Rating: 
Summary: The best Cooking book ever
Review: I own a lots of cooking books and this is the one I grab fist for everyday meals, special ocasions and entretaining.
Rating:
Summary: Beginner's Paradise
Review: I have all of Rachel Ray's books and I'm addicted to her TV show. I have recently discovered the joys of cooking which I am convinced would never have happened if it weren't for wonderfully easy-going cooks like her that make creating great cuisine so pain-free and forgiving. I have had other cookbooks that have always led to discouraging kitchen disasters, despite painfully detailed and time-consuming directions and preparation--which don't exactly promote further culinary endeavors. NOT A SINGLE RECIPE OF HERS I HAVE TRIED HAS FAILED!!!! This is an especially significant feat considering my husband is the world's pickiest eater and has finished everything that I have cooked for him out of her books. Her recipes are so easily adapted to personal taste that you CANNOT GO WRONG!! I cannot recommend all her books enough!! Definitely check them out and watching her show (which demonstrates all the recipes in 30-Minute Meals 2)makes the book that much easier to use--you barely need to read it. If you're into good taste without budget-busting ingredients or time-crunching preparations this is the series for you! I also recommend Paula Deen's "The Lady & Sons" books for down-home cooking that sounds so good you want to eat the pages the recipes are on.
Rating: 
Summary: *Burp* where's the liquor cabinet?
Review: Let me preface by saying I've never seen Rachael Ray's show on the Food Network...but I saw this in the bookstore and after leafing through it thought it was worth checking out. I know that the recipes are aimed at prompt preparation, but I still would never serve guests a thawed poundcake. Ms. Ray, by her own admission, "can't bake" and I would have preferred that she included more entree and side-dish recipes in lieu of dessert recipes. Small quibble. A larger quibble is the number of recipes that call for alcohol, and I would have appreciated suggestions for those who would like to avoid it. I found this myself by looking thru Google links (fruit juice, stock, etc.), but it would have helped to have her suggestions in the book. I know that liquer is the quickest way to dress up a plain dessert, but still...I had an uneasy flashback to some deceased relatives who didn't think dessert was dessert unless it was covered in kahlua, frangelico, etc. There's also some inconsistency with her risotto recipes - in one recipe, she lists 2 cups for four people; in another, 1 1/2 cups for four people. The box of arborio rice I had listed 1 cup, and I wish I would have gone by the box and not the 2 cup recipe...a couple of guests had seconds, but there is still far more leftover green risotto than my husband and I can eat tonight. What an unfortunate waste. On the plus side, the recipes have inspired me to try some things I haven't tried before (and I've been cooking for over 15 years), like reconstituted dried mushrooms and grouper. I also liked that she included a section for lighter fare, since - if I ate those suggested menus regularly - I'd be the size of a house.
There's good variety here. There's no system for half stars, but I'd really give this 3 to 3 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Beginners
Review: This is a fantastic cookbook for people who don't like to cook---like me!!! The recipes are relatively simple, and I have learned very quickly how to more intelligently adapt the recipes to fit my needs and my diet. I also find that for me, a low-carb enthusiast (did I spell that right?), I can easily adapt the recipes to suit the demands of the diet. As a result, I'm eating a greater variety of foods that taste great, I'm losing weight, and I'm cooking!!! I never would have thought it possible. I feel like a gourmet chef in my kitchen, and I again, I would recommend this book to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: For fast, mostly healthy meals, this is THE book.
Review: This book is perfect for anyone who wants / needs an EASY no fuss meal. The directions are simple to follow, even if you're a novice. I love the "family" approach to the book. If you are looking for quick, mostly healthy meals to make quickly, this is THE book for you. Yummy recipies, plus family stories. Makes me feel like I know her! I'm not as good at chopping herbs and veggies as Rachael is, so I do find that I need about 40 minutes for her 30 minute meal.
Rating: 
Summary: Dont you need to know how to cook before writing a book?
Review: That Rachael Ray has a TV show is bad enough, a cookbook? More power to her if she can keep fooling people.
Rating:
Summary: Karen is way off
Review: Karen says "Her book is for people who can't cook and don't want to learn". Wrong, Karen! Her book is for people like me! I dread cooking because I don't know the first thing about it! To me it is a tedious, unpleasant chore and I didn't have mom to teach me growing up. But I DO want to learn! Rachael Ray teaches me the basics so I now have somewhere to begin. And her comments and chatter make it fun for people like me who never learned to love cooking. I can't afford to feed my family take out every night and they're getting bored with hamburger helpers spaghetti. My husband and I can both follow her recipes easily and quickly and it's something we now enjoy doing together. Perhaps when we've gotten the basics down and we feel comfortable preparing more elaborate recipes then we will venture off into more difficult and fancier meals. But for now, Rachael Ray is perfect! She's exactly what we needed! I recommend this book for anyone who is a beginner cook, doesn't enjoy cooking, is pressed for time, or all of the above.
Rating:
Summary: Easy and Good
Review: Too many times things are easy to make but have no taste. Everything I have made out of this book has been great. There are no strange foods to purchase. Everything can be found at your local grocery store. I can't wait for more cookbooks from Rachel.
Rating: 
Summary: How would we ever eat without ya Rach?
Review: How would we ever eat without ya Rach? My wife loves this woman. I love this woman. Now my pants size...that's a different story. Sure, she mainly cooks heart healthy and does use a lot of fruits and veggies. But, the food is so tasty, I just want to have seconds. Easy recipes. Plain ingredients for the most part (not the kind you run all over town to find). And if you get the book, next you will have to get her special knife and all the other cool tools she uses.
Rating:
Summary: Karen is a nut job!
Review: Hats off to Rachael Ray! I love her style of cooking! I have been cooking since 4th grade (thanks to Mom). I know how to cook very well, but I am a new mom who does not have the time to cook fancy meals that take alot of time. Rachael makes meals that are tasty, easy and satisfying. Karen, you are bitter and do not understand the concept of 30-minute meals! Of course 30-minute meals will not require alot! That is why it is called 30-minute meals. If you read her bio on foodnetwork.com you would realize that Rachael is probably 100X the chef/cook you are! If you want to spend hours in the kitchen, so be it, but 30-minutes is called 30-minute meals for a reason!
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