The Early 2000s Cooking Trend We Have Rachael Ray To Thank For

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It's hard to believe that it's been decades since Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" got started way back in 2001. Rachael Ray transformed the way home chefs cooked, offering tips and tricks that made it easier to get homemade meals on the table without requiring hours in the kitchen. People who once felt intimidated by the idea of cooking meals from scratch realized that they could actually get it done — in the time they had available — by following the simple recipes Ray offered on her show.

Some people on social media are sharing their memories of the first version of the show, which ran until 2012. Ray taught the fundamentals of cooking — everything from kitchen safety tips (like remembering to wash your hands after touching raw meat) to setting up kitchen prep areas for success by creating a mise en place (try using a sheet pan to organize your mise en place easily), all while showing home cooks how they could make a great dinner in half an hour. Ray's approach took the intimidation factor away from cooking, and encouraged home chefs to get in the kitchen and get their hands dirty — even when they only had 30 minutes to spare.

Whether you grew up watching "30 Minute Meals" or you're just hearing about the show for the first time, Rachael Ray has a ton of tips that can help you move your meals from the kitchen to the dinner table quickly. One of her go-to tips to speed up meal prep: Use a garbage bowl. The concept is super-easy: You keep a garbage bowl on your counter throughout the prep process and toss in everything that you'd normally walk to the trash can. That way, you can dump it all at once, saving you time and helping you keep your prep area clean.

Rachael Ray is often seen using a bench scraper to move ingredients from one place to the next, and it makes sense. Rather than taking the time to scoop up ingredients from your cutting board by hand as you're prepping, a bench scraper lets you move everything from board to pot — or pan, or baking sheet, or whatever you're using — quickly. (You can find one on Amazon for around $5.)

One more Rachael-Ray-approved tip to help you get dinner to the table in less than half an hour takes a bit of work in advance: keep a well-stocked pantry, and prep as much as you can in advance. Ray recommends cleaning vegetables as soon as you get home from the store so they're ready to go. She also says it's vital to keep a pantry full of foods you actually enjoy. While it can take some time to get into Ray's 30-minute-meal groove, it's totally doable with a little practice and prep work.