In the Small Kitchen: 100 Recipes from Our Year of Cooking in the Real World [Paperback]

Cara Eisenpress (Author), Phoebe Lapine (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 24, 2011

“A comprehensive and inspiring must-have guide for quarter-life cooks everywhere.”
—Merrill Stubbs, author of The Food52 Cookbook

“Cara and Phoebe have figured what takes some of us a tad longer to realize. We can cook anywhere, anytime, with anything on any budget.”
—Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of Public Radio’s The Splendid Table® from American Public Media

Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine, creators of the popular food blog biggirlssmallkitchen.com, share their kitchen prowess and tasty tips with In the Small Kitchen: 100 Recipes from Our Year of Cooking in the Real World. Filled with delicious and resourceful recipes for daily cooking and entertaining on a budget, In the Small Kitchen is required reading for anyone who wants to put an appetizing meal on the table. More than just a guide to quarter-life cooking, this cookbook is also a wonderful ode to the people we cook and eat with, who stick with us through breakups, birthdays, and myriad kitchen disasters.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I love In the Small Kitchen so much. It’s packed with brilliant advice and delicious recipes for anyone who wants to cook and entertain—no matter what size your kitchen.” (Ina Garten )

“[Cara and Phoebe’s] fantastic cookbook, In the Small Kitchen, [is] a collection of innovative recipes.” (Glamour )

“Childhood friends learn to how survive as home cooks in cramped NYC quarters.” (Daily News )

“A thoughtful guide for novice cooks, those who have the ambition and tastes for great meals but not necessarily the honed skills or applianced-out kitchens to execute them. Regardless of your kitchen’s square footage, the recipes in In the Small Kitchen translate beautifully.” (Serious Eats )

“Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a girl who’s burned boiling water, this book will feed you, please you, and maybe even inspire you to take a little leap of your own.” (Bust Magazine )

“Part memoir, part instruction manual, this cookbook stands out because of its usability. [In the Small Kitchen] is sure to please the reader as well as the eater.” (Free Lance-Star )

“An essential first-apartment culinary guide.” (MSN Glo )

“A very edible collection of both recipes and life stories that are sure to make you hungry for more.” (About.com )

“Friends and food: What could be more fun? That’s the underlying premise of this practical and creative cookbook. Easy-to-read recipes for all occasions, whether eating alone, with a date or partying with friends.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Those who’ve never been confined to a tiny kitchen rarely learn to cook smart and joyfully with full awareness of the miracle of dinner. Cara and Phoebe make me wistful for the good old days of cooking for twenty in a four-foot-square kitchen. Bravo!” (Molly O'Neill, author One Big Table )

“I was as charmed by this brilliant collection of recipes as I was transported by the stories behind them. This is a truly wonderful cookbook.” (Keith McNally, restaurateur and owner of Balthazar )

“If the only things you know how to make are ramen and reservations, Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine want you to know that you, too, can become a great chef.” (Metro )

“Cara and Phoebe have figured out what takes some of us a tad longer to realize. We can cook anywhere, any time, with anything on any budget. Take this book into your kitchen, even if it’s a hot plate and a toaster oven on a bookshelf, and feast.” (Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of Public Radio’s The Splendid Table from American Public Media )

“[Cara and Phoebe] teach us that no coffee table is too small or studio space too humble to throw a little party for friends in. This book is chock-full of easy-to-follow recipes, bursting with fresh flavors and produce.” (The Kitchn )

“So much more than just a collection of recipes. I feel like I know these ladies, and if I ever found myself in New York, they’d happily pull up an extra chair. Cara and Pheobe’s recipes are fresh, tasty, and relatively easy to prepare...I ate it all up.” (Reading for Sanity )

“In the Small Kitchen is a comprehensive and inspiring must-have guide for quarter-life cooks everywhere. Cara and Phoebe infuse their writing, and their appealing recipes, with the humor and wisdom of those with twice their life experience.” (Merrill Stubbs, coauthor of The Food52 Cookbook )

“With limited time, space, budgets and sometimes the obstacle of masses to feed, these girls are able to not only impress but keep their guests coming back for more.” (FreeSpiritEater.com )

“Taking a tried-and-true recipe and improvising is part of the fun of cooking. It’s among the joys offered in In the Small Kitchen.” (The Modesto Bee )

“Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine share delicious recipes and hilarious narratives about cooking and entertaining within the constraints of a twenty-something life.” (New Canaan Patch )

“[Cara and Phoebe] have succeeded very well in creating a wonderful book that’s as fun and funny as it is a practical guide. In the Small Kitchen is a combination starter cookbook and journal chronicling a coming of age year in the friends’ shared lives.” (The Martha's Vineyard Times )

From the Back Cover

It's hard to forget your first apartment—its cramped closets, one too many roommates, and oh-so-tiny kitchen—or the first entry-level job, vibrant but hectic social life, and newfound independence that come with it. For Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine, that first small kitchen was a blessing in disguise, a haven from adulthood's worries and thrills. In the Small Kitchen, inspired by their popular website Big Girls, Small Kitchen, is their debut cookbook, filled with more than 100 delicious recipes for cooking and entertaining within the constraints of a twentysomething life. Whether you're packing Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches for a cubicle picnic, staying in with a cup of Workweek Tomato Soup and Cara's Classic Gooey Grilled Cheese, whipping up Three Onion Dip and Pimm's Cup for a cocktail party, or making Shrimp Risotto with Sweet Peas and Leeks to impress a special dinner date, Cara and Phoebe will show you how to stretch your imagination and your pocketbook to get the most out of your small kitchen without sacrificing the flavor or fun of savoring a good meal. In the Small Kitchen will get a new generation into the habit of cooking and make your kitchen a place everyone wants to be.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; Original edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061998249
• ISBN-13: 978-0061998249
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the better cookbooks I own June 16, 2011

By SuzieB VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I own hundreds of cookbooks. That sounds worse than it is, considering my age :) I don't really read most, I just search for recipes that sound good and follow them. Some don't include any useable recipes, but are good for sparking ideas. I generally ignore the forward to the book as well as most of the text other than the recipes. I'm sorry, but to me that's all a cookbook needs to be. A resource, or a reference.

My experience with In the Small Kitchen was quite different. The book states this cookbook was written by the creators of Big Girls, Small Kitchen. I had never heard of their blog before, and I purposely avoided it until after reading the book so I'd know if the book could stand alone if you were not already a fan. After reading the book, then exploring their website, I realized that the authors' experience with blogging has turned them into masters of short stories. I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading this book as a book and not just as a cookbook. The book stood very well without prior knowledge of the authors or their website.

Things I enjoyed most about this cookbook:
*The book begins with a list of basic essential equipment. You'll be surprised at how little you really need until you see it explained as well as they did. I'm channeling my inner kitchen minimalist!
*Many of the recipes serve just 2 people. They can be easily doubled or more, but are a great starting point.
*All of the recipes call for easily accessible ingredients, even if the results are far from ordinary

The first recipe I tried from In the Small Kitchen was Swiss Chard Frittata. The recipe serves 2, but it was easy to cut in half and prepare in a small single serving pan. I love Swiss chard, but it never occurred to me to use it in a frittata. The recipe also called for sun-dried tomatoes, another favorite ingredient. Along with the eggs and Parmesan cheese, this turned out to be one of my favorite breakfast recipes. Ever!

The Soy Honey Baked Tofu was also a big hit for myself and friends. It serves 2 to 4 and the leftovers freeze well, though you probably won't have any. I've tried about 8 recipes so far, including the homemade ketchup which I really enjoyed. I've not been disappointed with anything so far.

There are a lot of meat recipes in this cookbook, which I don't do. But there aren't so many that I would turn this cookbook down as a vegetarian.

I feel that this is one of the better cookbooks in my collection. I've also bookmarked their blog and look forward to more fresh ideas from the authors.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars In the Small Kitchen August 17, 2011

By M. Reynard TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Recipes Tried (8.17.2011):20 of 100

Ah, another cookbook based off a blog. Filled with stories and anecdotes along with recipes. I should learn by now that these aren't really to my taste but I always hope that the recipes will be more than enough to make up for the other stuff I must sift through. I'm not going to say this is a bad cookbook by any means, but I won't say it is excellent either.

The two authors of this cookbook are friends, who, as they grew up, moved to college, and beyond took their friendship to the kitchen. The express their love of cooking, their mistakes and their successes. They also share dinner party tricks and tips and other sundry items and stories. I have to confess that I wasn't very fond of their stories; like most personal anecdotes I read in cookbooks its probably great for those who known them, but to the stranger it can be hard to connect.

There are several chapters including Getting Started, which doesn't have recipes but rather is a how-to and pantry stock of sorts. Next chapter is Cooking for One, which as it sounds is cooking for one. Despite it being named this however, many of the recipes could easily be shared, at least the ones I tried. I have tried the Peas for One, which was good but made quite a bit. The Spinach Pie Quesadilla, which really wasn't anything special which is the same comments I have for the Swiss Chard Frittata. The Yogurt Carbonara was quick to make but really not so excellent as well. The Soft Scrambled Eggs and Gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich were both things that are pretty standard and basic to make. I did really like Phoebe's Pesto Panino and thought it had a great mix of flavors. In the soups range, I did try the My Mother's Garlic Soup which for the amount of garlic it had in it, had surprisingly little taste.

The next chapter focuses on Potlucks and has all sorts of dishes you can make and share with your friends (and drinks). It was a smaller chapter, but I did try the Fusilli with Pomodoro Fresco which had a good sauce but wouldn't stick to the noodles for some reason (could be my error). I also tried the Sexy-Ugly Onion Tart which was pretty good but could have been spiced up a little bit. The pie crust recipe that accompanied the tart turned out a really good buttery crust.

Cocktail Parties was next and as expected a lot of finger foods and dips enveloped this chapter. My first stop was the Noodles with BGSK Peanut Sauce that I absolutely loved but couldn't figure out why it was in a cocktail party section. The White Bean and Rosemary Dip I made was good and very popular at our family reunion, but at the same token the Black bean Dip didn't go as well as it was insanely spicy. There are some empanada and drink recipes in this chapter too that I can't wait to try.

Dating and Food came next and it contained an array of different types of foods for different types of the day. I haven't tried too much in this section yet, but the Plain Jane Pancakes tasted ok but didn't cook evenly even in my cast-iron skillet. I can't tell if the fault lied within my ingredients being bad or the ratio of ingredients being off. The Barbecued Lentils were surprisingly good and filling and definitely something I would consider making again. However I would have to give myself plenty of advanced notice as they were somewhat time consuming.

Brunch contained just what it sounds like, Brunch recipes. There actually aren't very many recipes in this chapter (5) and I haven't tried any of them yet. However, a couple of them are compotes and really, one is kind of a build your own thing so I'm not sure how to really define this chapter.

Giving was a chapter all about desserts. I made quite a few of them. The resignation brownies were ok but didn't have the normal consistency of a brownie. The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies were crispy outside, chewy inside and had great texture, but were only average on taste. The Banana Chocolate Chip Bread was a good idea, but ended up being too sweet for me but easy to make.

The Dinner Party was one of the largest chapters in the book with a myriad of different food options. Most of them are pretty involved and while I would have liked to explore in this chapter more, to date I have only made one recipe, the Provencal Baked Chicken. Like the rest in this chapter it was very involved to make, but tasted wonderful. I can't wait to try more from this chapter of the book.

Leftovers sounds pretty self explanatory. But it's not. Not only do they give you good ideas to use left over foods, they also have recipes for basic condiments such as ketchup. I made the Pesto and it tasted like a standard basil pesto, which is not a bad thing. I also made the Chana Bateta out of several things that could be found in your pantry and was pretty impressed with it as well. It did take some time to make, but the steps were relatively easy.

One Year Closer to Thirty was kind of an odd array of comfort food. I regret to say I've tried nothing in this chapter yet although the White Cheddar Mac and Cheese sounds good as do the cupcakes.

The recipes overall were ok, to me a lot were bland and while I do like a healthy amount of spice in my food, I don't think my taste buds are that crazy. It seemed like almost every recipe I was adding something to it to give it a stronger flavor. The directions were easy to follow and produced what they should have. I guess I just don't really understand who this book is marketed to. Some of the recipes are so easy that it would lead you to believe it is for someone just starting out or learning to cook, but then the ingredients can actually be quite expensive (pesto anyone?) for a college budget or anyone on a limited income. I also don't see many people this age holding dinner parties either (and I am just out of this age). My next thought was that yeah its about their progress through life but to be honest, with the exception of a few classic cookbooks, there aren't many people who return to the same cookbook for a decade so it may not have the same effect on the audience.

This isn't my favorite cookbook but its not one that I'd recycle either. There's a few good recipes that I would use again and there are a couple still that I look forward to trying out. I guess all I'm trying to say is that there are other books I'd choose before this one.

In the Small Kitchen

Review by M. Reynard 2011

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and fiercely social June 8, 2011

By Brian Connors VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Cookbooks take all different forms -- some elaborate, some spartan, some nerdy, some flowery. Although "In The Small Kitchen" certainly resembles a lot of other memoirish cookbooks I've seen, its strongest point is that it's very personal and social while still being creative. To an extent I liken it to Mitchell Davis' criminally obscure Cook Something, a book that incorporates some of the best of the author's social circle's tastes. Though menu-oriented, the authors' creative recipes (polenta steaks? yum) and personal stories capture the experiences of two people their first few years of life on their own in an engaging, cozy manner.

And the recipes are innovative -- from Phoebe's ultimate comfort food, the "mug of peas", to onion tarts and several different takes on pasta, as well as social activities like magazine clubs, and even advice for dating dinners, the book is just plain fun. The authors revel in the best our current cuisines have to offer, making everything approachable and less intimidating for people who haven't spent a lot of time in that sort of social environment.

This is a cool book. That's really the limit of what there is to say about it, and anything else is gravy. It's also a great excuse to get a few friends together for a dinner party.