I love 30 Minute Meals on Food network. I love Rachael Ray's bright happy smile and her casual style to cooking. She is a kitchen diva for today's workaholics, busy moms and those who just don't want to take all day to turn out a fabulous meal. My husband bought me Comfort Foods for my birthday and I have tried quite a few recipes in it.

The sweet!

It's not rocket science! Rachael doesn't treat cooking like rocket science. You will find specific measurements, but she also throws in a dash of common sense for good measure. 1/4 cup of parmesean cheese she will define as a couple handfuls. Need to add some Olive oil to your pan? She'll say drizzle it a few times around. No need to get out your measuring spoons and cups, cooking is all to taste.
Ingredients are easy to find No weirdo ingredient you couldn't find in your local grocery store. She uses alot of italian ingredients, the most exotic I have easily found in the specialty deli case. Her recipes abound with fresh herbs and healthy meats from ground sirlion to chicken breasts to lobster.
They really do cook in 30 minutes! Yes, you can have meatloaf, clam chowder or swedish meatballs turned out in 30 minutes! Well, almost. Rachael has the advantage of having all her ingredients within easy reach and cleaned before she cooks. She also can chop quickly and efficiently. For those of us who have to wash our produce and don't have $100 wustof knives (heh, I do!) it takes maybe 40 minutes. It's still fast and easy though!

The sour

Not spiral bound I wish this book was spiral bound so the darn pages would stay open so I could easily refer back to the recipe! It is a nice hardbound book, though.
No pictures This is fine with me because I think the cookbook is for turning out a hearty plate of comfort, you're not there for a picture. We know what spaghetti with meat sauce or sausage, peppers, onions and potatoes looks like.
Does not do full meals like her show You'll see side dishes for some meals in this book, but you won't find meal, side dish and dessert all turned out in 30 minutes like you find in her TV show.

Some of the warm comfort you'll find in this book include "Clam Chowder", "Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatsauce", "Pork chops with Applesauce", "Penne with Pumpkin and Sausage", "Swedish Meatballs and Egg noodles", "Meatloaf patties with Smashed Potatoes", plus a number of dishes containing lobster, scallops, shrimp and fish. All recipes are divided in chapters in the book: Soups and One pot meals; Burgers and sandwiches; Chicken; Pork, Lamb, and Beef; and Seafood.

This is a great book and if you are a fan of the show (and even if you don't watch the show at all) this is a great cookbook for those meals you love to curl up with on cold nights!


Recommended: Yes