Gourmet Shoppers: Cooking Up Retail Opportunities

Food Network Fan · 10-31-2008, 10:33 AM

Gourmet Shoppers: Cooking Up Retail Opportunities

Oct 31, 2008

With rising inflation and gas prices taking a bite out of household budgets, now is a good time to cater to high-earning, big-spending, home-grown gourmet cooks who account for one in five U.S. households, Nielsen's Consumer Insight Magazine reports.

Rachael Ray. Mario Batali. Paula Deen. Bobby Flay. Television chefs have become the newest stars in the celebrity pantheon, introducing the American public to a menu of new foods, recipes, cooking techniques and equipment. Just how popular are these culinary titans? Nielsen reports that the Food Network viewing audience has tripled in size since 2000, carving out an average per-minute primetime audience of 878,000 people. The top-rated "Top Chef " reality TV program posted its best competition ever, closing out season four with 358,000 viewers per minute on average.

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BerryBaby · 10-31-2008, 10:46 AM

I don't have any room for more books. That's why I just print what I want off the Internet. Works for me.

Pluff Mudder · 10-31-2008, 04:16 PM

Very good article! I see a lot of me in it. When I do go to town for foodstuffs, I also combine it with other errands, especially since it's a 45 minute drive one-way. I also, tend to order things like spices, cookbooks, cooking wares thru the internet. I also, will stock the larder when I go to town. I may send some extra $$ up front, but in the long run I end up saving $$.

As for cookbooks and cookware. I have to really be picky on what I do buy, for I'm very limited in my space. I have to really stop and think when I see a neat new gadget if I'll really use, how much and if it's just a one-trick pony. For cookbooks, I'll only get those that have a good number of recipes in them that I know I really want to cook/bake. And, a lot of times I'll get a copy from the library first to give it a good looking over. If there' s just a few, I'll just photocopy them and put them in my notebook. And, like BB, I'll also download some from the internet. That way, if I make the recipe and we don't like it, I can just toss that page into the recycle bin instead of having wasted my $$ and bookshelf space.

BerryBaby · 11-01-2008, 11:51 AM

If I enjoy a recipe I've printed out, I put it in my binder cookbook. I've made up a book with all the recipes I enjoy. Even have each section tabbed....cookies, vegetables, chicken, etc. It's gotten so big I now have split the book and made a second book. Lots of recipes from magazines and newspapers as well.

bakerman · 11-01-2008, 12:58 PM

I have all of my favorites organized the same way. I use the plastic sheet protectors and also have each section tabbed for easy searching. Mine has gotten pretty thick as well. I take printed recipes that I like and stuff them in the front pocket and every so often I will type them out with any changes that I have made, them they make it to the regular section in sheet protectors. When I type out my recipes, I add below the title where the recipe came from, like Food Network Fan's pizza crust recipe, it is fabulous!

I also rarely buy cookbooks, I have too many and often there are only a few recipes that I enjoy enough to make more than once. The exceptions are Paula' first cookbook, it is full of gems, and the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking book, I cannot say enough about this book, it is fabulous. So far I have made a yellow butter cake, pancakes, pecan pie, pumpkin spice cheesecake and cream biscuits, they were all fantastic.