Rachel Ray magazines were largely how I learned to cook many years ago so when I saw this cookbook at the library book sale I snapped it up. Unlike other reviewers, I found this cookbook very approachable. I have a long list of meals I plan to make. Yes, I will need to pick up some things at the grocery store but thisbook never claims to be one where you cook completely from your pantry. ( )

Great ideas for whatever time you have! ( )

The recipes look good. I haven't tried many yet. Most call for ingredients I don't have just laying in my pantry. Also, none of the recipes list the number of servings. I find this odd and a bit frustrating. For the high reviews it got, I was a bit disappointed. ( )

I'll admit it -- I love watching Rachel Ray's cooking shows, so when I spotted her new cookbook at the library I grabbed it to try. I'm glad I didn't buy my own copy. The cover plainly states that the majority of the recipes are simple enough to be made in under 30 minutes. Some are, admittedly, 60 minute "slow-it-down" meals, and some purport to be do-able in 15. If you're comfortable in the kitchen, you could probably manage most in the time allocated. But be sure to pre-read: don't count on having everything called for on hand unless your kitchen is very well stocked. I cook. My cupboard isn't stellar, but I do a fair amount of from-scratch cooking, so it's decently stocked with staples. I also live in a rural area: our grocery stores didn't have a number of the ingredients called for.

Bottom line: if you're a fan of hamburgers that take half a page of ingredients, you're located in an area with a good grocer; if you're good at reading recipes, making lists, and then scouring stores for esoteric ingredients, then this may be a good cookbook for you.

As for me, I'll continue to enjoy Rachel on TV, and maybe check out her cookbook before a trip to the city.

I was hoping to find some quick ideas, but as is usual, Rachael Ray disappoints. Maybe it is just the way we eat, healthy and mostly vegetarian, but we didn't find a single recipe to try. Oh, well. ( )