CookBook Evaluations!! Whoooo!!

I'm a big of fan of Rachael Ray, so I decided to compare one of her best selling books, "Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All Occasion Cookbook," to Paula Deen's cookbook, "Paula Deen's Kitchen Wisdom."

In Rachael Ray's cookbook, she includes a variety of simple, yet delicious recipes that a person can whip up in a matter of the 30 minutes. I think the 30 minute time frame is for more experienced cookers who know their way around the kitchen. For a newbie in the kitchen, Rachael Ray is a great way to start but it'll definitely take longer than 30 minutes. Also, a person needs to know which recipe they plan on using at least one day ahead of time because some meals need extra preparation; that's why the meals only take 30 minutes! The intended audience is more for the on-the-go cooker. It's great for a single person living on their own or even for a family without a stay at home to cook all day long. The meals are great because there are about 150 varieties to choose from and they're really simple. They're for the more than average cook and the not-so-average cook. The visual component of the cookbook is well thought out. There's a balanced mixture of words and pictures. What's nice about the pictures is that they come in different sizes so it goes well with the text and they layout isn't completely the same from page to page. The cookbook establishes its authority because Rachael Ray is well known because of her many TV shows such as 30-Minute Meals and The Rachael Ray Show as well as several others. She's a celebrity where her reputation definitely precedes her.

In Paula Deen's book, the recipes are written in a more southern dialect and can be difficult to understand at times. Deen also takes the cookbook to another level by not only including family recipes, but also some old family stories. She gets personal with her audience as she shares with them a meal and a little bit about her past. While some audience members like that kind of personable level that Deen offers, others, like me, do not. It distracts from the book's true intent, which is to convey recipes! I also didn't think it was organized effectively because the cookbook also serves like a personal journal for a person to keep. The journal aspect of it would distract from the food recipes. Visually, there could definitely be a lot more pictures. Pictures are useful in cookbooks because that's what helps people decide what to make and helps them in knowing what the food should turn out looking like.

Overall, I think Rachael Ray had the better cookbook. I felt like it had more quality to it and it still provided that certain ease and comfort level with food.