Cook’s Illustrated is a American cooking magazine published by Boston Common Press in Brookline, Massachusetts every two months. It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions; the magazine also conducts equally thorough evaluations of kitchen equipment and branded foods and ingredients. Founder and editor Christopher Kimball launched Cook's Magazine in 1980 with money raised from investors.

Kimball eventually sold Cook's to Condé Nast Publications, which discontinued the magazine in 1989. Kimball later reacquired rights to the name, hired several former Cook's staff members, and launched a rebranded Cook's Illustrated in 1993. Circulation grew from an initial 25,000 to 600,000 in 2004 and one million subscribers in 2007, maintaining a growth rate substantially higher than the general category of cooking magazines.

The magazine's companion website has 150,000 paid subscribers. In 2009, Cook's Illustrated magazine has 1.2 million subscribers, a figure that has grown by 11% on average over the past nine years. The 78% renewal rate is twice the 35-40% rate for all consumer magazines.

The Web site (www.cooksillustrated.com) enjoys 300,000 paid subscribers, about half of whom also subscribe to one of the magazines. The magazine's staff also produces the PBS cooking show America's Test Kitchen, and publishes cookbooks including the Best Recipe and America's Test Kitchen series. In March 2009, Cook's Illustrated published its first Amazon Kindle book for free, The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking.

A sister magazine, Cook's Country, which emphasizes home-style cooking and reader submissions, was launched in October 2004; the two magazines come out in alternate months. Though the company is still officially known as Boston Common Press, most of its publishing activity is done under the America's Test Kitchen brand. Each issue of Cook's Illustrated is 32 pages in length, printed almost entirely in black-and-white.

The front and back covers contain color illustrations of various foods and ingredients, and the inside of the back cover contains color photographs of the recipes featured in the issue. Founder Kimball's philosophy, which his magazine reflects, is that there is a "single best way to make a dish" that leads to "nearly bulletproof" results. About 10,000 "friends of Cook's'" provide feedback that help the magazine choose recipes.

Approximately ten recipes are presented in each issue, taking the form of a narrative in which the author discusses the recipe's evolution. The author of each article usually begins by relating the reason why they decided to create the recipe. For instance, they might have enjoyed the dish from their childhood, wanted to simplify a typically time-consuming recipe, or tried a dish in a restaurant that they wanted to recreate.

The article then follows the recipe's development, which invariably begins with numerous problems in its original incarnation. The author then describes iteratively modifying the recipe's ingredients and cooking method, each time presenting the recipe to a panel of tasters who provide feedback. At the end of the article, the author reaches a final recipe and lists the ingredients and preparation instructions, often with minor variants.

Recipes typically include hand-drawn illustrations of any difficult cuts or other uncommon preparation.

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