When I hear "30-minute meals" a few things come to mind. First, I think of Rachael Ray and the early 2000s. A time predating "foodies" as we know them today. And also a time when the phrase "yum-o" was often uttered; Ray was young, fiery, and really gunning to get those meals cooked in 30 minutes (bless her and her EVOO). Second, I think of the current ever-growing obsession with making all cooking fast and easy. The faster, the easier, the BETTER. But at some point we have to pause and ask ourselves: How fast is too fast? Can I really cook a beef bourguignon in a half an hour? And even if I could, would I actually want to? Don't all good things take time? To answer these musings, and the call of the 30-minute meal siren song, I decided to embark upon a timed cooking quest. I quickly learned that as far as half hour recipes go, there are three major categories: pasta, meat, or soup. Three components that when added together typically make a complete meal, not necessarily one that stands alone. On top of these limiting menu options, I also found that many recipes claiming to be 30 minutes were in fact specifying cook time only and weren't accounting for any actual prep work.