Rachael Ray's Look + Cook

October 4, 2010
Just when you thought Rachael Ray couldn't make preparing dinner any easier, she offers a book of 100 simple main courses, all illustrated with step-by-step photos. Cooks who aren't quite sure what dishes are supposed to look like along the way will gain confidence from the six images that accompany each entry, highlighting ingredients, techniques, and in-progress recipes. As You Like It citrus soy stir-fry calls for shelled edamame and a seeded and thinly sliced bell pepper; photos show just how these should appear when they're ready to go into the skillet. One photo supporting the individual Florentine frying-pan pizza depicts dough pressed into a skillet and being filled before baking—so there's no question about whether the reader is doing it correctly. All recipes include a photo of the finished product, too. Chapters are quintessential Ray: "Cozy Food" (cherry tomato and ravioli soup with store-bought ravioli; shepherd's pie stuffed potatoes), "Make Your Own Takeout" (Real-Deal rellenos), "Fancy Fake-Outs" (Moroccan Lemon-Olive Chicken), " ‘Yes, The Kids Will Eat It' " (chicken & broccolini with orange sauce), and, of course, "30-Minute Meals." Ray fans should find more of what they love in this book: easy meals that will please most crowds.

October 15, 2010

Celebrity chef and best-selling author Ray (Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book) here features 200 new recipes in chapters like "Cozy Food," "Make Your Own Takeout," "Fancy Fake-Outs," and "30-Minute Meals." Recipes are written for novices and include step-by-step photos. Fans are sure to find plenty of creative comfort food, such as Margarita Fish Tacos (which calls for tequila, mahimahi or halibut, and avocado) and Autumn Harvest Chili (served inside a butternut squash). [Twelve-city author tour and major national publicity.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Loyal fans of Rachel Ray will know to expect easy-to-cook dishes, lots of energy and enthusiasm (accompanied by many exclamation points), and no-fail instructions. To those features this TV host and author has added a new-for-her wrinkle: 170 entr'e recipes with at least seven to eight step-by-step color photographs, so all readers can ace the final results. Most of her total repertoire in this latest collection echoes American tastes: quick-serve meals (with more than a dollop of extra fat and calories) that reflect different ethnic influences. Italian translates, for instance, into a chicken piccata, while Asia becomes a Zin Zen chicken, and Mexican, palomilla steaks. Other sections are geared to, again, household needs: 30-minute meals and childrens taste buds. Meal accompaniments, sauces, and simple desserts (even using mixes) round out Rays latest book. An accessible collection that encourages anyone to cook without fears or qualmsbut, unfortunately, one with many unnecessary calories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)