Cheapskate in the Kitchen

This is one of my many cookbooks. I like how the author gives substitutions for ingredients if you don't have them on hand. I wish that there were illustrations and that's why I only gave it a 4. P.S- The honey glazed pheasant/chicken is excellent!!!

I agree should have been called "Cheapskate Gourmet" or something like that. I did not find a book chock-full of big money-saving tips like I was hoping for. It's mostly a gourmet cookbook with tips that help curb costs specifically of gourmet cooking. I'm sure this book will save me money if it helps curb our habit of eating out, but it would probably increase grocery bill of a family already cooking at home.I also am not thrilled at the paperback novel publishing type, with the small print, and binding that's hard to keep open. I'm sure it kept the book affordable, but it's not ideal for a cookbook!

While this book doesn't have the most frugal recipes I've ever seen, it does provide a way to eat gourmet food for a lot less than our family would have to spend if we went out for dinner at a nice restaurant. I don't use any of the recipes for our regular family dinner fare (we're on too tight of a budget for that), but I feel Cheapskate in the Kitchen taught me how to prepare better special occasion and company meals that won't break my budget as much as those special meals did before.In the introduction of the book the author writes: "What kind of book is this, you ask? ... This is a book that will teach you how to get from Spaghetti-O's to Scallopini alla Marsala, culinarily speaking. It's for those who don't have the knowledge to be Cordon Bleu chefs, let alone the money to purchase expensive ingredients ... This is a book for those who yearn to prepare and present meals with all the style of Martha Stewart, the talent of Julia Child, the delightful wit of Graham Kerr and the enthusiasm of Jeff Smith. It's for those who go on day after day, secretly wishing and yearning to be fine gourmet cooks, but find themselves stuck in the macaroni-and-cheese rut."Since that pretty welll describes me when I first read the book, I guess the author hit her target because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to admit that we still eat mac-and-cheese quite often, but I now have a better concept of how to prepare more gourmet-type meals than I did before reading this book. Plus, the book itself is so inexpensive, I think it was definitely worth adding to my bookshelf.

My spouse is a professional gourmet cook who read this book with interest. The conclusion from our family gourmand? This is the perfect book for the home cook desiring to learn professional techniques so they can prepare restaurant quality meals at a fraction of the cost of dining in a fancy eatery.