GOURMET ON A HOT PLATE
by
Judy Alter
Genre: Cookbook / Cooking Tips / Tiny Kitchen
Publisher: Alter Ego Press
Date of Publication: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Alter Ego Press
Date of Publication: November 6, 2018
Number of Pages: 132
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Gourmet on a Hot Plate is a collection of recipes and kitchen tips compiled after living for some time in a 600-square-foot cottage, with a tiny kitchen, no stove, no dishwasher, and barely any counter space. Given these limitations, Judy Alter developed a new approach to food, one that lets her get in touch with the food itself. She does not have an Insta-Pot, an air-fryer, or a microwave. Her recipes call for using either a magnetic induction hot plate or a toaster oven. In the introduction, she explains her choices for making the best use of her tiny space. The collection begins with appetizers because that’s where Alter began her new cooking adventure. Gradually, she branched out to main dishes, light suppers, soups and salads, and vegetable side dishes. Most recipes serve two or three. There’s a suggested list of cooking tools, along with lists of what to keep on hand in your tiny pantry, your refrigerator, and your freezer, and a small section on condiments and cooking hints.
These pages will guide you in making your own spaghetti sauce—or brightening up a jar of prepared sauce, to making last-minute casseroles and simmer-all-day soups. Want Stroganoff but can’t afford the expensive beef? Alter shows you how to make it with hamburger. Love tuna? She’s got recipes for you. Sections on pasta, eggs, and appetizer trays offer practical and helpful choices for casual entertaining.
Above all, this is a practical guide for cooking with joy when you find yourself in a tiny space.
PRAISE FOR GOURMET ON A HOT PLATE:
Love cooking? Love the minimalist lifestyle? Your tiny kitchen doesn’t need to limit your gourmet dreams. Judy Alter’s Gourmet On a Hot Plate will inspire you with big ideas to satisfy everyone around the table. — Susan Wittig Albert, author of Queen Anne’s Lace
Whether you cook on a hot plate or have access to a full kitchen, this gem of a cookbook contains great recipes for those of us who cook for one. – T.R. Thompson
Gourmet on a Hot Plate is a sweet little cookbook for little kitchens, but the recipes can certainly be created in full-sized kitchens as well, all with a hot plate and a toaster oven. The main takeaway is that a cook doesn’t need a big kitchen full of gadgets and appliances to whip up satisfying meals for one, two, three, or more.
Many of the recipes are enhanced with personal anecdotes, advice based on experience and trial and error, and handy tips and suggestions.
Judy bookends her list of recipes, ranging from appetizers to sauces, with her personal journey that currently has her living in a 600-square-foot house with a kitchen just big enough to concoct a variety of meals, albeit with some adaption to a downsized lifestyle. A small kitchen calls for creativity, patience, and a willingness to modify old habits because
according to Judy Alter, “Going from cooking on a large scale to a tiny kitchen required adjustments– in attitude, in appliances, in recipes.”
After the recipe list, Judy offers a few tips on stocking a smaller kitchen and some random cooking hints for both new and established cooks. All the recipes sound delicious and easy to make, but some I will definitely try include Natchitoches Meat Pies, Tuna Pasties, Curried Chicken Salad, Radish Salsa, and homemade Taco Seasoning! Those are just the tip of the iceberg because this cookbook for small kitchens is brimming with many basic, gourmet, and family favorite recipes. Something for everyone!
Note: I must say, I’m not a fan of anchovies, but Judy just may have convinced me to give them another go.
Enter the giveaway below for change to win signed copy of Gourmet on a Hot Plate by Judy Alter!
Without formal culinary training, Judy Alter has cooked her way through life, feeding family and friends at everything from casual dinners al fresco to elaborate meals for twenty. An award-winning author and publisher, she jokes she’ll come back in another life as a chef.
Today Alter finds herself cooking in a four-by-six kitchen where zoning laws forbid built-ins but allow anything that plugs in. So she cooks with a hot plate, toaster oven, and a large refrigerator/freezer. Given these limitations, she has developed a new approach to food, one that she says lets her get in touch with the food itself. By choice, she does not have an Insta-Pot, an air-fryer, a microwave. Her menu choices are dictated by her cooking facilities—and she loves it.
She shares her tiny kitchen tips and recipes, developed over the past couple of years, in Gourmet on a Hot Plate. Alter is the author of three previous cookbooks: Cooking My Way through Life with Kids and Books, Texas is Chili Country, and Extraordinary Texas Chefs,and a contributor to Bake, Love, Write and We’d Rather Be Writing. Her recipe for Doris’ Casserole has been included in so many books it’s almost an American classic by now.
Be part of her ongoing cooking adventure at the Gourmet on a Hot Plate blog, where she encourages discussion and welcomes recipes, comments, and questions.
║Website║ Facebook║ Judy’s Stew Blog║
║ Twitter ║ Goodreads║ Amazon Author Page║
Gourmet on a Hot Plate Blog
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS!
2 Signed Copies, 1 eBook Copy
2 Signed Copies, 1 eBook Copy
APRIL 24-May 4, 2019
(US ONLY)
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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4/24/19
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Author Interview
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4/24/19
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Bonus Post
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4/25/19
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Review
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4/26/19
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Excerpt
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4/27/19
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Review
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4/28/19
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Scrapbook Page
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4/29/19
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Review
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4/30/19
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Sneak Peek
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5/1/19
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Top Ten List
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5/2/19
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Review
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5/3/19
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Review
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Oh wow — anchovies and sardines are pretty much the ONLY things I won’t eat. This must be some cookbook! Thanks for a great review!
Same here, but who knows? In some of the recipes in this little cookbook, the author says the anchovies enhance the taste rather than dominate. However, the book has a lot of other anchovy-free recipes that sound easy and delicious! 🙂