I agree with a lot of what you’re saying regarding brand recognition and trust, but if that is how Google works, then they should stop publishing documentation + doing presentations + going on webinars + presenting in panels + discussing on Twitter how much they actually do assess the quality of the content and how much they do care about real product reviews.
Also, putting the Wirecutter in the same bag as Apartment Therapy and Better Homes & Gardens is misguided… looking through the examples on the article, it becomes clear that the majority of those lifestyle magazines are just recommending expensive products and popular devices on Amazon.
I would just go to Wirecutter and Consumer Reports.