Customer Reviews

Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals

5 star:		(45)
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3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

"Rachael Ray is a very busy lady" - so says the back of Ray's new book, "Express Lane Meals". With a show on the Food Network, a slew of cookbooks and a recent magazine venture, you would think that she has no time left to write another book. But obviously, this wonder woman has found the time to do it again!

This book is focused on those of us who come home from work, exhausted, but still want a good, quality meal on the table without a lot of fuss. In Express Lane Meals, Ray emphasizes that this can be done - with a well stocked pantry and freezer - plus a few simple ingredients that you can pick up at the store on your way home. The secret is this - about every two weeks (or less depending on your usage), you do a "big shop", where you buy all the staple pantry/freezer/fridge ingredients that you keep on hand(ex: eggs, Parmesan cheese, pasta, frozen corn, lemons, canned beans, etc.) and then, you combine these ingredients with a few fresh items - and presto - you have quick, delicious dinners faster than you can say checkout!

The food is typical Ray fare: lots of pastas, some Tex-mex and Asain, plus plenty of Italian. The recipes are really nice and tasty with everything from Balsalmic Chicken with White Beans and Wilted Spinach to Thai-Style Grilled Beef in Broth with a Lot o' Noodles. Each recipe features the "Express Lane Shopping List" (what you need to pick up at the store) as well as a list of ingredients that you should have on hand from those 'big shop' days. This is a really handy feature and it helps you to be organized so that you are not caught without your necessities.

The book is divided into three sections: Meals for the Exhausted, Meals for the Not Too Tired, Bring it On! This allows you to choose from super easy to more complicated meals. I also like the "Master List" for the big shop days - this gives a good idea of what a well stocked pantry should be. It certainly gave me a few ideas that I didn't think of!

I would recommend this book for working moms, harried executives, busy families, college students or those of us who simply want a nice home cooked meal without a lot of fuss. You really can't go wrong with any of her books. Well done!

`Express Lane Meals' by Rachael Ray, the '30 Minute Meal' diva does `pantry cooking' right where almost everyone else gets some important part of this concept wrong.

I always feel the need to justify my liking Rachael Ray's books and TV Show, since my personal taste in cooking runs to masters of the serious and elaborate recipes of Julia Child, Paula Wolfert, and Marcella Hazan.

First, Rachael has a twist to her '30 Minute Meal' shows which I have seen no one else do. That is, like a printed recipe, Rachael starts by ticking off the ingredients she will need for her. Then, she gives more than the average information on how she preps and how to do it for the 30-minute meal objective.

Second, Rachael uses very few gadgets and tricks in her prep work. I usually see no more than a very good Santoku knife, a microplane, some wooden spoons, a spatula and a vegetable peeler. She occasionally uses the food processor she rarely uses the microwave. To be sure, she uses a lot of pots and pans, but one would probably be able to do everything Rachael does with two large skillets, two large saute pans, an 8 or 12 quart stock pot, and a two burner grilling surface.

Third, Rachael manages to carry out her 30-minute strategy with relatively few prepared products. And, one can always easily make your own versions of those prepared items such as stocks, salsas, and sauces if you wish.

Fourth, Rachael rarely gets into the `weekend prep ahead' mode popular with some quick cooking advocates. I suspect that if you really have not much more than 30 minutes to cook on a Monday, your weekends are probably also pretty well booked up, so you don't really have much time to do 3 to 4 hours of prep work, labeling, and freezing.

Fifth, I really believe that most of Rachael's recipes can be done within 30 minutes, IF you have good kitchen skills and a well organized kitchen and you can move around the kitchen quickly AND you know the recipe by heart. That's a lot of ifs, but if you are serious about good cooking quickly, these are things you must have.

I have seen many cookbooks claim to present whole chapters of pantry only recipes, where every recipe includes at least one ingredient I, who cooks every day, would not imagine keeping in my pantry. Rachael solves that problem by billing her message in this book as how to shop and cook based on the two or three items you can buy quickly on the way home to supplement what you will have in your pantry. Rachael also avoids the stance that you must run out and buy all the things in her pantry list. She is much closer to the sage advice from Madhur Jaffrey who said that you build your pantry by buying what you need for each recipe. What Rachael's list gives you is the assurance that a particular pantry item such as capers or shallots is a genuinely useful thing to have around for recipes in her books.

I have mixed feelings about Rachael's advice on the spice cabinet. I once read a distinctly minority opinion claiming that the value gained by throwing out spices over 6 months old is misplaced. This writer said she commonly checks all her spices by smell before using in a recipe and if they seem just a bit weak, she simply uses more of them. I submit that this makes sense especially if you avoid dried herbs and spices that simply don't work very well, such as basil and parsley, and if you get the whole spices such as nutmeg and black pepper. I have a bottle of whole nutmegs which is easily a year old, and my freshly ground spice from this bottle would put ground nutmeg fresh off the supermarket shelves to shame. But I still endorse her suggestion of getting the smallest size available (except for the really frequently used stuff like salt, pepper, cinnamon, and thyme).

Overall, I think Rachael's list of pantry items is one of the best I have seen, although I have a few suggestions. For example, I would not buy pre-grated Pecorino Romano. I'm also just a bit surprised that Rachael calls for two bunches of parsley in the fridge, yet she makes no provision for backup storage (what the bookstores call `overstock') of extra (usually unrefrigerated) unopened containers of mustard, mayonnaise, capers, hot sauce, and Worchestershire sauce. I also think the suggestions from the `wine rack' could have been better. Instead of 750 ml bottles of wine, I get the 3 liter (4 bottles worth) `wine in a box' packages which last me for about 3 months of cooking and `sampling'.

My biggest arguments with Miss Rachael concern canned tomatoes and her `diced fire roasted tomatoes'. First, every serious Italian cooking writer recommends using canned whole tomatoes rather than diced, crushed, or pureed product. I confess that the time taken to mush up the whole tomatoes may take a bit from the precious 30 minutes, but I suspect the difference in quality of the final dish is worth it. And, I have been listening to Miss Rachael for about a year now putting `diced fire roasted tomatoes' into her recipes and I have finally located a Muir Glen product in the Health Foods section, thanks to reference from my far flung correspondents!

The very best thing about this book is that Rachael mantains her pantry / express line shopping technique throughout the book, by for every recipe citing the things you will want from your pantry and the things you will want to pick up on the way home.

This is one of Rachael's better books.

It appears most reviewers either love this cookbook or hate it. I'm firmly in the middle. I bought this book because this is a pantry-meal cookbook. No exceptional ingredients (in my opinion), doesn't take more than 30 mins (I did the Leek-y Chicken in 7 mins.) and the recipes are easy to manipulate if you want to go in another direction.

So, its a pantry-meal cookbook. Its a great place to turn when you're looking for something basic, easy and in your pantry already. I haven't loved the recipes yet--they are actually somewhat bland. But I've done them by the book, so to speak.

I didn't by her book for fine cuisine. I bought it to give me some fresh ideas when I'm feeling brain dead after a long day--and REALLY don't want to make rice and beans again or mac and cheese. I consider these recipes to be a great starting point from which I can add my own touches. The recipes that I've read, but not made, all seem solid and workable.

Anybody who juggles work/school with cooking for a family will understand what an absolute pain cookbook cooking can be. Many call for too many ingredients while not using all the ingredients (and not offering alternatives recipes that they you can follow to use up the leftover ingredients). When the quick-and-easy cooking shows and cookbooks started popping up, I resisted the urge to purchase them because, as I told my husband, "it's not how fast you can make it that counts, it's how many ingredients you have to use and buy that make it easy."

Rachael Ray's addresses this issue, and this cookbook basically works off that theory. She includes a list of things to stock your pantry with (she suggests accumulating as you go instead of going out and getting everything on the list) and her recipes rely heavily on ingredients from the pantry list. Therefore, in theory, all you have to do is buy a few select items fresh from the grocery store. She makes identifying these items easy by noting all the things you need to purchase fresh in the upper right corner of each recipe; and, underneath it, she lists the pantry items so you can check to make sure you still have them on hand. This makes shopping so much easier and, for my family, is well worth the price of the book.

The recipes themselves are separated into 3 sections: recipes requiring minimal fresh ingredients (or even none, since some can be made solely from pantry items) for days when you're very tired or short on time, more elaborate recipes, and one section that bridges the two for those who have a little more time but still don't want anything too complicated.

From what I've seen and tried, the recipes are all simple and require very few gadgets and little technical skill. Rachael Ray's forte is making quick aned easy meals that taste like they took more time and effort to make without breaking the wallet. My husband likes that the recipes are user friendly (so he can take over dinner-duty every now and then) and I love that I can it's easy to coordinate meals and draft shopping lists with this book.

This is a fantastic book for people who juggle work with home and don't want to compromise the quality of their food or their time and money. It's also a fantastic starter book for anybody who wants to start cooking more and wants to 1) know how to stock up a pantry and 2) know how to maximize that pantry.

I am always surprised to hear people say they don't like Ray's books. I have most of them, and everything I have ever made has been wonderful. I am an "accomplished cook" like one of the other reviewers, but instead of finding the cookbook full of cute stuff, I find that it is the perfect antidote to my insanely hectic days as a teacher. (We don't get home at 3--just an aside!!) I bought the few items I didn't already have from the suggested "keep on hand" list, and even on the nights that I haven't planned ahead, I can make a quick, healthy, tasty meal using one of her recipes. And as for the "methods" Ray always talks about, they've saved my exhausted self on many a day--got some beans, pasta, broth/stock, a few spices, garlic and onions? Some veggies? You've got dinner! (In way less than 30 minutes.)
While many of the recipes do take me a little longer than 30 minutes, most of them are right around that time. My problem is that I prep everything first, unlike Ray does. If you follow her recipes verbatim, you'll find that your times are close. (My knife skills aren't quite as quick, either.)
My favorite recipe from the book so far would have to be the Eggplant/veggie stew. It was really rich and flavorful--my husband said he knew there wasn't, but it seemed like there was meat in it. I also loved the one pot spicy chicken and couscous recipe.
As for some of the health concerns: I agree that occasionally Ray errs on the side of too much fat (oil, cheese, butter, oversized meat portions) but I adjust the recipes to what I know makes more sense: less of those, add more vegetables. And if you take them exactly as they are, they're still healthier than eating out, by a long shot.
Ray is my go-to helper in the kitchen, and this is my favorite book so far. Easy, tasty, and quick.

I love the recipies in this book. They all sound so good and they work out very well.

But, there is no way these are 30 minute meals. I suppose if I had everything already preped and ready to cook, that would be true, but to suggest that these are simple and quick to prepare and cook is just misleading. And the portions are way out of wack for how many people thay are supposed to feed. I did the french bread pizza for four, and had enough to feed ten (if I had had enough bread).

Still, the food is good and well thought out. I will continue to use this book for at least one meal a week, if just to make something new for my family. But I will not believe the claims of how quick and easy it is to make.

This book is fabulous for our busy life! R.R. not only presents fabulous meals/recipes (all of them 30 min. or less preparation, she provides a shopping list for each menu. The only thing I wish she would include (but doesn't) is the calorie/nutritional information for the recipes. Her portion sizes are large, and she uses a lot of olive oil, so it would be nice to be able to re-portion in accordance with my personal calorie needs. However, the food is so delicious my whole family loves everything I've tried so far!!

This has to be the best "30-Minute Meals" book yet. I find the detailed lists of pantry ingredients in the first section of the book very helpful. I have been using Rachael's methods for about eight months now and have become quite proficiant in the kitchen because of it. I've even been able to prepare some of my favorites in about 15 minutes! The part I was having trouble with, however was shopping for all the ingredients. I'm just cooking for two (my husband and I) and when going to the grocery store, I always feel so unorganized and end up buying everything in the store but what we actually need. Then it always seems I can never cook/use everything I've over-purchased before it spoils. Rachael gives excellent advice on initially stocking your pantry, storing fresh herbs and veggies and freezing meats and liquid perishables you bought on-sale to use later. I especially like the well appointed express lane shopping lists in the back of the book that are broken down into grocery store departments.

I think this would be a great gift for a bridal shower. Many brides now days didn't learn to cook in the kitchen with mom growing up and are simply lost when it comes to cooking and grocery shopping. Rachael can help them start off on the right foot with this very informative book.

I have 5 of Rachael's other books and I have to say this one is by far my favorite. Not only are the meals delicious--at least the 1/3 or so of them I've already made--but it's the one all my friends who need to learn how to cook/ are just begining to are getting because in addition to how easy the menus are I just love the concept behind it and how it's organized. Most of the meals really are made with fairly common ingredients avaiable from most markets. And no, you don't really need to keep all of the things she reccomends around all the time (I certainly don't because there must be about 60!!!)... they're just suggestions!!! I also like the way she divides up the meals according to how much effort they take, ie. "Meals for the Exhausted," "Meals for the not TOO tired" and "Bring it on! (But, Be Gentle)" because how many times have I gotten dinner on the table much later than intended just because all that chopping took way longer than it would if I'd had just a bit more sleep the night before?

I must say, this cookbook is a huge disappointment. I have watched Rachael's shows for years, but I haven't purchased one of her books in a while. Please, SAVE YOUR MONEY!! This book must be the worst cookbook that I have ever owned or seen! First of all, it is so cheaply produced, it's laughable. It's paperback, as usual, and it has hardly any pictures. I think there are only 8 or 9 pictures in the front of the book and that's it! As for the recipes, she has already made most of them on her show, Thirty Minute Meals. I suggest just visiting Food Network's site and printing out whatever recipes you would like. You can print them sized for a 3x5 or a 4x6 index card, and then just paste it on cards for your recipe collection.

Also, this book is so poorly organized! The table of contents is no help at all, and the way they have chosen to group recipes is rather odd. It's basically, quick and easy, moderately quick and easy, then more complicated and involved. It would be much more user friendly to group the recipes by meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and/or by type of food (chicken, fish, pasta dishes).

I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that Ms. Ray just churns these books out as fast as she can in order to capitalize on her popularity as much as possible. This book has to be the worst she has offered, as it's just a useless gimmick to grab a quick sale. The lure of the "express" meal, or thirty minute dinner is great. However, when I think about it, many of my cookbooks contain wonderful recipes that I can make within 30 or 40 minutes. I strongly recommend the Everyday Italian book by Giada de Laurentiis. That cookbook is organized wonderfully, and includes many more pictures. My friends, family and I have all made many of these recipes in 30 to 45 minutes. Most of them are fairly easy, without too many ingredients. It's just that Giada doesn't try to obtain the sale from this fast and easy 30 minute angle.