Cook's Illustrated is amazing and very detailed. I don't get the magazine anymore as I subscribe to the website which has all of their historical recipes and useful videos, but if you really want something physical I don't think there's anything better.

Lucky Peach is a lot of fun. But for more recipes that I'm likely to cook, maybe Everyday Food. I had ignored the magazine for a long time, assumed that it'd be stupid, but I got a subscription on a great discount. It turns out that I like it a lot.

For more essays and amazing photography, I'd say Kinfolk.

+1 for Cook's Illustrated. If you cook, you'll love it. If you want to look at full-color food porn, try another source. No gimmicks, no food fads, no advertising, just well-researched and thoroughly-tested recipes, reviews, and tips that WORK.
Also, thanks for the question-- I'm interested in trying out some of the recommendations!

I subscribe to Lucky Peach, Saveur, Bon Appetite, and a few others. Lucky Peach is my favorite but it may be a little avant garde for most readers. Some of the recipes will be complex and won't give most people something they can whip up quickly. For example, in the sweet spot issue - you'll need a ISI siphon to do the Ferran Adria stuff and Freeze Dried Corn Powder for the deserts. This is perfectly fine if you're into molecular gastronomy and have the tools (which I do) - but I can see how it could frustrate some.

I'd suggest, based on the question, Saveur. It gives a great range of recipes from simple to complex and a lot of other food related articles. Also - it's dirt cheap if you order a subscription from an online discount magazine site. I got my full year subscription for $5.

You don't give any indication of your own focus for cooking, so it's difficult to recommend one, I'd head to your local library and check out magazines they have then to a newsstand and flip through a few the library doesn't have - make your own decision - then subscribe. For instance while I like Lucky Peach, it's very meat-oriented and I've eliminated meat from my diet, it doesn't make sense for me to subscribe and I can still get Harold McGee's writing on the NY Times website (which is what I like best about Lucky Peach).

For me it's all about desserts, and I only subscribe to what my library doesn't carry, so it's generally foreign publications like So Good... Haute Patisserie & Donna Hay & Australian Gourmet Traveler.

Um...this is so weird because I was just going to search the site for any old posts on this EXACT subject. Never heard of Lucky Peach, so thanks for the suggestion. And thanks, the Kitchn, for being, well, so ridiculously tuned in to my internal workings, whether you wanted to be or not.

I've subscribed (and purchased from newsstands) many food and cooking magazines over the years, but I have to say that currently I really read - and use and keep for reference - only three of them:

* Fine Cooking (Taunton Press) - really good for learning traditional cooking and baking methods, about ingredients, etc. plus gorgeous photography. Great step-by-step instructions. Makes me want to be a more adventurous cook!

* Everyday Food (Martha Stewart) - I have subscribed to this magazine since the 2nd issue (still looking for the first issue!) and it's my go-to for recipes to make for my family that turn out well EVERY SINGLE TIME. The recipes also use ingredients that are easily obtained at any grocery store.

* edible ____ (http://www.ediblecommunities.com/content/) - These are a network of magazines published all over the United States and Canada that celebrate food grown and produced in or near your local community (the name of the publication changes depending on where you are located ... ie. edible Toronto, edible Seattle, edible Brooklyn). It connects you to your local producers, farmers markets, etc. Fabulous! Go to the website above and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage for a list of the publications and links to each one.

I get almost every food magazine under the sun, and my favorites are Whole Living (which actually a lifestyle magazine too), which has a fresh approach to health without sacrificing taste (much like this site), and Bon Appetit. I know there's a lot of conversation about the editorial change and everything, but I think they have a modern, accessible approach to food these days-and still save space for some more challenging weekend cooking as well. Good luck on your search!

I get every food magazine, including many from the UK and Australia. If I were to suggest one beautiful yet no-nonsense/practical magazine it would be Fine Cooking. The recipes work well, it's not full of pages of advertising (some, not much), and they do a great job at taking classic dishes and giving them a fresh look.

Indulgence? Donna Hay magazine-it's stunning!

Lucky Peach is fun, but I've never cooked from it and think I probably never will - it's more just interesting to read. Fine Cooking is hands down the magazine I cook from the most, and I definitely get the best results from its recipes. Probably my favorite feature they do (most months) is a 'create your own' section where they take a recipe like whole grain salads, ice cream, or Thai curry and give you all sorts of options for different ingredients you can use. Definitely has made me more creative in the kitchen and it's great for when you want to cook from what's in the pantry/fridge.

Another vote for Cook's Illustrated. There's no advertising, the recipes are always rock-solid (I've never had one fail), and there is lots of interesting commentary about recipe development and the science behind food, which I find fascinating. There aren't any big colorful photographs, but if you're interested in cooking tips and well-researched recipes, this is the one for you.

My favorite is Food and Wine. I've never tried a bad recipe from them. And I like the travel articles. Check out the magazine online before deciding to commit. foodandwine.com

I love, love reading Lucky Peach but not for recipes, more for thoughts on food. For recipes I like Cooks Illustrated. Very thorough and full of info.

Another +1 for Cook's Illustrated! Love their other media platforms, too (Instagram, Tumblr, America's Test Kitchen: The Feed).

I've tried out a few recipes from Lucky Peach: miso butterscotch (I use it on brussel sprouts), the ramen cacio e peppe, and there was this other chilli ramen recipe. Lucky Peach is fun and avant-garde, like someone mentioned. The essays are quite entertaining. It's interesting visually and I love how there's always an Asian cuisine component to it. Sometimes they have fun stuff included in the issues like food stickers.

I love the writing and photography in Saveur. They do a lot of international essays- so it's kinda like a travel magazine as well They tend to read my mind as to what I'm interested in cooking and reading about.

I used to get Bon Appetit but they have a very specific, in your face/realist photography style right now that I just don't like so much.

I subscribe to Vegetarian Times (well, I'm vegetarian). The recipes are great, they're most of the time seasonal, they often include interesting twists on classic dishes.. I find the magazine very inspiring and only a small quantity of recipes includes ingredients hard to find (very few, actually) or meat substitutes. In which case they are tofu, but as someone who doesn't like tofu I'm pleased they don't include it more often.

I must say, I've become a fan of Taste of the South. I also get Taste of Home, Cook's Country, Saveur, I've never seen Lucky Peach before, so I'll look for that. Cook's Illustrated, I used to like, but for some reason it's just fallen off my radar.

Canal House Cooking! They publish only 3 times a year, but it is like receiving a cookbook every issue. No ads, just recipes and an essay or two. You can look through some of their past issues here: http://thecanalhouse.com/buythebook.html They are very focused on what is in season (for the East coast) with each issue, although they had a fantastic issue on "the grocery store" last year. I've made many of their recipes and never once has one come out any less than spectacular.

I used to love Cook's Illustrated and I subscribed to them for a very long time. They taught me how to cook. HOWEVER, I canceled my subscription because I got very tired of seeing the same themes over and over again. Fine Cooking is my stand-in as someone else mentioned that they have a section on a base recipe with ways to change it up. The other thing that draws in is that I learn something new whenever I pick up an issue instead of the reading regurgitated tips (peel ginger with a spoon! cut a mango in chunks! olive oil has a low smoke point! THANKYOUIKNOW) that you can find anywhere. I have a special place in my heart for CI, but no longer subscribe to them.

Saveur is also mentioned several times. Another vote for them from me, too. They focus a lot of their attention on international cooking and I love them for it. The photography is always stellar, too.

Also, I'm going to second the Everyday Food suggestion. It is a bitty magazine but full of good, good recipes.

Honestly, it depends on the type of food you like to eat and how you like to cook.

I actually HATE Cook's Illustrated. I prefer to improvise when I cook, using recipes only as a solid guideline. Cook's is just too specific. I'm sure it produces perfect results, but I despise cooking like that.

I don't like Bon App either...I don't think the editorial change helped it much. I wish it had been canned instead of Gourmet.

My top favorites are Fine Cooking and Cooking Light. Lucky Peach is indeed interesting. Jamie Oliver's magazine is as well.

I am a HUGE fan of Cook's Country.

Lucky Peach for riveting content and great writing. For cooking, I like Fine Cooking and Bon Appetit - reliable, well-written recipes. And Food & Wine, for a mix of food/travel articles and also good recipes.

@Breezie, thanks for the tip on Saveur ... please share where you found it for $5.