Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
Cookbook Review
Review of a 30-Minute Meals Cookbook
This Rachael Ray 365 No Repeats cookbook review is my opinion of the quality of the recipes in this 30-minute meals cookbook.
It's filled with classic Rachael Ray recipes, but she also provides alternatives to a number of them. By switching up a few of the ingredients, you have a totally different meal. Brilliant!
Cookbook Description
The "365" in the title of this cookbook refers to a new recipe for each day of one year. So, obviously, this is a big cookbook. In her introduction to the book, Rachael says coming up with that many recipes almost killed her. But she also says:
"I wanted to write a book that inspired people to become more creative and instinctual when they cook. I wanted to put together an assortment of 30-Minute Meals so broad it conveyed the idea that once you get the hang of it, cooking gets easier and easier–so easy that you could prepare dinner every single night for a year and never eat the same thing twice and still not have to spend your life in the kitchen."
That philosophy is really the crux of what Rachael Ray's approach is all about, and it's definitely what I got from the cookbook. I haven't tried every recipe in the book, but I probably have tried at least 60% of them. Some meals are simple, while others are fancier and suitable for company.
There's good old American food, but there's also a wide variety of ethnically-influenced recipes. She has some specialty categories, such as:
- Super fast suppers
- Make your own take out
- Bowl dinners
- Romantic dinners
- ... and lots more
She also has a number of recipes where you can start with a master recipe and then change a few ingredients to make it a totally different kind of meal. That's really what was the inspiration for my approach to throwing together meals and then offering a number of variations.
Pros About 365: No Repeats
What I like most about this cookbook is that the recipes are just so darn good. Out of all the ones I've tried, I don't think I've found more than one or two I wasn't crazy about. And a couple of my all-time favorite recipes come from this cookbook. Although I'm not very good about getting a meal on the table in only 30 minutes, I can make most of these in under an hour.
There's great variety in flavors and main ingredients. Rachael Ray has gotten me to try a lot of new foods over the years. I found out I like fresh asparagus, goat cheese, risotto and lots more.
I also like that on each recipe page of this cookbook, there are two checkboxes: one for "Try this later" and one for "It's a Keeper". Makes it easy to go back to recipes when you want to. Of course, the book is well indexed too.
Cons About 365: No Repeats
There's not a lot of negatives I can give you about this cookbook. It's probably my favorite cookbook of all time. But one little complaint... the recipes are numbered (for the day of the year, I guess) and also have a page number. The index is by page number, but it's the day number that is most prominent on the page. I found this a bit confusing at first when trying to find recipes.
I honestly can't think of much else to say on the down side...
Rating: 10 stars
In Summary
If you want to learn how to cook creatively by making flavorful and quick easy dinners, then this is a great cookbook to start with. Rachael Ray will teach you how to use seasonings and a wide variety of ingredients to craft delicious meals your family will love, no matter what your food preferences or tastes. I highly recommend Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook
You can shop for it and her other cookbooks at Amazon.com:
Looking for something?
Use the search box: