Rating: 
Summary: not a cook
Review: Love it! I am an awful cook but this book has helped me make great dishes that even my picky father in-law will eat. The way she gives directions has helped me become more comfortable with my cooking. Her recipes are mostly Italian, so if your not into that cuisine you may want to pass.
I will buy all of her books!
Rating: 
Summary: No pictures. A So-So book.
Review: LOVE the show. But the book is lacking. There are absolutely NO pictures. I'm the kind of person that requires photos in a cooking book. The pages are a khaki color with green ink. The pages are "busy" but do include some hints and notes. I am not italian, so I do not own most of the items. Honestly, I do not know (or even able to pronounce) most of the items. As far as the recipes, I have read a few and just adapted to what I have on hand. I know that Rachael would still be pleased. Not all the recipes from the show are in the book. But she has a 2nd one out, so maybe they can be found there. What I do is go to Foodtv.com and print them from there. I have looked at my book a total of 3 times. It is collecting dust on a shelf in my kitchen. Go to the website for recipes and save some money.
Rating:
Summary: buy it
Review: My husband bought me this book for mothers day after we had been watching Rachel for about a month or so. At first I thought she was a dork, but after watching the first episode and then making the meal the following day, I was (and still am)hooked. I have just placed an order for three more so that I can give then to several friends, as well as ordering her other books.If you've happened along this book by chance, and have no previous knowlegde of Rachel Ray or her show, I cannot express this enough. Buy it!. But I have to go now, 30 Minute Meals is on in 5 minutes.
Rating: 
Summary: Not-Delish
Review: Not only can the meals in this book not, in fact, be prepared in 30 minutes, they are also not yum-yum. Once, while watching her show, I noticed that she placed some potatoes in the microwave at 18:01. Then, at 18:08, she took the potatoes out of the microwave and claimed they were in there for 12 minutues. This sounds more like 34 minute meals to me! Also, 40 dollars a day is bogus...you cannot sleep through breakfast and trade your hat in for a meal and then claim it is 40.D.A.D.- 40 Dollars a Day. I do not like the book.
Rating:
Summary: Get It And Go To The Kitchen
Review: Rachael Ray provides a variety of delicious and healthy ways to prepare and cook delicious and tasty meals that appeal to
everyone in the family. The main bonus of this book
is that yes, you can cook these meals in 30 minutes
max. Because these meals can be cooked quickly and simply
does not mean that anything is given up when it comes
to variety and a uniqueness of dishes. The recipes and
and ingredients needed are also easy to find. Get this and go to the kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy Cooking and Family in Busy Households
Review: Rachael Ray shows us how to make healthy dishes from basic, fresh ingredients in, ideally, 30 minutes or less. Unlike her later 30 minute meal books, this first in the series does not group two or more dishes into meals which can take less than a half an hour to prepare. This is largely because the book was written before Rachael showed up on the Food Network show of the same name, which introduced the 3 course meal format. In spite of this timing, almost all of the dishes in this book have shown up on early seasons of Rachael's show. In many ways, the grouping of dishes by type rather than by meal is an advantage, making it easier to match up different pasta and salad courses on different days. The drawback is that you have no hints on how to coordinate your time in preparing the three dishes at one time, although this is not exactly rocket science. The main chapter headings / dish types are: Pastas 29 dishes
Salads 28 dishes, some suitable as main course salads
Take out lookalike 39 dishes, primarily burgers, sandwiches, pizza, Tex-Mex, and Asian lookalikes
Comfort Foods 34 dishes such as chilis, sauces, soups, and casseroles
Full meals 5 menus for small party (8 to 12) quick cooking
Meatballs 5 recipes I believe it is an important symptom of one of Rachael's main objectives that many of her dishes are named after family members. She presents the great Italian love of food and family together when you don't have Nona and three aunts at home all day to do all the prep work and braising. One recent book on cooking traditional recipes slowly to recapture both the joy and flavors of this cooking makes the suggestion that Rachael's style of cooking is too hectic and has too little flavor. While the first has an element of truth, I say it does not remove the 'Joy of Cooking'. It actually rescues it from the drive in take out window. On the latter point, this author if plainly wrong. I compared Rachael's Caesar Salad to a recipe from Martha Stewart and Rachael's was superior in taste, as Miss Martha really overloaded her dish with raw garlic. It is very fortunate that the cuisine on which Ms. Ray's food is largely Italian, as the Italian cuisine has spent centuries perfecting the concentration of flavor in foods such as balsamic vinegar, cheeses, hams, and tomato concentrates, all of which are available in first class products at the local American supermarket.
The only drawback to using these products and prepackaged meats and vegetables is that you may be paying more for the same meal than if slower, prep intensive recipes were used. For thirty-something parents who are in the early middle of their career, this cost is probably inconsequential when compared to the benefits. It is certainly both economically and nutritionally inconsequential when compared to the fast food fare. I have a lot of respect of Rachael's not overloading the book with suggestions for the pantry. Stocking up a pantry without specific recipes is a waste of time and money. I also strongly suggest the reader play close attention to the tips on knife use. Very important. I'm afraid Rachal's recommendations on equipment are not helpful. One look at her Food Network show and you may see a Dutch oven, two large saute pans, a grill pan, and a blender in action at one time. Don't scrimp on the pots and pans. Do what Rachael does, not what she says in this department. I will give her credit for getting by with just one very good knife. Rachael is not Mario or Martha or Emeril. She is teaching you how to do it fast, without loosing the fun and the flavor. As always, the price of the book is very right. Enjoy yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't do Rachael's talent justice
Review: Rachael's Ray's TV Show 30-minute Meals is a joy to watch, and it is unfortunate that this book does not do her talent justice. The book has no colour, no photos, and the recipes are not nearly as interesting as the wonderful dishes she prepares on her show. I would have expected a more colourful book and a more varied selection of dishes.
Rating: 
Summary: RACHAEL'S FIRST BOOK IS A HIT
Review: Rachael's Rays first 30 minute recipe collection from her Food Network tV show is sure to please her fans and anyone who is on a time budget. In truth, many receipes to take more than 30 minutes but perhaps i'm just not as fast when it comes to preparation, but even if it takes 45 minutes to an hour, that's certianly not bad.
Ray calls for ingredients that are common and can be found at any grocery store. No need to seek out exotic items that can only be found at specialty markets. There are over 150 recipes contained in the book, all simply and easily prepared, along with Ray's invaluable time-saving tips and secrets.
Rachael's style is breezy and fun with a lot of hip little cooking lingo that fans of her show are sure to recognize. As mentioned, unless one is really a pro at maneuvering about the kitchen, you won't finish most of these recipes in 30 minutes but that's not a bother to me. What I love most about Ray is that unlike most Food TV hosts, she is not a professional chef and therefore doesn't have the smugness that many other TV cooks do and I think this helps her relate much better to the everyday person.
If I have one complaint about the book it's the lack of photographs. Photos are a must for a cookbook in my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: E.V.O.O Oh No.No.No.
Review: Rachel Ray has to be the most annoying person on cable television, if not, at least in the top 10 - right behind Bill O'Reilly, Suze Oreman, and that Oxy/Orange Clean fool. Yes, some of her recipes may be enticing but who can stand to watch her for 30 minutes with her "delish" and her "evoo" and her "MMMHHHMMMmmmmHHHMMMHHHHhhmmmm" as she stuffs her mouth with her own creations. I surely can't. And WAY too much hand movement - I don't care if she is Italian. No excuse. Kill the stereotypes. So, in summary - mediocre recipes and annoyance at a blistering level - forces me to give Ms. ...D.A.D a single star (actually, a single star is the lowest rating amazon.com allows). But at least with this cookbook you don't have to hear her mouth. Praise the Gods.
Rating:
Summary: Rachel has no formal chef training and it shows;
Review: Rachel Rays personality is her greatest asset. She has no formal chef training and most of her recipes are very basic and somewhat bland. She seems like a great person and in todays television rich society, it's not the content but the package that matters. The book also seems very unorganized.
Her recipes are hit and miss; I think her sauces are bad at times, but sometimes she has a great idea for a simple appetizer or pasta. Again, very basic cooking but with her personality, she could pretty much sell anything. I think she'll continue to grow though and hopefully the food network won't ruin her. She will never be an all-star chef but she's a good spokesperson for simple dishes, and hopefully her books will improve as she does; I think both will get better.
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