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"We think it's time to admit that we might actually like Rachael Ray."

Yuk-o. I liked her a few years back but she got on my nerves and I have never made anything from her books or tvshows. And I refuse to even consider it, that's how awful I think she has become.

Agreeing with Rose -- I loved "$40 A Day" for the places she went (and have discovered some wonderful places because of it; however, not being single [imagine having your whole family with you instead of just a significant other!], the idea of only $40 a day for a grand day out food-wise is sort of impossible), but her demeanor grates on my nerves. I hate to fall on the old "She sold out," excuse, but there's only so many boxes of Triscuits that you can tolerate before you just avoid that aisle of the grocery store altogether to not have a million Rachael Rays smiling down at you.

I'm guessing people object to the concept of Rachael Ray more than the actual person. Yes, her perkiness and catchphrases are annoying. Yes, she's horribly overexposed and merchandised. All of that is true of most TV personalities. Her show isn't meant to be an on-air culinary school, it's more of a get-dinner-on-the-table sort of thing for people who think they don't have time to cook. The recipes that she pares down to 30 minutes might not be authentic, but most people just cook dinner, they don't curate it. She does use packaged stock and a few other processed shortcuts, but the recipes are primarily fresh meats, vegetables, and herbs.

If you've been to the supermarket in the last 20 years, you've probably noticed that it's possible to buy something cooked to put on the table at every single meal without actually doing any cooking yourself. Basic skills are disappearing, except among those of us who enjoy cooking as a hobby. I'm 40, and many friends my age (even those with kids) rely on packaged "pasta bakes" and concoctions from Campbell's Soup labels. Is it really so bad that there's a show that can teach them to make a kale-and-lentils soup from (nearly) scratch?

her 30 minute meals three or four years ago where fun - I truly enjoyed it, I'd like to cook like that, healthy (mostly) with fresh ingredients and something quick. I would like to avoid all together the elaborated way of cooking except for holidays. But her fakiness gets me - and I think it has gotten worse lately. I happens to anyone after they write their first book and fly all their friends to their wedding in Italy. :-)

I find her so vulgar, loud and annoying i would never try any of her recipes or merchandisee. Her commercials are so awful, it works against my appetite.

she's over the top, yes. and on a lot of products? to be sure.
but i like the pea-sto recipe too. and some others i've made from her site as well. i guess like film, sometimes i have to separate the personality of the director from their work.

Oh, no, I just log in to comment after lurking for many, many months, and this is the first post I see?

She's so faux - her fake laugh, her annoying use of slang, her fake words - "stoup", the way she repeats the same thing several times, the fact that she sells a garbage bowl (!), her relentless mentioning of "John, my husband" and now she's repping my fave spot - Dunkin Donuts - ugh!!! Luckily they don't really put her pic up in my local NNJ stores - I like to think they know she's persona non grata around these parts.

Some of her recipes are good, but after she sold her soul to Dunkin Donuts, she is persona non-grata on my TV screen or my kitchen.

I think she isn't bad, just over-exposed and over-extended. She looks tired and acts manic. I don't mind her recipes; they do encourage the average person to cook and use fresh ingredients.

I will admit that I use her trademark "Yummo" phrase but I like to think I use it with a certain arch wit.

Shout out to Dave Lieberman though!!

While it may be hip to hate on Rachael Ray, whose over-the-top (and sometimes grating) enthusiasm could make anyone look like a cynic, I think people are objecting more to her business decisions than who she is as person. If she wasn't the 30 minute meal or the face of triscuits or whatever her people have signed for, she'd probably be the house you were always invited to, the great meal at the potluck, and the friend who was over-the-top enthusiastic but you never held it against her. Happy people are an easy target.

I think after 500 episodes of 30 Minute Meals, there might be a few recipes of RR's that are hits but these hits are few and far in between.

I wish that Rachael would use a 'recycling bowl' and a 'compost bowl' in addition to her beloved 'garbage bowl.'

One of my big problems with her is one that no one here has mentioned: she's a chain smoker with a caffeine addiction (cigarettes coffee tend to go hand in hand). I've read in a few places that she smokes well over a pack a day of Marlboro Reds, which are pretty much the strongest cigarette you can get, and she has admitted to drinking 10 cups of coffee a day, which is in fact an addiction.

I wish she'd quit her act of being the perky cute wholesome girl next door because her chain smoking habit and caffeine addiction are quite disgusting. How did you think she got that raspy voice???

raspberry eggplant

I do not come from a family of cooks. Until our daughter was born nearly 3 years ago, my husband and I ate out every night. When an infant made dining out difficult, I turned to 30 Minute Meals as a last resort. I no longer watch her shows but I have to thank Rachael Ray for showing me my way around the kitchen. Now, I try recipes from many different sources (including AT) but have to say, Rachael's recipes rarely fail me. Her gorgonzola-walnut pasta is my husband's favorite dish.

Amen, wig3000! I cringe everytime she tosses empty tin cans into her garbage bowl! Throw those apple cores in a compost pile Rachel!

yes - agree with above - can't stand people that pile decomposting stuff and recyclables together. People this is the 21st century - WAKE up before it burns before your own eyes... But again - here in the US is very hard to teach people new habits - they should implement classes at school. I am a landlord and have two tenants - young all american girls - no matter how much I have underlined the importance of recycling - I always find tins in the trash....

Can't hide a pig by wearing perfume.... :-)

I can not stand her.

I like her too! I find her mannerisms annoying, but she cooks good, straightforward food fast. Why don't people like it? Because she's not esoteric enough? Because it's too accessible? Because it's about eating well, realistically, and not about the conspicuous display of knowledge or fancy ingredients?

Our all-time favorite recipe in our house is Rachael's ribollita con verdure. I'll defend her any time.

I find her infinitely annoying, I think that most of her recipes are mediocre, with a few exceptionally good and bad ones, and I hate the way she has completely sold herself to every company in sight that offered her money.

That being said, if she has convinced a few people who only previously bought take-out or pre-prepared meals to cook something from scratch, then she has made a positive impact. She never claimed to cook haute cuisine, so if you're looking for that kind of cooking show, just don't watch her - but don't say she doesn't fill her niche well. We can't all be epicures.

Sorry, but I see her as the prime example of why the Food Network now sucks. They've dumbed down their shows to an insulting degree and with their ratings down by as much 15 percent, you'd think they'd wise up. Instead we get RayRay all day long. They deserve the drop in ratings.

I really can't stand *her* - she just annoys me, so I've never actually tried her recipes. However, I give her props - she's gotten a lot of Americans cooking dinner instead of reaching for processed food, and that's a very good thing.

Count me in the ranks with Julie.

I have no opinion about her "as a person" (as some commenters have mentioned), since I don't--and I doubt any of us--know her as such. As a "persona," she bugs the hell out of me.

BUT as a cook/food educator and cheerleader, I think she's done a lot to make home-cooked meals, made with mostly fresh ingredients (and her shortcuts are generally very reasonable, the aforementioned carton stock and frozen veg), appealing and accessible to people who might (a) not have cooked at all, or (b) made something from a Sandra Lee-style recipe. Rachael Ray cooks food, and she encourages people to cook food, which in itself is a good thing.

And she's also managed to get people organized with their food prep, which is one of the most frustrating aspects of cooking for most people. The garbage bowl is a good idea (though yes, composting and recycling would be even better, though I'd ask how to compost when you live in a small apartment). Getting all your ingredients together before you start is a good idea. Etc.

Raspberry Eggplant - where did you get the info that she's a caffeine/nicotine addict? Not that I'm doubting you, I'm just curious.

And you're just going to fuel the sarcastic/cynical critics here, you know ;) Now we can go, "Well, THAT explains a lot..."

I don't really care one way or the other.

But I have always wondered if she was a heavy puffer.

I don't have cable so I don't really share the hate. I really love her spaghetti and meatballs recipe. I found it on the food network's website and cook it all the time.

If she does smoke Marlboro Reds and suck down buckets of coffee a day that kinda makes me like her a little bit!

I've tried a few of her recipes and some are pretty good - but her persona is grating beyond belief - I vote for a new image with chain-smoking, beer guzzling and a "f-u-all I'm rich, beeyotch" attitude! I would laugh at least.

Okay....fine! She may be annoying, but I think she is cute. I love her tight jeans and her chipmunk smile. However, I would not follow her recipes or eat her slop.

What’s a heavy puffer?

Okay....fine! She may be annoying, but I think she is cute. I love her tight jeans and her chipmunk smile. However, I would not follow her recipes or eat her slop.

What's a heavy puffer?

I don't have cable so I've watched her show sporadically and not recently. I found her low level annoying, but that her recipes and dinner ideas were useful for someone who was working 12 hour days 6-7 days a week. Would I seek her recipes out or intentionally watch her show? Probably not. If you were to use the phrase Yum-o or EVOO in conversation would I be tempted to smack you upside the head? Probably so.

What on earth does her smoking and drinking coffee have anything to do with this conversation? And unless you're a Mormon, there's nothing wrong with caffeine. In fact, people who *don't* drink coffee creep me out.

Heavy puffer = big smoker.

Yay! I creep bubble out!

(can't stand the taste of coffee, but I like to remind coffee drinkers that as a result there is more coffee for them)

if i had to conjure up an image of the person who runs hell, i'd have to go with her.

EE VEE OH OH
EE VEE OH OH

Sciencegeek, don't be offended, I was just reacting to the self-righteousness of that post.

I've also noticed that more than a few recipes that are considered favorites by friends and family- are Rachel Ray's. One that regularly gets great reviews is a macaroni & cheese recipe that's made with bacon and onions, as well as crab, corn and red bell pepper. It's just plain great!

When my then fiance and I set up house together, the getting dinner on the table every night was tough on me. I learned dinner party style cooking from my mother, but pulling out cookbooks every night was too much. A friend in my knitting group recommended Rachel Ray, with the proviso that the recipes were hit or miss, but the way she set up her kitchen and cooking process was worth picking up. I've found that to be true. Now that I'm up and running, I don't use her recipes that often (but the chicken with grapes, couscous and roasted asparagus comes out for fancy easy dinner nights). I've moved on to Pam Anderson's "How to Cook Without a Book" for everynight stuff and Cook Illustrated for fancier stuff, with the Bittman cookbooks for filling in the gaps.

If you know the knitting world, she's kind of like Lily Chin. If she only published the best quarter of her of her output, she'd be highly regarded. Professionals are judged by their worst work, amateurs their best.

Agree with bubble. It's none of our business that she smokes. Last time I checked, it was not criminal. And, many people's pick for Pres. smokes (Obama says he quit, but you tell me if it's likely given the stress he's under now). SMOKING IS NOT A CRIME - and I'm a non smoker. Rachel Ray is super annoying and I'm kind of grossed out by her but I like her recipes and I tape her show, because I think she encourages people to cook and that is a good thing.

Here's what I think:

Food culture over the last few years has changed, so that it is both aspirational and a high status signifier.

Just like a Rolex says "I have a great deal of money", cooking (in a SWPL kind of culture anyway) has come to say: "I'm sophisticated, educated, and worldly in my taste, and yet I'm also earthy and sensual and generous. The kitchen is the warm beating heart of my home. Come. Sit. Eat. Share. Close your eyes and you might be in Tuscany, or Hong Kong, or one of the nicer parts of Louisiana."

Note that I don't think these are bad things at all. But the aspirational element is key to most of the female cooks on TV, whether it's sensual, beautiful, tragic Nigella in her elegant London kitchen, or Giada entertaining family-style on the terrace. None of that is what chirpy Rachael Ray - pudgy, proley, and entirely without pretension - is about. She's about putting food on the table - delicious, fast, easy food that anyone can make, with ingredients from any supermarket.

That doesn't seem so bad to me.

I love her recipes. While I don't generally prefer to watch her on tv - I have to say - her recipes are good, easy, and quick. If you don't like her - just don't watch her. But try her recipes!

ack.
not only is she grating to watch/hear, but her foods are fatty and i wonder where that olive oil she has her face plastered on even comes from..

I have to admit, I am one of those who has found her too annoying to watch. And maybe I am a bit of a purist, but her recipes just don't appeal to me -- I clicked on some of the other parts of the menu that went along with the above dishes, and came up with a salad with dressing made with relish and ketchup -- ugh.

She is getting a lot of credit for getting people to cook "real food" on weeknights. But she is not the first, nor is she the only, to do so; I can think of loads of others...

Marian Burrows for example, used to have a regular column in the NY Times doing 30 minute menus; I bought her books when my husband and I first moved in together, and we use them still.

Then there is Jamie Oliver... He may be over-exposed (his food line is pretty terrific though -- I buy it all the time), but his focus has always been to get people to cook simple, daily meals. And his recipes work. Nigella has fast stuff too (it's her latest cookbook as a matter of fact).

Lately, I've been getting more and more turned off by recipes that are over-loaded with tastes and textures, or that attempt to marry things that shouldn't be. There are so many simple, effective recipes that you don't need to overdo it -- just let good ingredients speak for themselves. And Rachel Ray tends to overdo it.

Actually, Marian Burrow's cookbooks were 20 Minute Menus (Time-wise recipes and strategic plans for freshly cooked meals every day) and Eating Well is the Best Revenge.

Forgot Martha's Great Fast Food Cookbook, and also the wonderful Jill Dupleix. She used to be the cookery writer for The Times (of London). Can't say enough about her recipes -- very simple and amazing. She has a number of books:

http://www.jilldupleix.com/books/index.php

Oh, please try Jill Dupleix instead of Rachel Ray...

Huh.

Funny thing -- Rachel Ray has a cod-in-prosciutto recipe (goes with the peas-to whole wheat penne), and so does Jill Dupleix. I'm betting Jill's came first.

http://www.jilldupleix.com/recipes/rec028.php

yeah she got a bit over-commercial all of a sudden, but i love her. i have two cookbooks and have loved everything i have tried. my big problem is that i don't like mushrooms or soup, and that cuts out half of her recipes :)

also, there was a copy of her magazine in the lunchroom at work one day, and i ended up taking it home because i wanted to make almost everything in it. so, there it is.

but why did they change the format/filming style of her show?! ugh, it's horrible now. i like shows that have a cook cooking in a kitchen - simple - food network seems like it's moving toward all these weird stylized shows. and don't get me started on the "challenges" - BORING!