Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals [Spiral-bound]

Rachael Ray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2005

Curl up in front of the fire with the delicious homespun fare of Rachael's comfort food. Treat yourself with these Top 30 meals, a collection of her greatest hits. The perfect way to unwind after a busy day--you deserve it!

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lake Isle Press (September 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189110523X
• ISBN-13: 978-1891105234
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

236 of 250 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rachael Ray becomes a brand., November 30, 2005

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals (Spiral-bound)

This title and three others like it by Rachael Ray in the 'Top 30 30 minute meals' series are, for the content, relatively expensive and inconveniently sized volumes of recipes reprinted from Rachael's previous books. Looking through two of the titles I recognize every recipe I see from earlier books. While Rachael is the nominal author of these books, I fully believe they were assembled by her publisher and a copy editor with maybe a day's input from Miss Rachael for all four books together.

This is becoming a common practice among major cookbook authors, with Mark Bittman's re-releasing his 'How to Cook Everything' in three volumes, cumulatively more expensive than the original book.

One may for a moment equate these books with the music world's 'Best of' releases, but the experience is simply not the same. A 'Best of' album's tracks are based on a genuine audience vote with their purchases and air play. These recipes are simply Rachael's opinion and that of a few of her colleagues. The parallel also breaks down in the sense that listening to, for example, 'The Who's top twelve hits introduces you to a whole new experience of listening to 'My Generation', 'I'm Free', and 'I Can See for Miles' on the same album.

My 3 star rating is not based on the quality of the recipes. It is a warning that these volumes are, in fact, reprints and not new recipes. So, if you already own many or most of Rachael's books already, you may be disappointed if you buy these books.

One other consideration if you do NOT own any of Rachael's books is that for not too much more money, you can get 10 times as many recipes in her 'No Repeats' book of almost all new recipes.

In every way, this is a better purchase than one or all of these minibook samplers.

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars YOU ALREADY HAVE RECIPES IF YOU HAVE HER OTHER BOOKS, December 15, 2005

By 

kiwanissandy "Go Bucks!" (Heart of Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals (Spiral-bound)

These recipes are just knock-offs of the other 30 minute meal books. It's a very small cookbook, maybe a stocking stuffer? But if you own any of her other 30 minute books you've already got every recipe listed. There were very few pictures so you don't know how the recipes are suppose to actually look. Not worth the price. Each book only has 25 recipes or so...expensive per recipe.

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let its size fool you, January 3, 2006

By 

Melissa "Miss" (WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals (Spiral-bound)

This book is small but the recipes were outstanding. I was a skeptic because I thought everyone bought her books because of the show. The first recipe I made was worth the money I spent on the book. It doesn't take up much space either so don't let its size fool you. There aren't many recipes I wouldn't make.