30-minute Meals 2

My wife uses Rachael's books almost everyday. They are written for an American audience but the majority of ingredients are available in the UK too. Since buying them we have never eaten so well. Like Ms. Ray says on her TV show - 'Yum O!'

good tips

This is a good book but all of the measurements were American and it was too much trouble to covert it all.

Having found 30-Minute Meals to be a wonder of simplicity, time-efficiency, and variations on a few key ingredients, I expected more of the same in this book. Oops! I was mistaken. But the surprises are for the most part good ones.Let me list those surprises for you:1. In this book, you usually get a three-dish meal where in 30-Minute Meals the recipes are for individual dishes. In most cases, I was boggled by the sophistication and variety Ms. Ray brought to these meals. They are simply beyond what I would have ever imagined that I could create on my own (as a thaw-and-zap kind of cook . . . who can also slice and dice and toss on fresh ingredients as a topping). But when I read what I had to do, it was clear that I could easily create everything in the cookbook. Boy, do I feel great!2. If you are a pretty limited cook like me, I think you'll need more than 30 minutes for some of these meals . . . just because there are so many more dishes and ingredients to handle. But you'll figure out which ones those are just by reading the recipes. I doubt if any of these meals would take me longer than 45 minutes. I feel confident I could do more than half in 30 minutes or less.3. One of my complaints about cooking for one or two is that you can end up with a lot of leftovers. If the dishes are ones that you only want to eat twice a year, that's a drawback. Ms. Ray has an astonishing section called double-duty dinners where you end up storing half of the recipe to be turned into a different meal on another occasion. For example, an impressive Spanish Beef and Rice dinner is turned into ingredients for a stuffed-chilies dinner. I would never have thought of such a good idea. It's a very impressive section of the book.4. The ingredient repertoire is much more extensive. Some complain that Ms. Ray in 30-Minute Meals gives you just a few ingredients in an infinite number of ways . . . so that you don't get enough variety. In the name of authenticity, some of the recipes in this book require items you may not have in your kitchen. But if you plan ahead, it should be no problem. I didn't see any items that aren't in my local bargain-basement supermarket. Even I know where the fresh ginger is displayed.5. The desserts were an interesting revelation to me in providing opportunities for quick variety. While in some cases, it's just another way of serving ice cream or sorbet . . . there are also some impressive short-cuts to getting sophisticated results with a few ingredients and a little time, such as for chocolate cups with whipped cream, quick Tiramisu, and Margarita granita.6. While in the earlier book you would probably end up making every dish at some point, with this book you'll probably pick and choose. The taste and style palates are much broader than standard American fare, and some won't be appealing to you. But with so many menus, I'm sure you'll find plenty that you do like . . . which will become new favorites of your family!Clearly, Ms. Ray goes far beyond her objective of helping you to make meals that your family will love and want to enjoy with you. Fast food and take-out food will look pretty unappealing to those who've enjoyed the wonderful meals in this book.Bon appetit!