Rachael Ray

[SorchaR]

Maybe it's reactionary of me, but she annoys the living hell out of me. The one ep I saw was her making Thanksgiving dinner and her whole selling point was making it quick and easy. Thanksgiving dinner is supposed to be special, not something you can make any day of the week. I'm the laziest person in the world when it comes to cooking, and even I would make a real turkey and use real drippings for the gravy, not canned chicken stock. (Am I the only Southerner who saw that and *cringed*? Even my lazy butt makes gravy from scratch, when I make it.) If you're just making a quick dinner during the week, that's one thing. But if you're cooking for Thanksgiving, put some effort into it, IMHO.

[McAuliflower]

while staring at her air brushed face on a box of Triskets over thanksgiving, it dawned on me...

With more and more exposure, RR is getting accumulatively more tv-generic-female looking. I think she has become the new Betty Crocker.

[Matcha Eyes]

I think that because she's like Martha Stewart on cocaine, I am able to like her so much. My attention span is so short that I find her fast pace on television entertaining. A lot of well-loved Foodnetwork personalities are way too dry and boring for me because I find them to be too monotone... basically not hyper-active enough to keep me from channel surfing again.

[tommy]

If you're just making a quick dinner during the week, that's one thing. But if you're cooking for Thanksgiving, put some effort into it, IMHO.

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the phrase "to each his own" comes to mind.

[SorchaR]

If you're just making a quick dinner during the week, that's one thing. But if you're cooking for Thanksgiving, put some effort into it, IMHO.

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the phrase "to each his own" comes to mind.

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Well, that's where the "IMHO" comes in. In other words, that's one of the reasons she annoyed me personally, and YMMV.

[jsmeeker]

Maybe it's reactionary of me, but she annoys the living hell out of me. The one ep I saw was her making Thanksgiving dinner and her whole selling point was making it quick and easy. Thanksgiving dinner is supposed to be special, not something you can make any day of the week. I'm the laziest person in the world when it comes to cooking, and even I would make a real turkey and use real drippings for the gravy, not canned chicken stock. (Am I the only Southerner who saw that and *cringed*? Even my lazy butt makes gravy from scratch, when I make it.) If you're just making a quick dinner during the week, that's one thing. But if you're cooking for Thanksgiving, put some effort into it, IMHO.

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Was it an episode of 30 Minute Meals? If so, what else would you expect. It's her "schtick" on that show. It's what made fer famous. (or infamous).

What's worse? Doing it her way or ordering a complete meal from the grocery store and re-heating it at home?

[indybear]

Was it an episode of 30 Minute Meals? If so, what else would you expect. It's her "schtick" on that show. It's what made fer famous. (or infamous).

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She's done two Thanksgiving specials, "Thanksgiving in 60" I & II, as well as "Holiday Entertaining in 60".

[SorchaR]

Was it an episode of 30 Minute Meals? If so, what else would you expect. It's her "schtick" on that show. It's what made fer famous. (or infamous).

What's worse? Doing it her way or ordering a complete meal from the grocery store and re-heating it at home?

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Well, the grocery store thing is kind of irrelevant I think. I'm just saying why she annoys me and that if you're going to cook Thanksgiving dinner, you may as well put more into it. If you ordered from the grocery store, at least you'd get a real turkey, not "turkey cutlets" or whatever it was she made.

[tommy]

...and that if you're going to cook Thanksgiving dinner, you may as well put more into it. 

many people who, say, have to work on Thanksgiving, or who aren't necessarily disposed to cooking, would probably disagree. including me, although i don't fall into either of those two categories, and i do use store-bought stock as a base, with quite decent results i'd like to think. surely you recognize that there are lots of different types of people in the world with priorities, needs, constraints, interests and passions different than your own. regardless this seems to have little to do with Rachel Ray or her television shows other than she had a show on cooking t-day dinner in an hour and she's quite popular. and if she got just one person to make dinner for their family or friends well that's probably something more positive than most people have done today.

Edited December 12, 2006 by tommy (log)

[SorchaR]

...and that if you're going to cook Thanksgiving dinner, you may as well put more into it. 

many people who, say, have to work on Thanksgiving, or who aren't necessarily disposed to cooking, would probably disagree. including me, although i don't fall into either of those two categories, and i do use store-bought stock as a base, with quite decent results i'd like to think. surely you recognize that there are lots of different types of people in the world with priorities, needs, constraints, interests and passions different than your own. regardless this seems to have little to do with Rachel Ray or her television shows other than she had a show on cooking t-day dinner in an hour and she's quite popular. and if she got just one person to make dinner for their family or friends well that's probably something more positive than most people have done today.

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Okay, seriously? I'm not sure why you're jumping on me about this. I've had to work on many a Thanksgiving, and I'm not disposed to cooking - I think I've mentioned I'm probably the laziest person in the world in the kitchen - so I can see what you're saying. However, I've said, several times, that my opinion on RR is just that, my opinion. Why it can't be left at that, I'm not sure. I can understand the desire to defend her if you're a fan of hers - any time I read someone ragging on Bourdain or Ramsay I have to sit on my hands to keep from starting a wankfest - but the fact remains that I haven't claimed that this is anything but my opinion. In other words, *if* I were to get off my lazy ass and cook Thanksgiving dinner, I would go the whole nine yards. (In our house, it tends to be a huge family effort with my husband's family, everyone contributing, but that's beside the point.) That's me. And yes, it's one of the reasons I didn't enjoy her show. I honestly didn't care for her personality, and found her incredibly annoying. That's how it goes sometimes.

Could we possibly just agree to disagree here? I don't think this is something where you'll change my mind or vice-versa, and to go back and forth on it like this seems kind of like wasted effort that could be better spent on fun things.

[BSmith]

I'm very happy this thread exists.

On a "foodie" level, she's a joke, of course. For people like my mom, (i.e. Oprah watchers,) she's entertaining.

Anthony Bourdain had a few great quips about her.

She annoys me. Little troll, she is.

[SorchaR]

I'm very happy this thread exists.

On a "foodie" level, she's a joke, of course.  For people like my mom, (i.e. Oprah watchers,) she's entertaining.

Anthony Bourdain had a few great quips about her.

She annoys me.  Little troll, she is.

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I haven't been able to buy Triscuits or Wheat Thins in WEEKS, because of her Jokeresque grimace on the boxes. I can't claim to be a foodie, but she just plain annoys me.

[BSmith]

I'm very happy this thread exists.

On a "foodie" level, she's a joke, of course.  For people like my mom, (i.e. Oprah watchers,) she's entertaining.

Anthony Bourdain had a few great quips about her.

She annoys me.  Little troll, she is.

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I haven't been able to buy Triscuits or Wheat Thins in WEEKS, because of her Jokeresque grimace on the boxes. I can't claim to be a foodie, but she just plain annoys me.

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I wouldn't call myself a "foodie" either (in fact, I hate the word, too snobby.) Funny you mention Wheat Thins, I've actually got some at home brought from a Christmas party, complete with her troll mug on the back, smiling. I contemplated drawing a moustache on her, then decided she's just not worth my time.

[rconnelly]

I couldn't sleep last night so I turned on FC and guess who was on? Miss Ray touring Boston. i watched only because I just got back from there.

She supposedly knows the area quite well. Why then did she continuely call Cambridge Boston and said it was the home to universities like Harvard, MIT And Cambridge?????? Yes on the first two, but no, no, no on the last.

[rumball]

i'm part of 'she annoys me endlessly' club. to the point that i check a program guide to make sure i don't accidentally switch to food network, while she's chirruping. actually i used to be a food network addict, while all the chefs were on, but haven't watched anything but occasional iron chef in sev. years. i find the whole 'lets attract kids to cooking' movement exasperating. it seems to have taken over everything.

[JeanneCake]

Ithe home to universities like Harvard, MIT And Cambridge?????? Yes on the first two, but no, no, no on the last.

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There is a Cambridge College in Cambridge - not Boston so somebody missed it when they did their fact checking for the show... it's a very small school, certainly not one I would mention in the same sentence as Harvard or MIT...!

[Leonard Kim]

There is a Ray interview in yesterday's (1/17/07) Detroit Free Press. Couple of things I thought worth quoting:

The first quote reveals, unsurprisingly, that TV is not reality and, surprisingly, the TV version is less flattering

• On going over the $40 limit on her Food Network show "$40 a Day": "I always do because I used to be a waitress so I'd leave huge tips. And my crew ate most of it. I couldn't eat anymore. I got fatter and fatter the more of those episodes I did. ..."

On the Nabisco endorsement

"A lot of people in the food industry have asked me to work with them over the years, and I've said no to them. But ... I love Triscuits; they're very tasty, especially the rosemary ones. ... Because I actually use the product, I don't mind giving them a hand."

[Jakea222]

I don't care too much for her - but she has some ideas once and a while - she is great for NON culinary people - She is making a LOT of money and I say GO GO GO while you can - BUT the talk show - well that is a bit much - she should have stayed to the Food Network and Books - but Go Go Go make the maoney now!

[rconnelly]

1. Her talk show has been renewed!!!!!!!

2. I think I heard the new Chefography is going to include RR!!!!

Please, please tell me it was all a dream.

[Joisey]

--2. I think I heard the new Chefography is going to include RR!!!!--

If they do it truthfully, a lot of opinions will change about her. She had nothing handed to her and built up what she has by working her ass off. She was also repeatedly insistent that she had no place on TV when they were trying to get her to sign on to do the show. Most of the better TV personalities are the ones who are naturals but don't know it/deny it.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Y'know, as much as I don't consider Rachael Ray to be real foodie material, I've got to give her some credit. Anybody that manages to get people into the kitchen and interested in making a meal that doesn't come out of a box or packages from the freezer section is doing a service to the people.

I know too many people whose idea of making rice involved Minute Rice, and who had never cooked with fresh herbs until they started watching 30 Minute Meals.

She's annoying, but kind of in the way that Graham Kerr annoys me.

[SheenaGreena]

dont know if this was posted or not, but now foodnetwork.com sells rachel ray evoo

[rumball]

i've seen several 'i can't stand/hate rachel ray' threads in non-food forums too, even all guy, no food at all forums too. it's amazing how many people she annoys, but yet the foodnetwork can't get enough for her. i honestly do not remember ever anybody so-o mediocre being plugged so zealously. sigh.

[jumanggy]

I actually have nothing against her original (?) show, 30 Minute Meals, and at times it can be fun to watch. I agree with the people on this thread who have said she has done a lot to get ordinary people thinking about being in the kitchen again.

However, I hate her as a talk show host. She has this cyclical way of talking such that you'd think if she ever took a breath, she would die. Much of what she says can be stated simply without the filler (can't she take a cue from her mentor, Oprah?). Also, what is the point of coming up with an acronym for extra-virgin olive oil if you're going to state what EVOO is each time you say it?

[divalasvegas]

I actually have nothing against her original (?) show, 30 Minute Meals, and at times it can be fun to watch. I agree with the people on this thread who have said she has done a lot to get ordinary people thinking about being in the kitchen again.

However, I hate her as a talk show host. She has this cyclical way of talking such that you'd think if she ever took a breath, she would die. Much of what she says can be stated simply without the filler (can't she take a cue from her mentor, Oprah?). Also, what is the point of coming up with an acronym for extra-virgin olive oil if you're going to state what EVOO is each time you say it?

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I totally agree with both of your points jumanggy; she is definitely a frighteningly bad talk show host. Or more accurate to say a HOLLER/YELL/SHOUT show host.

However, without her talk show, which I've seen all of three times, and only portions of each show, we wouldn't have one of those wonderfully uncomfortable on-screen moments. I don't know if anyone saw this, but it's when she "interviewed" James Caan on the set of his show "Las Vegas." His facial expressions as he listened to her inane babble and questions, his response to one particularly stupid question, and him quickly walking/running away from her at the end with a look of disgust on his face was priceless and hilarious. Even better, she didn't even seem to notice.