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A review of 30 Minute Meals

by Rachael Ray

Quick versions of old stand-bys and future favorites, all of which can be prepared in half an hour or less

Reviewed by: Jennifer Santiago
About Jennifer Santiago

30 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals is the companion book to the Food Network show of the same name. Host/author Rachael Ray is not trained as a chef; rather, she honed her skills under the tutelage of her Sicilian mother and Cajun dad. This eclectic background is reflected in her delicious and creative culinary creations.

Although the meals can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, they don't scrimp on taste-- or ingredients. Although the recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, it's recommended that the reader have at least a working knowledge of cooking and a well-stocked pantry.

The spunky Ray writes just as she speaks, frequently approximating measurements, (recipes often call for "a few good glugs of olive oil," or "half a palmful of cayenne pepper") or throwing in colorful colloquialisms like "let it hang out in the pan." The book leads off with Top 10 lists, including "Top 10 Meals with Fewer Than 10 Ingredients," then breaks down the table of contents into "30 Minute Pastas," "Salads and Other Green Stuff," "30 Minute Comfort Foods."

"Great Gatherings," and Ray's specialty, "Make Your Own Take-Out."

Among the highly recommended, tried-and-true recipes are "You Won't Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Sauce," "Macho Mix and Mach Enchiladas" and "Jambalika: Quick Jambalaya."

With chatty conversation bubbles on nearly every page, the reader will learn fun and interesting food facts and pick up time-saving prep tips while making quick and satisfying meals sure to please a wide range of palettes. Although Ray's Sicilian family clearly has had the strongest influence on her cooking, her concoctions span from Thailand to India to America's heartland for classics like cheeseburgers and chicken noodle soup. Ray even serves up a hearty helping of vegetarian entrees appealing enough to tempt the most hardcore carnivores.

This cookbook is highly recommended for home cooks looking for a quicker way to make favorite dishes or add creative new meals to their repertoire. Overall, a tasty addition to any kitchen bookshelf.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: 30 Minute Meals

Copyright © by Jennifer Santiago, 2002

Reviewed by Jennifer Santiago:
-- The Lovely Bones - by Alice Sebold
-- 30 Minute Meals - by Rachael Ray
-- Raising Blaze - by Debra Ginsberg
-- Backpack - by Emily Barr
-- You Are Not a Stranger Here - by Adam Haslett
-- Bookends - by Jane Green
-- A Confederacy of Dunces - by John Kennedy Toole
-- Ash Wednesday - by Ethan Hawke
-- All Saints' Day - by Brent Benoit
-- The Stepford Wives - by Ira Levin
-- The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating - by David M. Buss
-- Literary New Orleans - by Judy Long (Editor)
-- The Sopranos Family Cookbook - by Allen Rucker; Recipes by Michele Scicolone
-- Atonement - by Ian McEwan
-- The Crimson Petal and the White - by Michel Faber
-- Midnight Bayou - by Nora Roberts
-- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - by Ann Brashares
-- The Zygote Chronicles - by Suzanne Finnamore
-- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - by J.K. Rowling









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