The 15-Minute Gourmet

Series by Paulette Mitchell

The 15-Minute Gourmet
Paulette Mitchell, a cooking expert extraordinary who specializes in helping busy people get dinner on the table fast, takes time out from her booked-through-the-millennium cooking classes to share her secrets for speedy, sensational meals. She provides a wide variety of tips and techniques, as well as kitchen wisdom acquired through years of experience, among the hundreds of superb recipes in her new 15-Minute Gourmet series.

Mitchell says, "Why spend hours in the kitchen when you can make delicious dishes in just 15 minutes? These recipes can free you from tedious kitchen duties while adding style and good nutrition to your meals." with Paulette's meal plans, the 15-minute gourmet can dish up both comfort food and elegant dishes that will fill the kitchen with enticing aromas just as if she or he had been cooking all day.

Each of the three cookbooks contain more than 100 easy to-follow recipes that can satisfy the family on a busy weeknight or the most discriminating guests at a dinner party.

The secrets to savvy 15-minute gourmetship are selection of the right ingredients, kitchen organization, and some advance planning. The cook who plans ahead and stocks seasonings, condiments, and supplies can make a quick trip to the market to buy readily available fresh, healthful ingredients. Then, in just 15 minutes, dinner with a gourmet flair can be on the table.

"The most important thing to remember is that efficient cooking does not follow a linear progression," counsels Mitchell. "It is not necessary to complete one step before going on to another. Instead, without a lot of fuss, you can actually do two things at once. By following the plan outlined in the recipes, you can have your entire meal ready to eat at the same time." Meal planning is simple because these one-dish complete meals require only the addition of a salad. Also a bonus for meal planning, each of the recipes includes a nutritional analysis per serving.

Throughout the three cookbooks, there are crossover thinking points: discussions of fresh vs. dried herbs; the use of frozen vs. fresh veggies; how to double recipes (for herbs, it's 1-1/2!); how long you can keep leftovers refrigerated; and recipe variations to make use of your favorite fresh ingredients or those you may have on hand.

Equally, there are category-specific tips that are pertinent to each particular topic—and the results you can expect to achieve:

Each of the three cookbooks has a special audience: vegetarians, pasta-lovers, and cooks who consider chicken THE staple meat. Separately, each will provide a cook with distinctive main courses, salads, and soups in his or her food favorite, and together they create an instant library on efficient and elegant dining choices.

About the Author

Paulette Mitchell is a cooking instructor, food lecturer, and award-winning author of numerous cookbooks, including The Complete Soy Cookbook, and The Complete Book of Dressings, in addition to The 15-Minute Gourmet series. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 15-Minute Gourmet
Series by Paulette Mitchell
IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., December 1999
Paperback, each $16.95
color photographs
Information provided by the publisher.

The 15-Minute Gourmet: Chicken
ISBN 0-02-863279-6
Buy the Book!

The 15-Minute Gourmet: Vegetarian
ISBN 0-02-863529-9
Buy the Book!

The 15-Minute Gourmet: Noodles
ISBN 0-02-862568-4
Buy the Book!