September's Best-Selling Cookbooks: Ina Garten Killed It
Photo courtesy of Clarkson Potter
September’s second best-selling cookbook on Amazon.com isn’t even out yet, which says something about the broad appeal of its author, Food Network star Ina Garten. Her ode to advance planning, “Make It Ahead,” hits e-shelves in late October, but the book has already sashayed its way past the competition.
And the #1, blue-ribbon award? That goes to ”The Skinnytaste Cookbook,” a low-cal tome that clearly boasts a major following of its own: It only hit shelves on the very last day of the month. (We’ll be featuring some of its recipes next week, so stay tuned.)
Not far behind, in fifth place, is the official cookbook for “Thug Kitchen,” whose creators were just unmasked. And we’ve got to give props to Danielle Walker, who made the list twice with two different books espousing the virtues of grain-free, gluten-free eating.
Naturally, different titles are the stars at various independent bookstores across the country. At Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York City, which has been keeping home cooks happy since 1983, the top-selling food book was “The Chef Says,” a colorful collection of “quotes, quips, and words of wisdom” from chefs like Julia Child, James Beard, Gordon Ramsay, and April Bloomfield.
At Kitchen Arts, modernist cookbooks dominated the top-seller list. Titles like ”Koks,” by Lief Sorenson, ”Chef, La Grenouillier,” by Alexandre Gauthier, ”The Wizard’s Cookbook,” by Ronny Emborg, and “North” by Gunnar Gislason, reflect an adventurous readership undaunted by obscure ingredients and 27-step recipes, said Kitchen Arts & Letters co-owner Matt Sartwell.
"Any book store that succeeds has to be responding to what it is that its local market wants,” he explained. "We’re not going to be the same results that you’re going to see in a Barnes & Noble or in the middle of the country."
Amazon.com’s 10 Best-Selling Print Food Books for September
1. “The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor,” by Gina Homolka
2. “Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” by Ina Garten (to be released October 28, 2014)
3. “100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love,” by Lisa Leake
4. “Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes to Make Anytime,” by Danielle Walker
5. “Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck,” by Thug Kitchen (to be released October 7, 2014
6. “Trim Healthy Mama,” by Pearl P. Barrett and Serene C. Allison
7. “One Pot: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More,” by the editors of Martha Stewart Living
8. “Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well & Feel Great,” by Danielle Walker
9. “The Grain Brain Cookbook: More Than 150 Life-Changing Gluten-Free Recipes to Transform Your Health,” by David Perlmutter
10. “Cocina Tropical: The Classic & Contemporary Flavors of Puerto Rico,” by Jose Santaella (to be released October 21, 2014)
Click here for Amazon’s hour-by-hour best seller list.
Photo credit: Princeton Architectural Press
Kitchen Arts & Letters 10 Best-Selling Food Books for September
1. “The Chef Says,” edited by Nach Waxman and Matt Sartwell 
2. “Meat,” by Pat LaFrieda
3. “Mallman on Fire,” by Francis Mallman
4. ”Bitter,” by Jennifer McLagan
5. “The Wizard’s Cookbook,” by Ronny Emborg
6. “Brooks Headley’s Fancy Desserts,” by Brooks Headley (to be released October, 2014)
7. “Chef, La Grenouillier,” by Alexandre Gauthier
8. “Koks,” by Lief Sorenson
9. “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi
10. “North,” by Gunnar Gislason
