Magazine Review: Goodcents Cooking

So, standing in the aisles for the checkout - I may peruse a magazine while I wait - but beyond the Washingtonian or a graphic design trade, I am not one to purchase one.  I found myself in the books section of Walmart and was surprised by the number of magazines and the variety on the shelves.  I rarely use recipes so while the cooking magazines are cool for a perusal, I can usually just pass them by...

Until I saw one called Goodcents Cooking and another by Better Homes and Gardens entitled Dinner on the Dollar.  Now I admit to being very... frugal when it comes to some things so this was enough to get me to pick the magazines up.

I bought them for several reasons, but for today - let's talk about Goodcents Cooking.

First, the premiere issue (yup - it's new and has a website at www.goodcentscooking.com) was only $3.49 US.  Not 5 or 8 or 10, but a reasonable amount for an item you won't likely keep but may tear some good articles from or mark for potential shopping trips.

Inside, they have a legend spelling out their main areas:

Tasty Tidbits: Food related trivia and facts.  (I did not know carrots used to come in white, purple and orange.  Orange was developed in the Netherlands during the 16th century for the House of Orange and is now considered the norm!  Fun fact and now I want to find some white and purple carrots...)

Kitchen Finds:  Must-have gadgets for the kitchen to save you time, money and stress - I was sold on the word gadget.  (The Skeleton Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter for Halloween and the Pie Crust makers (which I think would work for fondant as well) are on my "want now" list!)

Quick Class:  Teaching master culinary techniques in simple terms and pictures.  (I am inspired to find some kitchen twine to stuff and tie the pork loin I have at home.  Luckily, there are some recipes for the stuffing in this magazine as well...)

Regional Tastes: Road trip of regional varieties of the same dish.  To start with: Chili!  Yum!

Three Ways:  Surprising ways to use an everyday food item.  (I consider myself a creative cook, but Popcorn Pancakes and Popcorn Polenta are things I would NEVER have thought up.  They look yummy though.)

5 or Less: Quick things you can cook with 5 or less easy to attain ingredients in your kitchen.

In the Kitchen with:  Personal kitchen conversations with celebrity chegs and cooks!

Life on the Farm: Visit a family farm and connect through photos and a family recipe.

Food Trip:  Travel to a destination to experience a culinary adventure.  This issue features Oktoberfest around the country - looks pretty great and includes some awesome recipes!

Dinners for $10:  Meet an author of a cookbook and get the skinny on some new food possibilities.

Centsible Cook:  Expert coupon bloggers offer tips and they compare products.  In this issue, knives - from stainless to ceramic.

Last Bite: Wrapping up with a simple decadent recipe.

But that doesn't address the Halloween bash for $50 bucks article, the awesome Squash segment where you learn some really awesome ways to use those variety of squash, or the plan ahead segment where you learn some quick (and useful tips) for prepping / cooking meals early and easily.

I recommend this magazine.  I now have pork loin, chili, and spaghetti squash chocolate muffins to make!

Cheers!