Source: NY DailyNews

Recession-weary New Yorkers are back in the kitchen. Since the economic downturn, 61 percent say they’re cooking dinner at home more than before, according to a new Zagat survey. Only 1 percent of the respondents said they’re cooking less.

The survey of 6,807 NYC foodies was released Tuesday, along with an expanded and renamed “New York City Food Lover’s Guide.” The pocket-sized tome contains reviews of nearly 2,000 food shops, cheese emporiums, butchers, candy stores and produce markets.

Considering that some 60 percent of the survey respondents now buy ingredients to cook with versus prepared foods (just 12 percent), the guide’s advice on where to get the most bang for your food buck is timely.

An expanded Best Buys section, broken down into categories according to type of food and drink, names two Bronx markets as tops for fish (Randazzo’s is first and Cosenza’s Fish is second).

Among specialty shops, Pickle Guys came in first, followed by Sahadi’s in Brooklyn, while Delillo Pastry and Artuso Pastry, both in the Bronx, offer best buys in wedding cakes, according to Zagat.

For penny pinchers who can’t get enough sweets, you’ll get the most candy for your penny at Divalicious Chocolate, followed by the Sweet Life and Economy Candy. East Village Meat is the number one recommended butcher, followed by Faicco’s Pork (multiple locations), Calabria Pork in the Bronx and Biancardi Meats in the Bronx.

City cooks are also interested in becoming locavores. Some 78 percent of the survey respondents say it’s important to eat locally sourced, organic or sustainably raised food, and 61 percent are willing to pay more for such products.