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 a gazillion ingredients!) and shows you how to make delectable meals despite the lack of counter space. Everything from appetizers and salads to soups and one-pot wonders to side dishes and entrees, and of course, dessert is included along with Jennifer's tried-and-true advice for working with limited space, appliances, cookware, and ingredients all on a limited budget. More than 130 Crappy Little Kitchen (CLK) recipes await you inside, plus: Why a CLK can actually be an asset, not a liability The must-haves for every CLK pantry Crappy Kitchen Saboteurs: Pointless items that eat up small spaces How to enhance the functionality of your CLK space--emphasizing  the surprising attributes of working in a small kitchen, plus space-saving ideas that help expand space and utility, allowing for the creation of the most complex dishes How to double or triple the function of utensils to eliminate clutter and superfluous tools (toss your ungainly meat mallet and use your sauté pan as an effective meat tenderizer) Swap It Skills: Replacing hard-to-find, gourmet ingredients with everyday items without sacrificing taste How to cohabitate in Crappy Little Kitchens--Jennifer  tells readers how to share the tight space and avoid Crappy Little Casualties with chef-proven techniques she learned working in busy and cramped restaurant kitchens. Ways to create beautiful plating presentations with secretly guarded tricks of the trade Chefology: culinary terms and 'did you know this crap' facts to awe guests and increase one's culinary knowledge in fun and inspiring ways Whether you have an apartment-size galley kitchen, dorm room, or oversized, but completely outdated kitchen, Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens takes the stuffy out of gourmet and shows you how to love the kitchen you are in.