30-Minute Meals 2

by Rachael Ray, Ellen Swandiak (Designed by)

Rachael pulls out all the stops in this best-selling collection of recipes. You'll find menus complete with mains, sides, and desserts, tailored for any occasion. Sections include: Make Your Own Take-Out, Monday Thru Friday Dinner Specials, Family-Style Suppers, Double-Duty Dinners, Passport Meals, Big Nights: Very Special Dinners, and Healthy Hunger Busters. Eating Healthy? Try a meat-free meal featuring Ravioli Vegetable Lasagna, Romaine Hearts with Lemon Chive Vinaigrette, and Fresh Oranges with Lime Sorbet. Have hard-to-please kids? We promise you they'll eat Meatball and Macaroni Soup, Grilled 4-Cheese Sandwiches and Chocolate-Dipped Bananas. Over 1.5 million sold!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Food and Drink

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2003

About the author

Rachael Domenica Ray is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosted the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray. Other programs to her credit include 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and the reality format shows Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off. Ray has written several cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Reviews

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published March 2004

Since her debut on the television channel Food Network as the cook and host of 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray has found an audience who love her and her inventive recipes.

In her book 30-Minute Meals 2, she pulls out all the stops with a great collection of recipes to make you look cool after you prepare them.

Look for your favorites as well as Rachael’s, which will include sea scallops with vermouth, pasta with citrus cream sauce, and rosemary grilled chicken with wild mushroom sauce. She also wants you to mix-and-match recipes as that is part of the fun!

Rachael’s book is divided into seven chapters. These include “Make Your Own Take-Out,” “Monday Thru Friday Dinner Specials,” “Family Style Dinners,” “Double-Duty Dinners,” “Passport Meals,” “Big Nights,” and “Healthy Hunger Busters.” She guarantees them to be simple to make, full of big flavors, and call for ingredients found in any well-stocked supermarket.

Take 30 minutes out of your busy day, cook a great meal with fresh ingredients for your family and friends, and spend quality time with those you love.

Come in to the Holmen Library and check out our great selection of cookbooks!
 
Find similar titles within our catalog.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This does not instill my confidence in the author. Quote (page 14): "I still don't measure. I write every recipe in free-hand equivelants. A tablespoon is a palmful to me, or for liquids, once around the pan in a slow stream. I do give you my best guess for the measured equivelant, but the food will taste better if you let your own hands and taste buds be your guide. Recipes are suggestions, not written law. Trust yourself, too." I disagree in that you must have a workable recipe to start from, before you can deviate and alter it yourself. I hope someone's tested her "best guess" at the amount of each ingredient to see if the recipe works. This is my biggest complaint with Rachel Ray as a cook. And for this reason, I also don't watch her tv shows. Because she doesn't measure, is why Rachel Ray can't bake. Even she admits that. Obviously, I'm not a fan of this author. I got the cookbook cheap ($2) or I wouldn't be reading it.

My kids and I just aren't going to eat: Waterzooi de Poulet, Herb and Goat Cheese Toasts, Avacodo's with Creamy Maque Choux or Mushroom Duxelles and Pate Platter with Sliced Baguette. Her recipes are so strange that out of several cookbooks of hers, I think I've only ever tried one recipe and it was for mac & cheese. She might think it's simple but her recipes call for wierd meats or cheeses I can't readily get and obviously she isn't a mother if she thinks kids will eat this stuff. Getting rid of my copy.

[Christin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I had known more about Racheal Ray and her cooking style before I got this book. I haven't tried very many of the recipes from this book because most of them have way too many ingredients, and frequently ones I am not that familiar with or even dislike. I don't see how most of these meals could be made in 30 minutes, especially the first time, unless everything is washed and chopped ahead of time. There are no pictures. I think I'll be getting rid of this book.

[catharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good cookbook if you need help pulling together recipes into a menu, and don't want to think too hard about it.

I tend to use it more as suggestion book, as the instructions are more at the novice level, but I kinda love that I can read the recipe, buy the ingredients and then just cook it up without having to pay too much attention to the exact steps.

A very good book for menu planning for a family, and while I find the chipper tone out of character for things around OUR house, it's a good win. This was also a book given to me when I was complaining about not having a lot of time to cook.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

+ 1 star because I &65 Rachel Ray.... but otherwise as cookbook go....

Presentation & photography: Bleeeech...

* Why are some of the words in the ingredients lists green? Well, I finally figured it out. It is because it is the actual ingredient (chicken, onion, salt, mozzarella) not the type.

* What is with the bold print? Rachel's side comments.

* Where are the pictures? Huh? There are 4-double sided yellow tinted photos in the middle of the book.

Enough said!

[Fostergrants · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is like her other 30 minute meal book. there are no pictures! i guess i want pictures in my cookbooks. also, the way she indexes her recipes and food items are widdershins to the way i look things up. this is a personal problem for me and not likely her fault. i look things up because i want a recipe for this or that. she indexes things by complete menus. if you are too pressed for time to sit and think out a menu then this is a good book.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I'm a Rachael Ray fan, but her cookbooks are a bit disappointing. There is no nutritional information, and unless you've watched her make the recipe on the show, the recipe in the book can be confusing. She's got great ideas, but her recipes all require an unusually large number of ingredients. I mostly stick to watching the show and looking up the recipes on her website."

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate Rachael Ray.. a lot. But nonetheless this was the first book I took out of hers and I got a few interesting recipes out of it. She expects you to know your way around the kitchen though, which was really difficult since this was the first book I tried to make a recipe from. Needless to say, the meal wasn't perfect, but it ended up being quite tasty. So kudos to the evil woman.

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this for Christmas from my parents one year. Lots of delicious looking recipes in here, though like Rachael's show, some are a bit more exotic than others. Each is laid out in a similar format to her show, providing recipes for appetizer, entree, and dessert grouped together into one complete, complementary meal. As Rachael says, Yum-O!

[Julie Hedlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with this cookbook is that, although many of the recipes are quite good, they generally take longer than 30 minutes to prepare. Perhaps they take 30 minutes if you are a professional cook. I agree with other reviewers that the show is better. That is why I have not purchased any more of her cookbooks.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cookbook. This is the one that got me hooked on Rachel Ray's receipes. There must be 4 receipes from this book that have become staples at our house. They are basic but unique with good ideas.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite cookbook out of all the ones I own (both Rachael Ray and otherwise). I've made a number of the recipes and have loved each one so far. I keep meaning to go back and try some more.

[Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviews. Unless you know the recipe and have your materials prepared ahead of time, its hard to cook the meals in under 30 minutes. I like her variety of recipes tho but it is a confusing book.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say, it's Rachael!

[Heather Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad cookbook. It was a good source in the beginning, which gave me many ideas to work from. I don't use it much any more.

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite 30 minute meals cookbook

[Christine (AR) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I love her, and the recipes are inventive, fast and fun. In particular, the white sangria recipe in this book is fabulous.

[Christy Hertz · Rating 2 out of 5]

good for some new ideas. most recipes my kids won't dare to eat so not practical for me right now.

[Jeri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her recipes can, in fact, be made in 30 minutes but the time you'll spend in the grocery store searching out the ingredients cancels it out. I'll keep searching for a great cookbook.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything, and I mean everything she makes is wonderful! Its fast, east, and yummy!

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

casually reading this one at my mom's house

[Heather Lambirth]

Even though she annoys me with her voice and yum-o, I have to say that a few of the recipes I've tried in this book so far haven't disappointed. She likes to take shortcuts though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEVER lets me down. I can find a recipe for any occasion in this book.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites!

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use her key lime vinaigrette recipe as a basis for salad dressing with whatever I have on hand at the time, and it always turns out great!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good recipes, but a lot of the ingredients are hard to find.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

So often needs ingredients not on my shelf and hard to maintain for 1 even tho I batch cook.

[Lennette Beauv · Rating 3 out of 5]

good cook

[Tia Wyman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some interesting ideas but many of the things I already make. However, the buffalo wing-inspired chicken sandwiches have become a favorite in my home!

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea if these recipes but I think it's hard to find some of the ingredients