the death of ReadyMade, but we've found a measure of solace in Sunset. It's more oriented towards gardening and travel, and tends to have a more hifalutin aesthetic than ReadyMade, but there's plenty of food articles and recipes. One other issue you may have with it is that it's oriented towards "Western Living", so most of its articles and gardening tips will be particular to states located west of the Rockies, but it's still fun to look through.
posted by LionIndex at 9:38 AM on August 1, 2012


Anthology magazine has been my new magazine after Readymade died. It isn't as crafty focused but is beautiful and I think several contributors to RM moved over to Anthology.
posted by Swisstine at 9:44 AM on August 1, 2012


This one's all about (gourmet, not health) food, but I like Lucky Peach. Beautiful design and photography, published quarterly.
posted by perryfugue at 9:49 AM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Wilder Quarterly:
"The 2012 Summer issue of Wilder Quarterly takes a look at indie-darling Melanie Lynskey's passion for home-grown veggies, examines the mystical practice of dowsing and goes foraging for delectable edibles in suburban Texas with Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen. We check in around the globe with the experimental garden eatery of chef Andoni Aduriz in San Sebastian, Spain, visit farm and garden expert––and blueberry connoisseur––Lee Reich in upstate New York and do a sound check with Los Angeles-based plant musician Mileece. As the season heats up, we share instructions on making your own backyard a wilderness, a recipe for Rosemary ice cream with James Beard Award winning chef Christina Tosi, get advice on community-building with artist Dustin Yellin and give you loads of tips and tricks for keeping your cool through the summer swelter."
Cook's Illustrated, which has the most rigorously tested recipes, equipment reviews, and ingredient tastings—along with no advertising.

Lucky Peach, "a quarterly journal of food and writing. Each issue focuses on a single theme, and explores that theme through essays, art, photography, and recipes." The latest issue has stuff from David Simon (The Wire, Treme), Pulitzer-winning food writer Jonathan Gold, Wylie Dufresne, and lots more.
posted by bcwinters at 9:49 AM on August 1, 2012


Maybe too obvious, but have you considered Readers Digest?
posted by Vorteks at 9:50 AM on August 1, 2012


Thought of a another one: Sweet Paul, which is kind of a mixture of crafts and cooking. You can get PDFs of the magazine for free online (look in the sidebar; you can browse issues through a Flash viewer as well as download them) and they also post a lot of sample content on the blog.
posted by bcwinters at 9:56 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I think EatingWell magazine would be perfect for you. I've been a subscriber since 2006, and probably 90% of what we cook is from their magazine. We've only made a handful of duds in that time. All of their recipes end up on the website for free, but there's something so nice about getting the magazine and browsing through the new recipes- it's just not the same online.

One caveat is that they were recently purchased by one of the big magazine publishing companies. I was afraid that they were going to turn into one of those "6 ways to blast belly fat while you sleep!" magazines that you mentioned, but thankfully, so far, they don't seem to have changed much.
posted by amarynth at 9:58 AM on August 1, 2012


And now that I've said that, I just saw the link to "5 Flat Belly Foods" link on their website. At least the actual article doesn't seem that bad, but I hope it's not a sign of things to come. I haven't seen any features like that in the magazine. I think this link should show you all of the articles and recipes in the latest issue.
posted by amarynth at 10:04 AM on August 1, 2012


I really love EatingWell too and have subscribed for years, cooked a lot of their recipes and enjoyed them plus the articles.

I've been holding my breath some though since they got bought out, as amarynth said -- and it was by Meredith Corp, the same big group that bought ReadyMade and then closed it. Crossing my fingers they don't overly change or close EatingWell too.

+1 for Wilder and Sunset, mentioned above, at least if you like gardening and travel. But they're not ReadyMade either, so I'll be watching this thread for ideas too.
posted by stillwater at 10:16 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


The Art of Eating is also another beautiful food quarterly (and one that is very hard to find for sale in a store) though its focus is more on foreign food traditions than home food projects.
posted by bl1nk at 10:16 AM on August 1, 2012


Best answer: I think Real Simple scratches this itch, but there is a lot of advertising and it can wax a little sentimental.
posted by juliplease at 10:24 AM on August 1, 2012 [3 favorites]


I too love The Art of Eating but my god, is it spendy. (Also, not very reliable in terms of subscription. Maybe it's just because I live in Quebec--and consequently less than two hours from where they are located--but it shouldn't take over a month to get the current issue US subscribers have.)

I love Saveur but it too carries a hefty price tag. I think people underestimate the basic awesomeness of Real Simple. Does what it says on the tin, sure, but it always seems pretty crafty and helpful to me!
posted by Kitteh at 10:25 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


Make Magazine is good, and often wanders into health and food, while focusing on crafting and making things. If you're more focused on textile crafts etc, an offshoot of Make is Craft Magazine.
posted by -harlequin- at 10:29 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


I actually like Mother Earth News quite a bit, although the plans in there are more practical than crafty. They have great recipes, tips on growing your own herbs or composting, and articles about being just awesome and self-sufficient in general.
posted by Ostara at 10:32 AM on August 1, 2012 [3 favorites]


Cloth Paper Scissors is good for crafty/arty. I know Real Simple can be a little "simple", but I usually enjoy it.
I like Lapham's Quarterly on paper And Bust?
I second Make.
And of course, New Yorker gives you a lot of bang for the buck if you like that sort of thing,too.
posted by Isadorady at 10:35 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


I'm a real fan of Real Simple (as are some other folks).
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:40 AM on August 1, 2012


And of course, New Yorker gives you a lot of bang for the buck if you like that sort of thing,too.

I meant literary bang, not the other kind. Those magazines are a whole other category...
posted by Isadorady at 11:04 AM on August 1, 2012


You could try Hobby Farms magazine and their sister publications, Hobby Farm Home, or Urban Farm.
posted by jgirl at 11:29 AM on August 1, 2012


Nthing Real Simple. Subscriber for years.
posted by saradarlin at 11:32 AM on August 1, 2012


I'm a serials librarian at a medium-size public library. Here are our 10 most popular crafty/healthy/food-oriented magazines, by circulation, from highest to lowest:

1. Real Simple (HUGE)
2. Taste of home's simple and delicious
3. Sunset
4. Vegetarian times
5. Food network magazine
6. Cloth Paper Scissors
7. Martha Stewart Living
8. Whole living
9. Taunton's fine cooking
10. Cooking light
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:57 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


Fire & Knives is a good - if a little poncey - food thing.
posted by ZipRibbons at 12:01 PM on August 1, 2012


Not sure if Selvedge is the answer to your question, as it is more arty than crafty, but I find it really inspirational and a great read. It looks at textiles and every aspect of them. I learn something new from every issue.
posted by kariebookish at 1:44 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]


Selvedge is also incredibly beautiful! The design, the articles, even the shape and paper it is printed on!
posted by Swisstine at 1:56 PM on August 1, 2012


Came in to recommend MAKE. CRAFT as a paper magazine has been gone for a year or two.
posted by chazlarson at 2:26 PM on August 1, 2012


Mollie Makes is a general craft magazine, but it can be a bit too lifestyley for my taste - lots of Instagram-y shots of people in artfully decorated rooms sipping from teacups. However, each issue does have several projects so it is good if you don't mostly do one particular craft.

I like RealSimple and would be tempted to subscribe if there was a digital version available to the UK.
posted by mippy at 7:07 AM on August 2, 2012


Response by poster: Thank you for your suggestions everyone! I think I'll check out Real Simple to start with, and I somehow forgot about Cook's Illustrated, despite my love for America's Test Kitchen. The of them will find a place on my Christmas list.
posted by Syllables at 7:44 AM on August 3, 2012


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