Rachael Ray’s Hot and Cold Sesame Noodles Were a Hit – and a Miss – With Food Network Reviewers

Food Network star Rachael Ray’s spin on the Chinese takeout classic of sesame noodles was a big hit with many reviewers on the culinary channel’s site. 

And it was as much of a miss with others. Here’s what they had to say.

Ray’s sesame noodles are an easy spin on the favorite takeout item

The culinary personality’s simple Asian dish calls for spaghetti, Tamari dark soy, smooth peanut butter, cider or rice wine vinegar, dark sesame oil, hot sauce, packaged shredded cabbage and carrot mix, bean sprouts, chopped scallions, and sesame seeds.

On her daytime show segment for this recipe, video below, Ray noted that Chinese sesame paste is an even better stand-in for peanut butter in this recipe. And if that isn’t available, she suggests another option.

“You can order [Chinese sesame paste] online,” she said. “If you don’t have that, I think the best substitute is tahini.”

Many fans loved the chef’s noodle recipe

With over one hundred ratings on Food Network’s site, Ray’s recipe was beloved by quite a few reviewers.

“This is a great recipe. Really easy to make and very tasty. I only used 1 Tablespoon of hot sauce and it was just right for us. Way to go Rachel [sic]!,” one home cook wrote.

Another person gushed, “I loved this recipe! Fast and easy, and tastes superb! I use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti because it cooks faster, and I also snipped it with scissors so it would be easier to mix with the sauce. Also try using chunky peanut butter for some extra crunch, although it’s harder to mix with the soy sauce. If the sauce is too strong, simply add more cabbage mix or sprouts.”

Get the complete recipe, video, and reviews on Food Network’s site.

And others were not impressed

While the recipe had ardent fans, it seemed as though just as many did not care for it, with some home cooks feeling it was either too spicy or thick.

“I found the sauce a little over-powering as you kept eating it. Tyler Florence makes a better Sesame Noodle dish and would take that over this one,” a reviewer said.

Another person stated that they were asked not to prepare the dish anymore saying, “I tried three times to like this one, but we just never did… finally my husband begged me not to make it again. It was just too weird with the peanut butter. We tried unsweetened, but still it just tasted like a messed-up peanut butter sandwich!”

And another reviewer simply said, “No one else seems to think this was as disgusting as me and my friends did. … None of the four of us could eat one bite. We had to throw the whole thing out and go out to dinner instead. It was incredibly disappointing!”

It’s all about personal preferences, and this recipe from Rachael Ray, according to Food Network reviewer ratings, seemed split down the middle.