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Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

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In the 10 years since she served up her first 30-minute meal—and thousands of delectable dinners later— Rachael Ray has learned just about all there is to know about getting a great tasting meal on the table in a hurry, whether it is one of her patented 30-minute miracles or something just a tad more involved for a special gathering. Rachael’s Big Orange Book is the ultimate resource for busy cooks. Need kitchen inspiration? It’s all here and it’s all new—and bigger than ever!

Just one for dinner tonight? Forget the cold cereal. Rach has a chapter of recipes that make dining on your own a thoroughly civilized occasion, with great meals that won’t leave you with a fridge full of leftovers. Vegetarians on the guest list? No problem! Choose from dozens of meat-free meals that are every bit as satisfying as your tried-and-true standards and savory enough to please the carnivores in your crowd. Observing a Kosher menu? Check out the selection of menus just for Kosher cooks, all ready in less than, you guessed it, 30 minutes. There's even a mother lode of burger recipes for fans of the bun—so many options you could make a different burger every day for a full month!

In addition to her latest 30-minute creations, Rachael has put together an array of menus and recipes for easy entertaining, from quick snacks to serve for game night and easy hors d’oeuvres, to soup-to-nuts menus for her favorite holidays and special occasions. Whip up a pasta buffet for a special mom on Mother’s Day, please a crowd with a super-simple Oscar party menu, and give thanks for not one but four fantastic menus that keep holiday stress to a minimum by getting you out of the kitchen in record time.

Best of all, these recipes have all the huge flavors you’ve come to expect from Rachael, with something to please every taste—and every food budget. You’ll even find the treasured family recipes that Rachael and her husband, John, have enjoyed for years; see if they don’t become beloved family traditions in your home as well. Whether this is your first introduction to cooking the 30-minute way or you are a long-time convert, you’ll find irresistible new recipes here to make the most of every second you spend in the kitchen.

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2008

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About the author

Rachael Ray

85 books295 followers
Rachael Domenica Ray is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosted the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray. Other programs to her credit include 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and the reality format shows Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off. Ray has written several cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won three Daytime Emmy Awards.

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5 stars
532 (39%)
4 stars
361 (26%)
3 stars
295 (21%)
2 stars
108 (7%)
1 star
56 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Darlene.
734 reviews32 followers
December 20, 2008
Rachael Ray is another of my favorite Food Network personalities and her new Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book doesn't disappoint. I've always laughed though at the concept of 30-minute meals because no matter how hard I try most things take me longer than that. However, I have gotten many great cooking ideas from Rachael over the years and have tried out many of the meal ideas I've gotten from her show and for the most part they are quite fast to prepare. I always marvel at how quickly things come together for her in the kitchen. I really like her bright personality and her quirky sayings like EVOO for extra virgin olive oil or sammies for a sandwich or better yet stoup for not quite a soup or stew-lol. She can always brighten my day with her big smile and laughter.


On to the cookbook-it is big and it is orange, reason being orange is Rachael's favorite color-it makes her feel inspired, curious and happy-the same words she uses to describe her love of food. The entire book is 360 pages and there are some great sections in this book including Burgers, Vegetarian, Meals for One, and the famous 30-Minute Meals to just name a few and this edition contains nearly 200 brand new 30-minute meals for us to try out. What I like about Rachael's recipes is that they are easy enough for the normal person to try and they don't take forever to put together. In addition, the recipes include ingredients I can buy at my local supermarket. The recipes are nicely laid out but I would have liked to see more pictures. For me, I always connect the pictures to the recipes and it makes them much more appealing.


I ventured to try more than a few recipes in this book but I'll only mention a few. One of my favorites is the Sweet 'n' "Sauer" Cabbage Soup. I love cabbage in anything. This recipe is an interesting combination of some of my favorite things like ham, cabbage, hash browns and beans to name a few of the ingredients. It was wonderful and the perfect meal to warm your belly on a cold day in Canada. I am not much of a beef eater but Rachael has a wonderful Salmon Burger in the Burger section that I love. Made with a salmon fillet and some yummy additions along with a great sauce to spread on I was in heaven. Salmon burgers are one of my favorite meals and I'm always looking for new ways to try them and I wasn't disappointed in this one.


There are many, many more recipes to try. I could on but this post would take forever then. You'll just have to get the book and try some out for yourself and come back and tell me if you liked any of them. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone who loves Rachael Ray and loves to cook. Hey you could even throw in something like her GB bowls or pots and pans. You can check out here website here. There is plenty to browse through and enjoy. This great cookbook was released by Random House on November 4, 2008.

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Profile Image for K.
174 reviews
December 27, 2012
The layout and lack of variety were big set backs for me. I think you could edit rachael ray's dinners down into onion, tomato, bean, protein, and rice/pasta on the side. Good for very basic cooks but in the 'big book' i expected more.
84 reviews
February 6, 2024
Not as good as some of her other cookbooks. There are a few good recipes in here but not a lot of variety. The Starters and Snacks section has ten variations of deviled eggs and there is a Burger section with eighteen variations of burgers. Other sections include Kosher, Vegetarian, Meals For One and one section devoted to recipes from her mother and mother-in-law.
1,957 reviews
April 25, 2022
One of Rachael's better books. Very nice recipes. She uses acceptable (to me) shortcuts to keep the cooking prep time in the 30 minute range.
Profile Image for Amy.
5 reviews
July 25, 2019
You did that hungry!! I loved it, every twist and turn caught me by surprise!! I can’t wait to read more of your books....
Profile Image for Steven Peterson.
Author 19 books330 followers
May 3, 2009
Why the title? Ray herself says (Page 8): "It's orange simply because orange is my favorite color." Simple enough! This has the normal complement of 30 minute meals. However, there are some features to this volume that attracted me to order it: vegetarian meals, holiday menus, some recipes longer than 30 minutes (breaking out of one's mold is a plus to me), Kosher meals.

Some few examples. . . .

30-minute meals: "That's Shallota Flavor Spaghetti" (ugh for the bad pun!). A meatless pasta dish (consistent with my family's wishes). Extra virgin olive oil (what Ray calls EVOO), butter, garlic, shallots, salt and pepper, spaghetti (she calls for wheat, but that would not be necessary), parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Very simple to make. I have not yet tried this, but looking at the recipe, this is a "can't miss" recipe.

"Roasted Pork Tenderloins with Escalloped Apples." My family wants me to lay off pork tenderloin. But this recipe might change their minds! Lemon zest, Montreal steak seasoning, thyme, EVOO, pork tenderloins, butter, apples, salt, flour, lemon juice, and sugar. Another pretty straightforward recipe, and one that I hope can get my family to give pork tenderloin another chance!


I cook a lot of chicken dishes (lower cholesterol and fat). Here's a goodie. "Chicken cutlets and spaghetti with pepper and onions." Some pasta dishes that take more than 30 minutes. . . . "Elsa's Baked Ziti." And "Basil Cream Sauce with Pasta."

So, this is a fine cookbook, accessible to ordinary folks who want to try some different dishes. I am very much looking forward to trying out some of the recipes already mentioned. As cookbooks go, this is a nice addition to the literature.
Profile Image for Carrie.
58 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2016
I got this book as a holiday present. In my earlier days, I really liked Ray, a lot. My food horizons have expanded as of late and I turn to her recipes less frequently than before. [return][return]I can still appreciate what she does, though, and this is a good book: it compiles her best recipes from previous books. I admire Ray because she encourages using natural, whole ingredients. She also really pushes for people to make their own food instead of ordering take-out. In fact, I think she has whole chapters devoted to "Make Your Own Take-Out." Her Southern Italian heritage figures heavily into her cooking. Otherwise, if it's authenticity you're looking for, you won't find it here, but the recipes are good nonetheless. And fairly quick.

Merged review:

I got this book as a holiday present. In my earlier days, I really liked Ray, a lot. My food horizons have expanded as of late and I turn to her recipes less frequently than before. returnreturnI can still appreciate what she does, though, and this is a good book: it compiles her best recipes from previous books. I admire Ray because she encourages using natural, whole ingredients. She also really pushes for people to make their own food instead of ordering take-out. In fact, I think she has whole chapters devoted to "Make Your Own Take-Out." Her Southern Italian heritage figures heavily into her cooking. Otherwise, if it's authenticity you're looking for, you won't find it here, but the recipes are good nonetheless. And fairly quick.
Profile Image for Lori.
1,721 reviews
April 19, 2016
Just finished going through this cook book today. Like all cookbooks this is broken down to different categories. I found this a bit unique since it even includes Kosher meals. There are categories for meat such as chicken, pork beef and some fish recipes. Some are meals you can cook in 30 minutes or less and there is a section for meals that take longer. Some meals can be done at Holidays year round. I liked looking at the recipes since some look pretty good. I probably would not try some since by the time you bought all the ingredients it would be too costly, but that is just me. There are a lot of recipes to try and I am sure most readers would find ones they would like to try.
Profile Image for Marjanne.
583 reviews5 followers
February 7, 2009
This is a huge collection of recipes. Many of them seem new, though there are some that I have seen in Ray's other books. When I read through cook books I usually note the page numbers of the recipes that sound interesting to me. I came away with numbers for 40 recipes from this book! And if they are anything like other recipes from Ray there will definitely be a good handful that make it into my regular dinner/cooking rotation. This looks like a good one (and probably good to give as a gift too).
Profile Image for Sue.
595 reviews1 follower
Read
August 19, 2009
I don't usually like Rachael Ray, but I saw her on QVC (one of my weaknesses) and she made Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake. I knew I had to check out the book just for that recipe.

Since checking this book out from my library I've found that I may have to pick this one up for my cookbook shelf. There are several recipes in here that I would like to try and they seem simple enough even for me! If you like cookbooks give this a whirl, even if Rachel Ray isn't normally your cup of tea.
Profile Image for Di.
126 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2009
I'm not necessarily into Rachel Ray, but I have to give her credit for her recipes. 8 out of 10 times they're very good.

This recent cookbook has a good deal of variety and what we've tried from it is pretty darn tasty. We do tend to tweak the recipes a tad to make them lighter versions - while staying true to the original concepts.
Profile Image for Sherrie.
747 reviews7 followers
July 27, 2011
This book has some great recipes in it. 30 minute recipes is what I was looking for. Something fast and yummy. There's lots of great recipes. I found one that I'm going to try out. Pork Chops in Tangy Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce, I'll have to adjust the recipe, haven't got some of the stuff, but I think it will be alright. If you get a chance pick this book up. Well worth the read.
Profile Image for Chris.
458 reviews4 followers
August 12, 2013
We have some family favorites in this cookbook, but I always feel so harried while cooking her recipes. Thirty minutes if you do all the prep beforehand then cook nonstop for 30 minutes! However, we use it enough that we have one pot that we refer to as "the Rachael Ray pot" and Parmigiano-Reggiano has been dubbed "the Rachael Ray cheese".
Profile Image for Megan.
508 reviews2 followers
August 23, 2014
I really liked this one. There's a great mix of 30-minute meals and more time intensive ones (which works for me, since I happen to love being in the kitchen). I also liked how some of the recipes have multiple dishes in them, so you have your protein, carbs and/or vegetables. It's nice when I don't want to think about what else I want to make.
45 reviews
December 19, 2008
I usually like most of her stuff, but this book was different. Out of the whole book, I only found 1 recipe I liked. There were hardly any pictures, and most of the stuff was way too fancy/overcomplicated for the Home Cook. Not her best by all means...
Profile Image for GoldenjoyBazyll.
414 reviews24 followers
January 1, 2009
Great book! Really enjoyed the jaw dropping asparagus pasta receipe!!!! Also, love that she put in a section of receipes that are longer than 30 minutes for those of us that would enjoy a more indepth project!
Profile Image for Ryan.
Author 1 book37 followers
November 12, 2009
Made some great meals from here, all of which were totally high quality and very delicious. There was one recipe with eggplants that I'll have to try again. The vegetarian chili and sloppy joes were AWESOME!
1,481 reviews
March 13, 2009
I'm a big fan of Rachael Ray and her cookbooks. Having said that, I was a little disappointed in this one. It lacks the simplicity of some of her other books. Maybe she has just done too many. There are still some recipes in the book that I plan to try.
Profile Image for Sarah.
114 reviews9 followers
January 11, 2010
Got this from the library on a whim. Underwhelming. Very meat-centric, and mostly pretty unhealthy, recipes. The vegetarian section is a selection of uninspired pasta dishes, and would mostly leave you hungry again in an hour.
Profile Image for angrykitty.
1,120 reviews13 followers
February 7, 2010
ok, so i bought this for my mom for christmas, and then after looking at it, i decided to buy a copy for myself. it has a lot more pics than her other cookbooks and that really does make a difference....
Profile Image for Josie.
239 reviews29 followers
January 6, 2012
I found quite a few recipes that I believe I am able to make.

They are set out in straight-forward english language. There are a few ingredients that are not native to my shelves, but with some planning, it would be possible to encorporate them into other recipes.
Profile Image for Wendy.
15 reviews
December 29, 2012
While I love Rachael Ray and this has some good recipes, it seemed that the same recipes were repeated with slight variations several times throughout. I borrowed from the library. It is not a cookbook I would purchase.
1,270 reviews8 followers
March 15, 2014
Rachael's recipes really suit me. She's an impatient cook like me and likes to multitask in the kitchen. Plus, she's not afraid of spice. There are several good recipes in this book. Her 30 minute meals always end up being about 40 minutes for me, but that's fine.
Profile Image for Sarah .
1,141 reviews23 followers
December 29, 2014
I made the buffalo chicken pot pie. It tasted good, and I added more veggies, but it was kind of all beige. I should have added more colorful veggies. Personally, I found it a challenge to identify recipes I was dying to make.
Profile Image for Bobbie D..
31 reviews
September 4, 2019
Very good easy recipes

I liked the recipes in this cook book. They are easy to understand and follow. I wish there where more Desert recipe, other then buying store brought pies. Buying stores brought pies should not be in a recipe book in my opinion.
1,594 reviews3 followers
December 30, 2019
I got this HUGE book for a big discount on Kindle - and it's so worth it. I like Ray's style. She cooks like most of us do: under time constraints and with something probably better to do. Great ideas here.
54 reviews2 followers
January 6, 2009
If Paula Deen uses butter in all of her recipes, Rachael Ray's hallmark is cheese. But I still love her. Chicken and Biscuits recipe is divine.
Profile Image for Katie Van Sloten.
13 reviews
January 13, 2009
Everything I have made from this book is so YUMMY! Most recipes can be made inexpensively and without too many difficult details.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews