Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

By Jennifer Schaertl and Jennifer Schaerti

If you think gourmet meals in crappy little kitchens is an oxymoron, think again In her debut cookbook, Jennifer Schaertl tackles the myths about gourmet cooking (you don't need expensive cutlery and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0757313655
• ISBN13: 9780757313653
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Hci
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Delilghtful wheather you cook or not.

I purchased one for myself and since ordered 4 more for gifts. There are some recipes I will try. It is a delightful book to venture through.

Making great meals in tiny kitchens is possible with this book

I admit it - the reason I wanted to read/review this book was solely based on the title. `Crappy Little Kitchen' describes my cooking area perfectly. Could I actually make a real, gourmet meal in my tiny, ill-equipped kitchen? With recipe titles such as `Shuttupahyourface Bruschetta' and `Look-Like-You-Didn't-Hurry Curry Chicken Salad,' as well as frequent references to the CLK (Crappy Little Kitchen), much of this cookbook is tongue-in-check. However, it is also a great little cookbook, with wonderful, easy-to-follow recipes that can be made in a tiny, poorly equipped kitchen. The author begins her book with an overview of CLK basics, "You no longer need a meat mallet, since whacking the meat with your saucepan will serve that purpose..." (pg. 7), must have accessories, space-saving tools, and things that you can do without, things that unnecessarily clutter your kitchen. Then it's on to the fun - cooking! Chapters in this book are: appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, one-pot creations, accompaniments, sauces and desserts. Liberally mixed in among all the recipes are little boxes with tips and tidbits of cooking advice. "Did You Know This Crap?," "Chefology," and the one I found most helpful, "Swap It" with suggestions such as "For people with less discerning palates - say, a group of kids-replace the dried cherries with red, seedless grapes, and the pumpernickel with graham crackers." (pg. 32). The big questions however, have to be how was the food, and were the recipes easy to follow? The answers? Scrumptious and yup, very easy. I tested several recipes and found all the instructions very clear, many fairly quick to prepare, and all came out of my CLK smelling wonderful and tasting fabulous. Schaertl has worked as a chef in four 4-star restaurants and her great, easy-to-follow recipes are a tribute to that experience. The author also offers a monthly mailing list with CLK tips (see the book for details). Quill says: For all those stuck with a CLK, now you too, can make gourmet meals.

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

Jennifer Schaertl defines gourmet food as "food perfectly prepared from the finest ingredients and artfully presented with love and care." The premise of her cookbook is that this can be accomplished in "crappy little kitchens." Very small kitchens without a lot of the equipment normally associated with gourmet cooking merit this distinction. A helpful section of the book is a description of the equipment need to equip a CLK (crappy little kitchen). Even more interesting is a list of what you don't need! As an avid collector of cookbooks, I was intrigued by the idea of a chef who has worked in four four-star restaurants in Dallas taking this unique approach to writing a cookbook. Schaertl's experiences certainly qualify her to undertake this task. She began her professional career working inside a CLK as a dishwasher. She moved up to sous chef, but the kitchen wasn't much bigger than a closet. Her father provided early inspiration to her when he baked a pineapple upside-down cake in a Dutch oven over a fire. Knowing what could be created in the great outdoors gave her the confidence to cook whatever she wanted in her succession of CLKs, including serving lobsters to friends in a tiny apartment in a Brooklyn brownstone. In fact, she lives in an apartment today with a kitchen floor that slopes, an ancient stove, and with terrible storage and no dishwasher. For Schaertl, the emphasis is on the food and good preparation and through the recipes in the book she shows the cook with a CLK that putting a gourmet meal on the table is very achievable. Those cooks whose kitchens may not fit the CLK category will appreciate the variety and simplicity of the recipes included in the book. Writing clear instructions for creating a dish is not a simple task. I've tried a lot of recipes where I was puzzled by exactly what the writer intended. The recipes in this book are presented in easy-to-follow numbered steps. I can attest to this, as I found the Superlative Stuffed Chicken Breast to be easy to make and delicious to eat. Providing the internal temperature for when the chicken is done contributed to the clear instructions. Schaertl's creativity is demonstrated in the names she gives the recipes and in the helpful information given at the beginning of each recipe. Throughout the cookbook, she also provides additional information pertinent to a specific recipe about how to swap out ingredients, or cooking techniques. Presentation of the dish is stressed and photographs of some of the dishes throughout the book help with this aspect. Whether you are a seasoned cook or just a beginner, you will find this cookbook to be a welcome addition to your kitchen, crappy or not! by Penny Appleby for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

Great Book!

I guess you could say I have a small and crappy kitchen by the standards of most cooking shows. This you could say for pretty much all Americans. I found this book to be very helpful! The recipes are not overly complicated and the author gives you tons of tips on how to save time and space. But here is the best part: the meals you learn to make are actually extremely GOOD! You can tell this lady is a talented chef. The book shows you how to make very complex dishes in a simple manner. If you've been wanting to get into cooking but don't seem to have the time or the space this book is for you. It's already helped me a ton.