Cooking Light Annuals and your CL magazines...what do you do?

[keeganm]

Ive been curious to what you all do when a Cooking Light Annual book comes out, do you usually buy it then throw away your magazines, or do you still keep the magazines? I was thinking about buying the latest (i just saw it at Costco) but couldn't decide if I wanted it...what do you all do?

[lindrusso]

I've read varying opinions on this, but I personally buy the annual (I have only 2000 and 2001) and then get rid of the magazines. I mostly do this because I have a small house and I HATE clutter. The annuals don't have the nice pictures and articles, but they are sooo much easier to search through in the end. I've been giving the CL magazines away to friends so at least they don't actually get tossed in the garbage - they will bring happiness to others!

Speaking of magazine clutter, I'm am going to be going through my Martha Stewart magazines that go all the way back to 1993, clipping out some recipes and getting rid of them!!!! It will be a liberating experience! So, apparently I didn't always hate clutter! Hmmm...I think I just thought up a new discussion topic....going over to the "other stuff" board now.....

[Lynn B]

I have every single issue of CL back to Jan '91 and I couldn't part with a single one of them! I don't clip or cut them either... and I have them all filed chronologically in magazine holders on a shelf in our basement. They are easily accessible and often referred to! I only have one annual (2001) - it was a gift from CL for our Chicken Francais story. It's lovely and I like it very much... but personally... I prefer the magazines. I want every page... every word... every photo... every ad!!! :)

Lynn

[ChristineB]

I must have pictures to go with my recipes--so I don't usually buy the annuals, I just keep all the magazines (to my husbands dismay)! Maybe they will eventually make an annual with pictures and make us all happy:)

[KValley]

Originally posted by lindrusso
Speaking of magazine clutter, I'm am going to be going through my Martha Stewart magazines that go all the way back to 1993, clipping out some recipes and getting rid of them!!!! It will be a liberating experience! So, apparently I didn't always hate clutter! Hmmm...I think I just thought up a new discussion topic....going over to the "other stuff" board now.....

Alysha! I was thinking about posting a discussion question to the Simple Living Guide reading group regarding clutter- the book has a chapter so entitled-too weird :) I'm clutter-phobic and spent a harrowing weekend dealing with two sets of relatives whose lives seemed ruled by the clutter they keep. I'll see you on the other board! :D

Julie

[Peggy]

Michele,

For the past 5 years, I have bought the CL Annuals and given my old magazines to an interested friend or family member. So far, all of them have ended up subscribing afterwards!:D Less clutter around the house, which pleases my "neat-nik" husband.

Peggy

[JKS]

Hi,

My name is Jennifer. This is my first post on this board, so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 30, married to my best friend, and in private practice as a speech-language pathologist. I have one 5 year old son, and one 16-month old daughter. I have loved to cook since I went to college. My husband suffered through the "no fat" phase of my cooking, and now is so thrilled that my cooking has entered a phase in which flavor is actually more important than "light-ness". My current cooking focus is on vegetables (though desserts are always a favorite here), as I've found eating lots of veggies and lots of water really helps me keep my waistline in place.

I keep my monthly magazines in a magazine holder in my office throughout the year, trying to make everything that's been dog-eared. I clip any that are deemed "make again" by my family. Then I buy the annuals (have the last 3), make sure I can find the favorites, and recycle my clippings and magazines. I find that in day-to-day cooking, I'm much more likely to open the annual books and search for "chicken" or "zucchini" to find something new to make, than to page through past issues.

[tammy/MN]

i can't stand paper clutter, so as i read a CL issue i rip out the pages of recipes that i would like to make, i keep it all together for a few weeks then file the recipes in an accordine (sp) file under different catagories, ie. soups, appts, breads, etc.

when i do get around to making them, if they are a keeper, i laminate them & put them back in the file, if they don't make the grade, i simple toss them in the recycle bin.

i have recently moved to another state, minnesota to wisconsin, which isn't a really big move like the one i made from maine, but i'm sure glad i didn't have 8+ yrs of magazines to move.

BTW i wish CL would make their cookbooks more user friendly, as well as others. why can't they make them easier to open & keep open, more of a spiral binders or something? is this just my pet peeve or is there others out there like me?

tammy/MN (who should be tammy/WI)

[JulieM]

Originally posted by tammy/MN


BTW i wish CL would make their cookbooks more user friendly, as well as others. why can't they make them easier to open & keep open, more of a spiral binders or something? is this just my pet peeve or is there others out there like me?

tammy/MN (who should be tammy/WI)

That is such an obviously good idea!

As for the Annuals vs. Magazines issue, I too hate to get rid of all the pretty pictures. I'm thinking about getting the annuals, but clipping the pictures of the recipes I like and putting them between the pages in the annuals.

[amcleod]

Hi Michele,

I am in DC too! Where do you live? - I live in Dupont Circle.

Anyways, I just started subscribing to CL in March. Since I am so obsessed with it, I just purchased the 2000 & 2001 Annuals (on half.com - if I knew they were at Costco, I would have gotten a brand new one there. Oh well. (although this could be seen as a positive...meaning I have stayed away from that place for a while!)

I have been wondering the same thing as you - when the next annual comes out, should I get that and throw away the mags? I am thinking yes - because of the whole storage issue (living in a one-bedroom...where to put?), and especially since new CLs will be arriving every month. Also, I can picture myself wanting to make some specific recipe, and then not remembering from which issue it came and sitting there for two hours going thru all of the mags from that year!

As someone else pointed out, the annuals are a bit easier for reference because you can look up ingredients to find recipes instead of having to scan through names of recipes to find what you're looking for.

Anyways, hope this helped a bit!
ann

[keeganm]

Ann, I live about 10 minutes from you, near Sibley Hospital. How funny!

I love all the feedback to this thread. Personally, I just love going through the magazines when I'm bored or need some inspiration,or to take to the beach, etc. But nothing beats the convenience of just looking up a recipe in one handy cookbook. I agree, they definitely need to have more photos in there though since I am much more inclined to make something if there is a photo next to it! So....i think Im off to Costco (another addiction of mine in addition to being a cookbook addict) to buy the latest annual, then keeping my favorite issues next to my bed for nighttime reading!:D

[BosunsWife]

We move to much to keep my magazines. I buy the annual cookbook and then toss my year's worth of magazines (or give them away). I am missing one annual cookbook (1999) and still have that years (1998) worth, but I am still in search of it in hopes that one day I can toss them too. In the meantime I keep all my current magazines (and 1998 issues) in those cardboard magazine holders on my bookshelf.

[beacooker]

The instant I can get the CL annual, I go buy it and toss all my magazines. I've never cared too much about the pictures, so I don't miss them at all. The funny thing is, even though I have already read each magazine issue, when I get the annual, I immediately start poring over it as if it were all new to me! Actually, it amazes me how many recipies catch my eye in the annual that I never noticed in the magazines.

[beacooker]

I also meant to add that whenever I cook something from CL, I write a short review of it next to the recipe. When I get my annual, I go back through all my magazines and transfer the review to the book. Sounds kind of silly, but its partly just an excuse to spend more time looking back through them all!

[Shirley Panek]

I haven't bought any annuals - I haven't really seen them in the store - but then I've not been looking too hard. I keep my magazines in 3 ring binders (I have those plastic magazine holders). When CL puts up the annual index, I print that out slip it into clear covers and put it in the front of the ring binder. That way I don't have to look through all the magazines if I know it's from a particular year. I kind of like having the magazines because by looking at the cover and can usually tell if a recipe I'm looking for is in there.

I've been getting CL since Jan/Feb 1998, so I don't really have a lot of years worth of magazines. We've made 2 cross-country moves since 1998. Maybe I'll change my mind as I continue to subscribe, and buy the annual, but so far I'm happy with the way I have it stored.

[KValley]

Originally posted by BosunsWife
We move to much to keep my magazines. I buy the annual cookbook and then toss my year's worth of magazines (or give them away). I am missing one annual cookbook (1999) and still have that years (1998) worth, but I am still in search of it in hopes that one day I can toss them too. In the meantime I keep all my current magazines (and 1998 issues) in those cardboard magazine holders on my bookshelf.

Hi BosunsWife! I just received the 1999 Annual from half.com. It's in mint condition and there were several copies listed- it took about 10 days to receive and I paid $12.

Cheers,

Julie

(oh, newly reformed CL clipper, now willing to deal with storage of past issues to keep pretty pictures; also purchase the annuals for more convenient reference)

[lisas3575]

Lame question du jour: What exactly is in the Annuals? Is it every single recipe from every single magazine through the year? Or just the good ones? :o

[BosunsWife]

Thanks KValley. I'll be heading over there soon.....

[BosunsWife]

KValley (or anyone else that might know) if they list a description on a book how true is it. A descripton on the 1998 CL Annual is listed as "bump or so". What is your experience with this? Is it just a slight ding, or worse?

[gabbyh]

BosunsWife,
I've had great results with everything I've purchased...almost like they were brand new...mine had slight dings that were not even noticeable and dust cover smudges which amounted to nothing...now I'm waiting for the CL Complete, and the '97 Annual...and a few of Diane Mott-Davidson's paper backs that I got for under a $1...give them a try, you won't be sorry!

[Lynn B]

Originally posted by lisas3575
Lame question du jour: What exactly is in the Annuals? Is it every single recipe from every single magazine through the year? Or just the good ones? :o

lisas3575,
No question on these BBs is "lame"!!! :)

Yes, an "annual" is a single large hardbound volume that contains EVERY recipe from ALL the CL magazine issues for that year.

It's a little confusing, though... because of the way each volume is titled. For example, right now, the most current annual is "2001"... but it contains all the recipes from all the issues from the year 2000. Likewise, the "2000" annual has all the recipes from the year 1999, and so on.

I'm not quite sure why CL did it that way... but I guess it's too late (and would be WAY TOO CONFUSING!!!!) to change it now!!!

Oh, one more small caveat! You may see yearly CL cookbooks dating back to the 80s... but until 1996 (I believe) these weren't true "annuals" as described above. They were just "regular cookbooks". It wasn't until 1996 that CL put out the first true "annual" with ALL of 1995's recipes. (At least that's my understanding from information I received once from someone at CL.)

So, there really isn't any way to get ALL of those earlier (pre-1995) recipes except through the magazines.

Hope this info helped!

Lynn

[Jasmine-Rose]

Originally posted by Lynn B


It wasn't until 1996 that CL put out the first true "annual" with ALL of 1995's recipes. (At least that's my understanding from information I received once from someone at CL.)

Lynn

Lynn,

Thanks for that piece of information. I've been wanting to try an annual (to see how much I'd miss those photos) and now I know which years to try out.

Jasmine-Rose

[CAROL ANN]

I do the same thing beacooker does. I mark everything I make in the index of the magazine and give it a grade. When I get the new annual I transfer the grade to the annual and put the magazines in the recycle bin. I would like to keep all of the magazines but there is just so much space to put stuff.

[Lynn B]

I mentioned this on another thread, but I am feeling quite compelled to mention it again here!!!

For all of you who toss your magazines once you get the annual... I would like to humbly suggest some other options. Perhaps you could donate them to your local library, or hospital (our hospital is ALWAYS looking for a variety of magazines for all the various waiting rooms... and what a great way to expose people to CL who may have never seen or paid attention to it before!), or sell them on eBay (lots of folks will pay for them!), or even (please forgive if this is not considered proper BB etiquette!) post a thread on the BB that you have some to give away or sell.

I just cringe when I think of these wonderful, timeless magazines being <gasp!> ... thrown away!!! :eek: :)

Lynn