Somehow I’ve never found this daunting. In fact I’ve just spent the last six months in a small New York kitchen cooking dinner parties with nothing more than a cheap two-burner hot plate and a toaster oven, waiting for the contractor to come through with the delivery of a gas stove.

It could have been a major pain. But I’ve come to look upon the tiny, less-than-well-equipped kitchen as a delicious challenge. Besides, the best cooks I’ve encountered around the world seem to manage just fine with whatever heat source they’ve been dealt. I think of my friend Tony’s Aunt Maria, who refuses to use the shiny fancy range her son bought her, preferring to make her fritto misto in an electric skillet as she always has. My own grandmother cooked her way through the Great Depression on an upturned electric iron. So, hey, two burners.

A hot plate is perfect for a little pot of beans, I discovered. Like pasta, cannellini beans are a good staple to have on hand in a city kitchen pantry, and an hour of gentle simmering is usually all it takes. Obviously, they take a little advance planning. You can’t hurry a pot of beans, but you can cook them the day or even the morning before you need them. This a good habit to get into, as a small batch of freshly cooked beans is well worth the little effort it takes to get them cooked. (And by all means, use a real stovetop if you have one.) Don’t cave and go the canned-bean route — save those for emergencies or camping trips.