20 Great Food Magazines You Should Know About Slideshow

Run out of Washington, D.C., this one is intentionally quirky. "Our goal is to capture the pleasure and playfulness of eating through imaginative, delicious (and sometimes made up) recipes, illustration, storytelling, and collage." The most recent issue focuses on breakfasts and prides itself on "highlighting mostly recipes that you would in no way ever want to make at home." No gastro porn photos here. Pick up a copy on etsy.com. 

If you know what an ort is, you've come to the right place. "Since 2001 we've been renewing the connection between sensual and intellectual nourishment by offering readers a taste of passionate inquiry through scholarship, humor, fiction, poetry, and exciting visual imagery," explains Gastromica's website. Published quarterly, it's $50 per year with discounts for students and seniors. 

Do you have fond memories of reading the back of the cereal box as you ate breakfast? The founders of Cereal did and they'd like to become your morning read. That is, if you have enough time to read the lengthy articles before you leave for the office. If not, the photos are beautiful. It's about $54 plus shipping and is published quarterly. 

This magazine "is about the best food and wine — what they are, how they are produced, where to find them (the farms, markets, shops, restaurants)," according to their website. Founded in 1986, this is one of the original indie magazines. Good writing and a love for the subject matter make this a classic. It's available for $52 a year for four issues.

If a monthly dose of Martha Stewart isn't enough for you, grab a copy of Sweet Paul. With beautiful photos, lots of recipes, and craft projects for all that spare time you have, it's a traditional-looking, pretty magazine (one of a few that has advertising). It sells for $18 for a single copy or $60 for a four-issue subscription and it has limited retail distribution. 

The thought behind the Canadian quarterly Anna is to "make everyday special." Like certain runway models, it's beautiful, if a little light-weight. But if you need someone to tell you to cut toast into heart shapes, spend $54 a year and you'll get four issues. 

This indie is all about growing things — plants mostly, but urban chickens make an occasional appearance. Beautiful photos make you want to go out and plant anything and everything. As they say, the magazine is "just your everyday mix of growing enthusiasts. Wilder is for this generation of nature lovers and the next." One year is $59.99, a lifetime subscription is $895, or it's $18.95 a copy. Also available at select stores. 

If Lady Gaga's skirt steak dress made you run to the butcher, this is your magazine! "Meatpaper is a print magazine of art and ideas about meat. We like metaphors more than marinating tips," they say. Not to worry, though, they do give a lot of ink to fish, too; in fact, the most recent issue is their "Fishue." Four quarterly issues are $28, available on their website.

Imagine Martha Stewart with a Portland, Ore., sensibility and you have Kinfolk. With vintage-looking photos, it claims to be "a blueprint for a balanced, intentional lifestyle." It retails for $65 for four volumes or $24 for a single copy. Available at bookstores and cooking shops as well as online.