| Rachael Ray is the latest sensation from the Food Network, even though her program, 30-Minute Meals, has been on for a while. It's just taken a bit of time for viewers to realize that there's a certain genius to the idea that you, yes you!, can have real food in half an hour. Ray's personality is so damn perky and she's so unintimidating that you watch the show and believe that you have the skills and desire to make some tarragon chicken, and by gum, it will be good. Coming from a less likable chef, we might not be as inspired.
You get to know Ray pretty fast. So fast that you can create and play a Rachael Ray Drinking Game within the first couple episodes you watch! So break out the cooking sherry and play along:
Every time she giggles, sip (because she does it A LOT).
Every time she says EVOO, her much-used abbreviation for extra-virgin olive oil, take a drink.
When she doesn't give a measurement but tells you to "eyeball it," take a drink.
And if she mentions her sweetie, Trevor, time to chug!
In a typical episode Ray prepares a three-course meal. Most of the recipes seem uncomplicated and pretty tasty. It's not like the fancy-schmancy gourmet shows that start off with a recipe that sounds promising then ruin it with the last ingredient. "Here we have the makings for our stuffed chicken breasts. It's chicken, plus spinach, feta cheese, fresh roma tomatoes, and some squid and orange pate. The squid-orange pate gives it that little extra something to make this dish distinctive." Yeah, it's called our gag reflex.
Whether or not a mere mortal could actually put together one of Ray's dishes in thirty minutes depends on the mortal. Do you have a well-stocked spice cabinet in which your celery salt is less than seven years old? Do you pre-wash your herbs when you get home from the grocery store or are they marinating in filth until the last minute? Do you have plenty of counter space, or do you have to use the top of your step stool as a food preparation surface because your kitchen is so small? We're guessing that because most of us aren't quite as organized as Rachael, these meals might take a wee bit longer than half an hour, but still. These aren't the sorts of dishes that have you slaving away in the kitchen all evening.
Another nice thing about Ray's recipes is she doesn't make you feel guilty for taking the easy way out. No lectures on how making your own homemade veal stock is the only way to make a recipe worthwhile, or otherwise you might as well be eating dog food out of a can, you cretin. Even though she doesn't go as far to let you get away with EasyCheez or Cup o' Noodle, Ray's cooking certainly lacks the anally retentive perfectionism of other TV chefs who look down their nose at the store-bought graham cracker crust. And 30-Minute Meals all delivered in a perky package with a can-do attitude. Hey, if it's good enough for the almighty Trevor, then it's good enough for us.
The Vicar
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