Rachael Ray lied to me. Also, my cilantro rant.

July 25, 2008 | Filed in: Go Fly a Kite, haiku friday, kitchens are no place for playgroupies

Thirty minutes, Rach?
Let’s try FIFTY instead, k?
It was still yummy

Last Christmas I received the magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, as a gift. Now I realize that there’s a lot of hate in this world directed at Rachael, which if you ask me (and you didn’t but this is my blog so HA!), I think it’s silly. Sure she’s a little too perky and animated and I swear if she throws salt over her shoulder or says EVOO ONE MORE TIME, I may have to charge my TV and squish her head. But overall she’s just a seemingly genuine, sweet gal with a few annoying tendencies.

Her magazine freaking rocks, though. I have made many a recipe from her magazine and they are all SO GREAT. Last night I made Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup from the 30 minute section of her magazine.

Rachael flat out LIED to me. It took me fifty minutes, not the promised thirty, to make this dish. There was lots of poblano pepper blackening, corn tortilla baking, cutting kernels off fresh corn cobs….had I blessed with a sous chef, I could’ve whipped that recipe up no problemo. But one little person (me) endlessly chopping with three little children running circles around my feet and whining (Tate, Carson, and Ella), made the thirty minute preparation IMPOSSIBLE.

Luckily for Rachael, the Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup was mmm, mmm, mmm delicioso*. (*phrase courtesy of Dora’s backpack!) (Swiper no swiping my delicioso soup.)

Now onto my cilantro rant. There are two types of people in this world, those that like cilantro (Goooo cilantro luvahs!!!) and those who don’t (BOOO!!!) Frankly, those of you who don’t like cilantro can suck an egg. I DON’T GET how you cannot enjoy the yummy freshness cilantro adds, especially to a spicy or tomato-ey dish.

Cilantro fans unite! Rise in protest against our enemies! Let’s put an end to all these weirdo cilantro haters (BOO!).

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I LOVE CILANTRO!

I esp love fresh cilantro. When I buy a bundle if I can’t use it all up I dice it and freeze it in a freezer bag. It is one herb you can freeze and use without hurting the flavor or freshness.

I just diced up a fresh bundle today and I love to smell my hands before I wash them.. it just smells sooo fresh!

mojavis last blog post..by the way

i heart cilantro if it’s in salsa, soup, mixed in. i don’t heart cilantro if it’s just thrown in salad or something that’s not mushed in. make sense?

I hear that people who don’t like cilantro think it tastes like soap, like their tastebuds are physically different or something. I wouldn’t say I love cilantro, but I do think it adds a certain something. Thanks for the freezing tip, mojavi. I always end up throwing out most of the bunch because I only need a little, so I’ll give that a try.

I remember reading, wish I could remember where, about some criticism about 30 minute meals taking longer to prepare and that even Rachel Ray admitted that it was more the concept then the actual reality. When I had cable, I did enjoy watching her show, even with her quirks, and she did give some really good ideas.

Oh, and cilantro? Is all over my kitchen and in lots of the foods I cook because it’s amazingly yummy. I can’t believe I just discovered it within the past year or so.

Maggie’s Minds last blog post..Haiku Friday 7/25/08

My husband HATES cilantro, but I love it. Fortunately, I can easily add it to my portion(and teach my kids to love it so he becomes the minority). I think there’s room in the world for both of us, though.
Would you send me the recipe? I need a new soup recipe. (I know you can’t post it because of copyright and all that)

I’m sorry to say I’m a Rachel Ray hater, but I’m a cilantro LOVER. Does that make me okay?

My mom hates cilantro…claims it tastes like soap. Me? I ate so much cilantro infused Mexican food that my kids are half white/half cilantro.

I used to think fresh cilantro was Teh Blech, but that’s b/c I was introduced to it via the “OH MY FREAKING GOD, DID YOU USE THE WHOLE PLANT?” method of adding it to a dish. I mean, REALLY. Less is more, mmmkay? I almost choked, for Chrissakes.

But I do love me some cilantro. I use the hellz out of it when I cook, in fact.

How’s that for a cilantro rant? Hah.

Sarcastic Moms last blog post..Hidden treasures in my phone.

I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate cilantro, white hot passions of a thousand suns and such. But as mentioned earlier, there have been studies that prove there is a biological/chemical difference in those that love or at least appreciate cilantro and those to whom it tastes soap-like (or to me, like hot, dirty ass).

http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2005/06/22/dont_try_this_at_home/

http://www.ihatecilantro.com/research.php

For the record, I also hate ginger, rosemary and thyme.

I love love love cilantro!

Kendrawolfs last blog post..Part 8: Dark Night of the Soul

I loves me some cilantro! And that soup sounds to-die-for!

Dammit, everyone talks about cilantro and I have no idea what it is! Do they call it something else here?

Veronicas last blog post..Wits End

do u know that there are cilantro hating websites? ya, like websites dedicated to the “evilness” of cilantro! it’s so very bizarre!

@Rabbi’s Wife: I linnked to the recipe in the post, but I’ll link it again just in case…

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/corn-and-salsa-tortilla-soup/article.html

@charmingdriver: I had NO IDEA…Also people have way too much time on their hands to be making an entire website devoted to hating cilantro!!!

@shaz: bizarre is an understatement! I’m so glad we bumped into each other and met!

@mojavi: I didn’t know about the freezing tip! Thank you, I usually buy a bunch and don’t use it in time before it becomes slimy!

@rachel b.: HAAAAAA!! Does your husband know about the affair?

Where I come from it’s called Coriander, and it still stinks - bleugh!

I’ll go get that egg then, eh?

I got a good looking cilantro plant growing in my backyard, right next to my basil. very much a fan.

I get the magazine too, I also have a few of her books. Let you be forewarned…she lies alot.

But then again, I think it’s operator error over here. She could probably do it in 30 min.

oh nooooo, no you di-u-unt. (waggin finger)

I hate to fall into the boo croud, but I detest cilantro. I don’t know why. I could find it in any dish, I just hate it so. I don’t know what it did to me, but I cannot control my hatred for it now. That flavor-like licorice, I do not like. Cilantro could easily ruin a perfectly good salsa..I pick it out of anything I find it in. BOO cilantro lovers, what is wrong with you?

I love cilantro and dh hates it..so I just chunk it up enough so he can pick it out. Without it’s bland and boring.

I stopped watching RR because the EVOO drove me batty.

I find Rachel Ray a bit annoying. I don’t really like watching her on TV, but I DO *heart* some of her recipes…like the vodka pasta sauce…it’s yummy.

And cilantro, couldn’t live without it.

Gimme a C!
Gimme an I!
Gimme an L!
Gimmie an A!

Forget it, I’ll just say that cilantro rocks!

I can’t stand to watch Rachael Ray, but I don’t think I’ve ever made anything of hers that I didn’t like. I’ll have to check out the soup. Thanks for the tip.

PS, I really like cilantro. It makes so many things better.

I wish I liked cilantro, I mean, I love mexican food, but I could pick soapy cilantro out of any dish in an instant.

yum. one of my favorites is diced tomatoes+diced onions+lime juice+cilantro - super yummy on fajitas and tacos!!

and @Annie: coriander is the SEEDS of the plant, while cilantro is the LEAVES - one is an herb and one is a spice - totally different tastes and smells! Try the cilantro!! You might be surprised!

I’m with you on Rachel Ray. Except for her terrorist tendencies. Because, really, any American is CLEARLY a terrorist if they were a scarf that even remotely resembles normal, non-terrorist Muslim garb. They should be shot on site. (that’s really not where you were going, but clearly I’m still annoyed by the whole situation).

And I LOVE me some cilantro. Although I’m kind of annyoyed because my plant took over my little garden. But I still love it.

yeah, I’m a cilantro lover!!! screw those who aren’t!

I used to make a lot of her recipes, but I find that they require too many ingredients, so I’ve moved on to Paula Dean.

Rachel Ray annoys the hell outta me.

Mmmmmmmm. Cilantro……

I see someone else mentioned the website for hating cilantro. My SIL hates it, I think she probably has the t-shirt and bumper sticker too.

RR should change the name to 30 Minute Meals on Meth, because the only way you can make some of those recipes is if you are spinning around your kitchen hopped up on something.

I love Cilantro - but in Israel it’s actually called Coriander.

I have an amazing Cilantro Chicken recipe - but you’ll have to wait until I get to India and get my stuff to send it over!

I love Cilantro. Did you know there is a website devoted to people who hate it?

Crazy people!

I cannot STAND cilantro. Makes me gag just looking at the stuff….

To me, the flavor ruins the dish. Sorry. Difference of opinions.

Happy Weekend to you!

Cilantro is sunshine……….summer………….salsa………….. I will always love my Spanglish roomie Michelle for introducing me to the joys of cilantro.

Cilantro ROCKS! So does Itlalian Flat Leaf Parsley - not the curly kind.

Rachael’s sister, Rita, hates cilantro. I saw an episode “My Sister Rita’s Fajitas” or something like that. Rachael made these kick-ass black beans with onion and cilantro and Rita wouldn’t eat them because of the cilantro. It had like a handful in it. Weirdo!

Soup in the summer??? I just can’t do it..

KEEP BELIEVING

Go CILANTRO!!!

I have had the same experience with Rachal–wonderful recipes, but some take way more time than she claims.

Cilantro is awesome–I keep looking for recipes to use it.

i love cilantro. i love cilantro by itself… yum.

rachael ray? not so much. too perky. but i do like her recipes.

I am a cilantro convert. It had no place in the California Pizza Kitchen Oriental Chicken salad. And then my husband made his salsa, with all its fresh, cilantro-y goodness. Oh, sweet herbs from heaven, that’s some good salsa.

Cilantro is definitely love/hate, and I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. Luckily, a couple of years ago, I SAW THE LIGHT.

I LOVE CILANTRO. (BTW, do you have Trader Joe’s nearby? They sell these individual frozen pods of cilantro (just chopped up fresh and then frozen) that you can pop into your meals without the hassle of chopping it all day.)

I am ashamed to say that I have never knowingly indulged in cilantro.

sometimes i kind of want to stab rachael ray in the throat.
just saying.

I hate Rachel Ray. She’s sort of local to this area and a friend of mine went to highschool with her. Lets say most of the show is an act…But that’s just me.

Sorry.

@Angie@ Keep Believing: I agree, soup in the summer is odd, but! This soup called for fresh corn which you can really only get in the summer and all the flavors were very summery. Normally I wouldn’t do soup, but this one I had to try and it was well worth the heat!

Cilantro……..YAY!!!! What would salsa be without it?

I always read the time they say and double it. Someone like my MIL says that the time in the books is for chefs….people trained to chop perfectly and in a crazy pace; people who know the next twelve steps without having to stop and re-read the entire thing.

I throw things at Rachel on TV sometimes. I know so many people love her and I love some of her recipes, but dam she’s annoying.

I admit, I’m not a Rachael Ray fan - the EVOO thing drives me to want to drink! How hard is it to say “olive oil” anyway??!! I’m pretty sure it took me about 3 months to figure out what on earth she was trying to say - I couldn’t figure out her language!

As for cilantro? My whole family loves it - YAY!! I’m going to start my own herb garden, and that one is one of our top favorites and required herbs to grow!

They are 30-minute meals if you can chop & dice & cut things the way she does. Or if you’ve made the recipes a hundred times before. But since they are still yummy, I forget the 30-minute promise & cook them anyway. I love her magazine too (that & Real Simple are my favorite magazine reads) and I highly recommend her actual cookbooks too! She may be a bit over-the-top on tv, but you can’t hear her in print!

I love cilantro. I have the best green chicken enchilada recipe that uses TONS of cilantro. And I love Rachel Ray’s magazine too. i can handle her in mag form, not in live form.

My sister talks about Rachel Ray and watches her show … I’ve given up cooking for the most part, but I admire those of you who still do this thing ;–)
Hugs and blessings,

Cilantro rocks. But I hate when people call it coriander because it makes me stop and think. And thinking is off limits for the summer.

a) i <3 cilantro - i’m with you.
b) i agree with dawn, they are only 30 minute if everything is already washed and cut for you or if you’re a speed chopper
c) her recipes (although often meat-heavy) are usually really good so totally worth it.
d) she definitely doesn’t annoy me at all. i’m a big fan:-)

phylliss last blog post..One step back, one step forward

Cilantro haters UNITE!!!

Seriously, can’t stand cilantro. Sorry.

all things bds last blog post..Body Worlds

Since we were sisters in a previous life, you KNOW I love me some cilantro. Mmmmmm!!

I’ve been tempted to get Rachel’s magazine, but was deterred after your subscription story. Now I want it again. Plus, I love her new shorter hairstyle.

I’d totally hang around Rachel, annoying quirks and all because, can you imagine me beside her? I’d look like the ultra cool toned down mature woman. Except when I fart on the set. Maybe.

Queen of Shake Shakes last blog post..To Write or Not To Write?

Cilantro tastes like SUMMER!
Yay! Cilantro!!

peg cs last blog post..Moosey-business…

Sounds way better than my Smart Ones I am sitting here eating

Rachael doesn’t bother me…granted, I don’t watch her show, but when I see her on other talk shows and such, she doesn’t really get under my skin. She’s kinda annoying, but much less so than a lot of people I know!

Amandas last blog post..The pointless pulmonology appointment

Veronica, it is also sometimes referred to as Chinese Parsley. But I haven’t that term in a long time.

peg cs last blog post..Moosey-business…

I have a couple of Rachael Ray’s books and I pick up her magazine every month (I should just bit the bullet and subscribe cause I’d save a lot of money that way). I’ve found that the more I do her recipes, the closer to 30 minutes I get. To begin with, it took me 30 minutes just to chop everything but I’ve gotten better at that as my thumbnails will attest. And remember, Rachael doesn’t have kids running around, under foot and asking questions all the time. If you’re all by yourself, you’d be amazed how much faster you can get things done:)

Mary Beths last blog post..VINDICATION

That soup does look yummy. I’ll see if I can free up an hour to make it.

I love love love cilantro. But on more than one occasion I’ve brought home flat leafed parsley and cried.

Renees last blog post..Our Journey Has Begun

HAAAH! I loathe RR. I used to love her… she used to not get on my last nerve… she USED to be aight!

UNTIL, my sweet friend went to a taping of her show… and she said she SUCKED.ASS. She’s so not nice unless the camera’s are rolling, and she doesn’t even interact with the audience on the breaks!

Funny blog, as usual!

Bethanys last blog post..I’M A SLACKER

I am with you on all of the above! Rachael Ray, annoying but I still buy her cookbooks and magazines.

Last weekend I made a wicked awesome corn salsa with cilantro and one of the party guests wouldn’t eat it because of the cilantro. I wanted to kick them out of the party and take away all their dip eating privledges. Just wrong I tell you.

Being a SAHM, my husband is the chef of the family and he does a lof of 30-minute meals. However, he’s slow as all get-out to do ANYTHING, so 30 always turns into more like 60.

And cilantro? Gotta have it.

Kymberlis last blog post..Frank’s Friday Fixin’s - somethin’ for the ladies

I’m not really Rachel Ray, but I play her on TV.

lauries last blog post..I laughed. I cried. It became a part of me.

Cilantro rocks. Especially in salsa. UMMMM!
And yeah I make a lot of her recipes and they always take me twice as long.
I love her magazine too!!!

I love cilantro. And I love the Dora/Swiper reference. It just made me giggle. At work.

I have never made a recipe that it didn’t take double the time it said it would. Wonder why they can’t be a little more accurate on that part?

Have a wonderful weekend.

I luvz me some cilantro. I luvz me some Salsa. I luvz mixin’ the two of them together. Makes for (damn, my mouth is watering) great, great salsa.

lceels last blog post..Yesterday’s backstory

@Queen of Shake Shake: Despite my horrific experience with the subscription people, the magazine is fantastic with AWESOME recipes.

Of course when it comes time to renew…I may just pay newstand price.

@lceel: I didn’t get a chance to say thank you for your very kind offer yesterday about my “injury!”

Salsa just isn’t salsa without cilantro.

@Vixen: Glad to do my part in spreading giggles through the workplace!

@Megan: You should have kicked him out! Ungrateful, no tastes buds guest!

@Bethany: She has gotten more and more annoying through the years. At first she seemed sweet and chipper, but now it’s kinda like she’s on crack.

@Dawn: I just read Real Simple for the first time the other day and I LOVED it! Almost every recipe was something I’d like to try. Where has that magazine been all my life?!

I like cilantro when it’s done the right way - not too much, not too little.

As for Rachael, she’s gone to the “too much” dark side.

Jerseygirl89s last blog post..Haiku Friday - Search Terms Edition

Who ARE these crazy cilantro haters?

You really need to get Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious. If I can cook when using it? It’s EASY and most are very good.

Anglophile Football Fanatics last blog post..Oh, Snarfblatt! A Dinglehopper!

I can’t stand Rachel, but I love cilantro. Yum, yum, extra yum.

Mama Ginger Trees last blog post..I Need to Get This Off My Chest

Cilantro haters are boring people! I love cilantro, even make pesto out of it. My favorite food to top with cilantro? Spanish rice. Put a handful of fresh cilantro on top, a little roasted salsa plus Mexican cheese and YUMMO!

Nicoles last blog post..Where’s the beef?

I used to lurve Rachel Ray. Now she just annoys the shit outta me. But she does come up with some killer recipes. So I watch her but make fun of her the whole time …you know the “yummo” and the goofy stories…I can only take so much.
I know I’m cool , huh ?

WMs last blog post..I’ve loved her from afar now I can love her up close

1. Yes to cilantro.
2. Rachael Ray also lied to me. Her kiddie cookbook GUARANTEED that my kids would eat it. They did not.
3. Prepare to get a lot of google searches for Rachael Ray. After I bitched her out about #2 on my blog, I learned that there are a lot of people looking for her out on the internet.

Stimeys last blog post..There’s No Whining in Baseball…

I’m not much of a cook (BIG UNDERSTATEMENT), but while working out one day I flipped the channels and Rachael was making beefsteak fries. They were nice and easy and came out awesome : )
I’m not a big fan of the cilantro, though!

carmas last blog post..A Tribute

New to your blog. LOVE IT!

Rachael Ray~awesome food, but it NEVER NEVER NEVER takes the alloted time (we have 3 of her cookbooks)

cilantro is YUMM-O (sorry)

Kristins last blog post..The post where I bitch

My son’s first food was avocado. A week or so later we were at Chipotle and he reached for the guacamole. Now (12 months) he won’t eat avocado without onion or cilantro. Crazy, lovely baby person!!

Shells last blog post..In other news: United Airlines still sucks

I {heart} cilantro too. DH does not but will tolerate some for me. A good man.

janny226s last blog post..Got Those Summer Camp Blues

I hate Rachel Ray and most cilantro. Sorry, I’m not allowed to cook from any Rachel Ray product. Blame husband

Jennifer As last blog post..A new Milestone for Jimmy!

Dios Mio! I didn’t realize that one must either be a cilantro lover or a cilantro hater! That’s pretty extreme for a mildly pleasing, though easily over used herb.

But if I must, I will come down on the love-it side.

Spretty good.

A Serious Attempt at Funs last blog post..Fantasies

Those cookbooks always lie. The 30 minutes never includes the hours of chopping and chasing the children. I got a 4 ingredient cookbook, half the recipes had a note at the bottom with 4-6 OTHER THINGS that needed to be added to the 40 bucks worth of chicken and a can of soup…

Kelleys last blog post..Dear ‘Concerned’

This post made me laugh so much. I hate to cook. I just decided to try and stop feeding my family premade processed food every single night. I’m following RR’s 365 30 minute meals for one month. I’m cooking, but for me they are really 60-75 minute meals.

anymommys last blog post..Remembering the Little Things

I love cilantro - the more the better. My favorite cilantro dish is Tom Yum soup - the spicy and tangy flavors are fantastic with the cilantro.

Ginas last blog post..We Have a Winner!

@Gina: That soup wouldn’t be that soup without cilantro! So yummy!

To whoever it was that said you can freeze cilantro: YOU CAN FREEZE CILANTRO? WHY DIDN’T ANYONE EVER TELL ME THIS BEFORE?

To all you Cilantro haters: I will cut you.

To my grocery store: You were out of cilantro last week. I’m coming back tomorrow. You better HOPE that I find what I’m looking for.

Karlys last blog post..Feelings…

Like your blog. Love cilantro. On the fence about Rachael Ray. Who woulda thought all your readers would be so passionate on the topic of cilantro?

Donnas last blog post..Olympics Widow

Shut up! I looooove cilantro. I just talked about a chile verde recipe in the linky-love post I put in your list above and will do again in the link to my name here — a dish that would be NOTHING without cilantro.

(It was also TOTALLY easy to make, by the way. Less than 30 minutes for prep, I think, though it has to stew for 2-3 hours.)

Did anyone mention that if you put your bunch of cilantro, bottom trimmed, in a cup of water, with a plastic bag on top, in the fridge, it keeps for about 2 weeks? I got dizzy scrolling down through all the comments. I guess cilantro’s a pretty incendiary topic!

Julie @ the calm before the storks last blog post..yesterday, tv was such an easy game to play

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I'm Jennifer, Mom to Carson, 3, and Ella, 1. Wife and Bossaholic to Tate. My claim to fame is that I'm the #2 search result on Google for "kids pooping in pools!!." You can follow me on twitter, see my stumbles at StumbleUpon, view my photos on Flickr, and contact me by email.

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