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Cooks Illustrated. I started reading it in 1993. Taste tests, equipment reviews, hints, helps, technique and all with no advertising.
Great illustrations and a quirky guy in a bow tie.

I love cooks illustrated but, I also like to see the ads. Bon Appe'tit for me or Food and Wine.

Fine Cooking. The writing is solid and the recipes are always excellent!

Another nod for Cooks Illustrated.

A nod to Cooks Illustrated, but I too love La Cucina Italiana, so that would have to be my choice. But if you spend enough $$ at Wegmans, you can get their Menu magazine sent to you for free. Guess who spends way to much at Wegmans? Me and I know Jerzee does too. I think Jerzee should write for them.

I'm surprised at all the nods to CI. I can't stand that magazine, or it's sister publication, Cook's Country.

If I had to pick just one of the ones that I currently subscribe to... it would have to be Eating Well. They have consistently good recipes, and I really appreciate they're take on eating healthier.

I, too, love Good Food - and I really don't think there's quite anything like it here. About the only issue I consistently buy at the newsstands is the December one. I paid $9, I believe, yesterday for that issue. Alas, my Borders discount coupons are never applicable to magazines. (Maybe the B&Noble discount card helps there.) I do use other discount coupons for other magazines at Michael's and JoAnn's, who often have food mags, but one can never be sure.

Cooks Illustrated is nice but deeply, deeply focused. I am much impressed with what Ruth Reichl has done with Gourmet. Just for reading, it's a tossup for me between it and Saveur. I can't say there's one food mag I consistently cook from, though.

Wow. Hardly any votes for Gourmet? I'm not a huge fan of paper magazines that come in the mail, but that's one of the few I actually take. It does what a food mag should do -- provides interesting, very well-written articles on a wide variety of food-related subjects, and a well-balanced mix of recipes, ranging from everyday quick meals to complex, skill-challenging dishes. And it's all pulled together with that absolutely gorgeous, mouth-watering photography (ultimately, the pix are probably the final selling point for me).

As far as Cooks Illustrated is concerned, it is a valuable product, but I'm only a fan of the online subscription. I've subscribed to the paper mag a couple or few times over the years, but I always end up letting it lapse. Although it's a great source of good, solid information, as a magazine, it's just not worth it to me. In terms of value, I think you get MUCH more bang for your buck with the web service, since you are then able to search through all the years of CI data on the web, plus you get their videos and whatnot, and don't have to keep track of magazines.

@elspethadair, i have never heard of cuisine at home. i just went to their website and requested a trial issue, thanks for the headsup!

i used to absolutely love gourmet, and ruth reichl is one of my all time favorite food writers, but i don't like it nearly as much as i used to. the issues from several decades ago {she said with a curmudgeonly whine} were much less slick and glossy and had much more complex, thoughtful writing. i feel that it has been significantly dumbed down. that's why i've been enjoying saveur. it feels like the old gourmet, somehow.

I also think Cook's Illustrated is a little dry and uninspiring, although I watch their show on PBS. I just let my subscription to Bon Appetit lapse because I didn't like their format redesign (tiny, tiny print!). But the recipes were great!
I've been thinking about going back to Gourmet or Food&Wine. I'l also put a vote in for La Cucina Italia, although I only pick it up a couple a times a year. I agree with Cybercita about Saveur. I also sometimes visit Borders or B&N to get Donna Hay magazines (from Australia). Pricey (about $10), but worth it!

(I guess this really doesn't answer your question about picking just ONE magazine...)

Saveur. It's everything rolled into one.

a) Food Porn (yes, you can see where my priorities lie).
b) How-To - Good, detailed instructions.
c) Food Trivia - the first bunch of pages is usually dedicated to short blurb-type stories about one culinary thing or another. The calendar is another goofy culinary thing but it's ALWAYS entertaining.
d) Ethnic Dishes and Faraway Places - OMG. Some of their travels! I may never make some of those dishes but isn't it nice to know there's a place to look for a recipe for piri-piri sauce?
e) I learn something each and every time I read one. That really should have been #1.

I'd also give a vote for Saveur. I get all of the food mags and I could live without all of them except Saveur. I think I have actually cooked more of the recipes from it than any of the others combined over the years.

Saveur...no question

You know, I thought of another... Everyday Food - a Martha Stewart publication. It's unassuming food (for the most part) and I've made plenty of the dishes. I like the fact that the yields are small so you're not eating the same thing for a week.

But my heart still belongs to Saveur.

I used to sub to Gourmet (got a couple of recipes published in it) but it became one big long, glossy advertisement for yachts and Rolexes, neither of which I need.

I am just glad I don't have to choose just one! I get them all. ;-)

@sailor ~ There is medication for that......

Saveur. F & W really has slipped in quality across the board. Gourmet is still o.k. Cooks Illustrated is not engaging {I too like the show better} and a wee bit surgical/text-bookesque.

I'll add another vote for Saveur. I subscribe to Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Rachel Ray & Saveur....if I had to pick one, hands down..it's Saveur. The comments made by everyone above about this magazine are spot on...I learn something every time I read it!

I would say like to say Saveur or Cooks Illustrated: they are too different and serve totally diffferent purposes for me to choose one.

But I buy many many too too many food mags; I tear out the recipes that intrigue me to log into my recipe software file; when I get around to that step in the process, half of those don't seem intriguing or useful enough to make the effort. I have been shocked to find that Cooking Light ends up with the most recipes entered as "used and Liked" or "must try soon".

We don't concentrate on eating "light", but their recipes are widely varied flavor and style wise, and very accessible. For recipes to use, I guess that would be my pick.

Thank you all so much for all your recommendations and opinions! I'm definitely going to check some of them out, and I think a trip to my B&N is in order, too. Thanks, you guys are the best!!

I love Cuisine @ Home! I also get and really enjoy Plate, Cooking Pleasures, & Food & Wine. I've given up Saveur and Bon Appetite this year so that I can justify Food & Drink from Canada! It's pricey but absolutely my favorite! I'll have to check Barnes & Nobel - maybe they have it.

I'm not familiar with 'BBC Good Food', so I don't know what sort of magazine it is.

I personally favour 'Cook's Illustrated'; it is the only magazine to which I've ever subscribed. It isn't about the pictures, but I love it's reliability; it addresses what makes cooking work and fail, which I find gives solid underpinnings/starting point to any hyper-imaginative efforts I feel inclined to try.

Spend $50 at Jessica's Biscuit (http://www.ecookbooks.com/t-magazine-offer.aspx) and get one free year to either Gourmet or Bon Appetite. I just sent in a renewal for Bon Appetite for $10--and that includes a free year for a friend. With the economy this may be the time to subscribe to magazines. I got one from Food & Wine for 5 issues for $6. And 3 more free if I sign up by credit cared (automatic renewal).