NEW YORK—The recession is making home kitchens happy as consumers are opting for inexpensive, comfort foods such as beans, pasta and chicken cooked in the comfort of their own homes.
"People are looking at the family table in a new way, and trying to save as much as possible," said Susan Stockton, senior vice president of culinary production at the Food Network in New York. "This will be the year of the home-cook."
The move to economize has benefited food makers like Campbell Soup Co. and General Mills who have seen sales gains as consumers eat more cereal and canned soups.
However, the eat-at-home trend has turned up the heat on U.S. restaurants whose sales suffered since the summer. Sales growth slowed to a slim 0.8 percent in November on a year-over-year basis, according to data from SpendingPulse, a retail research subsidiary of MasterCard, Inc., although some eateries have seen sales drop as much as 20 percent.
Consumers are expected to look for better value when they eat out, heading to neighborhood bistros, wine bars and noodle bars. Serious food lovers may still splurge on higher cost, local organic ingredients but will be more selective.
