We're huge food magazine junkies. We blogged about (and cooked from) monthly food mags for nine years over on The Bitten Word. We haven't been writing about them for the past year or so, but we've still been reading and enjoying them. So when the Kitchn team approached us about writing a column, we jumped at the chance.

There are a ton of food magazines out there. Deciding which ones to buy and which ones to cook from can be more than a little overwhelming. And if you subscribe to one or two, it's easy to fall into a rut.

That's where we come in. Each month, we're going to sift through a pile of the latest food magazines and tell you which one we think is the one to read that month. If you're only going to buy or read one magazine, this would be the one.

Wait a second, you're saying. Isn't that totally subjective? Who are we to say which one is "the best"?

Great questions! And you're right. It is a very subjective assessment. But hey, it's our column. And we'll try our best not to steer you wrong.

The One Food Magazine You Should Buy in October

For our first full foray back into Magazineland, we read through the October issues of a dozen different publications. The one that really jumped out to us as the strongest was a big surprise, because it's not one that we've ever been regular readers of in the past: Better Homes & Gardens.

There's a lot to love in BHG's October issue.

The wonderful baking guru Dorie Greenspan shows up with a bevy of fall baking recommendations. We swooned over her Carrot-Pecan Ice Cream Cake and Double-Apple Mini Bundt Cakes. We're not huge bakers, but we're going to find the time to make one of these recipes.

Dorie is followed by a beautiful feature called "Pot Luck," featuring renowned Southern chef Scott Peacock making a clever Alabama Stone Soup feast for friends gathered in a pasture. They finish the meal with a lovely sounding Persimmon Cobbler. The feature is beautifully written and photographed, and makes you ache for an invitation (and the right shoes to wear to a pasture party).

And the cover story, with tips on how to throw a very colorful Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead party, is stunning. The recipes include adorable takes on a Spicy Fruit Salad and Mini Layer Cakes.

And while those these three big features are great, the smaller features really wowed us.

BHG shows you new ways to cook with celery (so underrated — and always withering in our crisper!), with a Buttery Celery Tortellini and a Double-Ginger Celery Salad. Not to mention this zingy Celery Tonic.

Most food magazines have a column about easy meals to pull together any night of the week. Better Homes' is called Fast & Fresh, and we can see ourselves making both the Spice-Rubbed Chicken & Poblano Tacos and a Butternut Squash & Mushroom Noodle Bowl.

Plus, reading the rest of the October issue, we learned about a number of things we didn't even know we needed: how to make a tailored bed (we didn't even know this existed), essential fall cleaning tips (come over, we'll clean!), and an extremely useful feature on revamping the decor of your home's walls (something we've been talking about for years and are just now taking action on).

If you buy just one food magazine for October, make it Better Homes & Gardens. It's a delight.

Other Magazines We Recommend This Month

• We also really enjoyed the new Bon Appétit. There's a great feature on the difference between "entertaining" and "having people over for dinner." (More of the latter, please!) We've never before encountered a Monkfish and Cauliflower Chowder, but the one in BA sounds incredible and we will 100 percent be making that. There's also a terrific primer on roasting chicken. We've read approximately 947 features on roast chicken by this point, and we are always up for number 948. This one's filled with terrific tips and recipe ideas.
• There's also a really nice, extensive feature in the October/November issue of Garden & Gun on the South's Best Food Towns. It highlights all the exciting culinary things happening right now in Nashville, Charleston, New Orleans, Asheville, and more. But we were most excited to see Richmond, Virginia, singled out as the "best-kept secret in the South." We live in Washington, D.C., so Richmond is just a short skip away. G&G has us wanting to plan a weekend trip soon!