Rachael Ray: Just In Time

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.

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

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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.

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