30 Minute Meals Help Busy Families Cook and Enjoy Classic Dishes

Many of us would like to make sure that our famlies sit down to nutritious meals but do not know how to make the time to create healthy meals.  Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals may sold the "no time to eat right" dilemma so many of us face.

Who Is Rachael Ray?

Rachael Ray has created a successful career in helping people to cook. Her television show, 30 Minute Meals, is a popular feature on the Cable Food Network that is enjoyed by viewers looking for simple meals that can be prepared quickly. 

Ray grew up in Lake George, New York, where her family was in the restaurant business. She frequently uses recipes based on her Cajun and Italian family background. In addition to the television show, Ray is the successful author of a series of books on the 30 Minute Meals theme.  These titles include Comfort Foods, Veggie Meals, Cooking Around the Clock, Get Togethers, 365, A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners, and For Kids.

30 Minute Meals is a hit with the critics.  The show won an Emmy Award for Best Service Daytime Show in 2006. Ray's television career includes her endorsements of products.

The Appeal of the Ray's Studio Kitchen.

The celebrity cook runs a relaxed kitchen that has a nostalgic feel.  Part of ambiance includes a  1950s stove on the set. The recipes use traditional "feel good" types of ingredients, such as garlic, fresh herbs and chicken stock, that are known to enhance flavor.

The 30 Minute Meals Feature Easy Recipes and Techniques.

Generally, people think that classic dishes take a lot of preparation and cooking time. Ray, using the 30 Minute Meals method, has adapted many of these classic meals. For instance, her recipes make it possible to whip up a supper of clam chowder or macaroni and cheese within half an hour. Even dinner parties for family and friends, which can often be a hectic affair for the host, can be fun and relaxed when the 30 Minute Meals methods are employed.

Ray's website features a smorgasboard of useful tips and ideas, including her recipes and some videos demonstrating the techniques. Dishes include meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, pasta and desserts. There is also advice on how to plan a menu and how to prepare food for a party.

A lot of well-intentioned people buy cookbooks.  The problem is that these cookbooks collect dust because there's never quite enough time to use them. Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals don't face the same fate because they  encourage people to cook and to try recipes that they wouldn't have thought about before.

With 30 Minute Meals, busy families will have the time to enjoy cooking wonderful meals. 

"30 Minute Meals Help Busy Families Cook and Enjoy Classic Dishes," contributed by Bettie Larson