What's cooking?

I know when the times get tough, the tough get going — but I don’t think it’s out to restaurants — I think it’s to supermarkets. People are eating more at home these days in an effort to economize. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out, particularly when I look at the imprints for which I’m responsible at RH Inc. and discover that the four BIGGEST Fall titles are all cookbooks! And you wouldn’t even have to concentrate hard to guess who these are from (in alphabetical order): Giada, Ina, Martha, and Rachael.

• Giada De Laurentis, Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites; September; printing, 600,000 (Everyday food from the goddess of Italian cooking!)
• Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Great Flavor from Simple Ingredients; October; printing, 800,000   (The subtitle says it all.)
• Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook; October; printing, 450,000   (Includes step-by-step instructions and illustrations for every essential kitchen technique.)
• Rachael Ray, Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book: Her Favorite All-New 30-Minute Meals, Veggie Meals, Holiday Menus, Dinner-for-One, Kosher Meals, Rollover Menus, and Much, Much More!; November; printing, 1,000,000  (Enough said!)

Do you notice a trend here!? Favorites, Basics, Lessons, Rollover Menus. So even patrons who have only picked up a cookbook to give it as a gift should be able to make SOMETHING good to eat for a reasonable price and they’re likely to test the cookbook out by borrowing it from the library! Shrewd!

And just to round out things a bit, here a couple of other tasty titles designed to appeal to other segments of your borrowing public:

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Two Dudes, One Pan: Maximum Flavor from a Minimalist Kitchen — My vote for the quirky-est. Brand new from The Food Network, these two dudes are not exactly Bobby Flay lookalikes! Infused with their own individual style and only one skillet, they promise food full of flavor and attitude. Put this in the hands of the next guy who moans, “I can’t cook!”

Martha Hall Foose, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook -My vote for the most down-home or as a very good friend says, “This one’s a keeper!” Southern food with a contemporary flair. Humorous and touching tales make this a must-read for anyone who craves a return to comfort, company, and just plain good eating. Also beautifully photographed.

-Marci