Rachel Ray, chef extraordinaire who creates great 30 minute meals, also has a cookbook available that’s designed for families. In that cookbook, the recipes are designed to be things that kids and adults can enjoy cooking together. And every dish in the cookbook is something that kids are going to love.
Too many cookbooks are full of complicated recipes that appeal only to certain palates. Not many kids are going to want things that resemble fancy French cuisine you could only get at a 5-star restaurant. But some cookbook chefs act like that’s what everyone wants.
If you’re preparing an elegant dinner for two, you’d go for those types of recipes. But for family-pleasing recipes, most home cooks turn to Rachel Ray’s meals before anyone else’s. That’s because a Rachel Ray kitchen is one with common ingredients and not much time to get meals cooked.
All you need for tons of great Rachel Ray recipes is 30 minutes and some basic ingredients. And the recipes are simple enough that almost anyone can do them. Even if you’ve never cooked before, you can follow a 30 minute meals recipe and end up with a great complete dinner.
Not every recipe is simple enough that it only has a few ingredients, but there are many that have 5 or less. Even the recipes that have several ingredients are basic. The ingredients are often things like spices, garlic, chopped saut?ed veggies and other things to be added to basic pasta or meat dishes.
Of course, you’ll want to make a more complicated or exotic recipe now and then. So even in her 30 minutes meals cookbooks, Rachel Ray includes some recipes for those times. They might have an exotic ingredient or two, or take a little more cooking experience to really get right.
By the time you’ve made some of her simpler 30 minute meals, you’ll have enough experience to tackle them. And there will be probably be at least a few of Rachel Ray’s recipes that include any exotic ingredients that you need. You won’t be buying a strange ingredient just for one dish that you might not make again for months.
This falls in line with the Rachel Ray cooking philosophy of spending less money and less time on wholesome meals. Her recipes use fewer ingredients than many other top chef’s recipes. That’s because she knows that most people want to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying life outside the kitchen.
We can’t all be Martha Stewarts who can spend hours a day organizing, decorating and cooking elaborate dishes. But everyone can take a half an hour and a handful of ingredients to make some great food. Her 30 minute meals even include side dishes, salads and desserts. A Martha Stewart main course can take 3 times that long, and that’s just one dish.
Rachel Ray cooks like most people cook. The goal is to end up with good food, as fast as possible, and without blowing the food budget. That’s why most food lovers think of her as Rachel Ray, chef for real people.
