Rachael Ray Is Filming New Episodes of ‘30 Minute Meals’ for the Food Network

The Food Network is rebooting one of its most popular series from the early 2000s: 30 Minute Meals. On Friday, host Rachael Ray hopped on Instagram to announce her return to the show that made her a household name. “It’s gonna have all the cool vibe that we had back in the day, but it’s going to be for a whole new generation,” Ray explains in an announcement about the show. “I have written the first 15 episodes already — I think it’s pretty amazing.” Ray has signed on to make 30 more episodes of the show. The rebooted 30 Minute Meals will also have a digital companion, with bonus cooking tips from the TV star.

From 2001 to 2012, Ray filmed more than 300 episodes of 30 Minute Meals. During that time, she also launched her syndicated talk/cooking show, now in its eleventh season, and her magazine Every Day With Rachael Ray, which is also still going strong. Food Network president Courtney White tells Variety, “Her time-saving and creative ideas for whipping up delicious meals at home are perfect for the home cook of any level, while her infectious energy and enthusiasm make viewers feel like they are right there cooking along with her in the kitchen.”

This isn’t the first time the Food Network has decided to revive one of its older series: Recently, sister station Cooking Channel rebooted Alton Brown’s long-running hit Good Eats, and the TV titan also announced a new iteration of Molto Mario nearly two years ago but shelved plans to release the new episodes after numerous sexual misconduct allegations against host Mario Batali came to light.

The first new episode of 30 Minute Meals will land on the Food Network on April 1.

• Food Network to Revive ‘30 Minute Meals’ With Rachael Ray as Linear, Digital Series [Variety]
• Rachael Ray’s ‘30 Minute Meals’ Returns to TV [F & W]