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•Rachael Ray One of Time's 100 Most Influential People

that sound you hear is me wretching uncontrollably

No one specified whether the influence was for good or evil...

I can't say that I think RR deserves to be on that list or whatever, but I don't get all the hate, especially on the internet. Especially from food bloggers.

Is it that her dishes aren't vertically arranged, or that they don't contain 17 ingredients in the title, or that the everywoman can make them and still have time to do Tae-Bo later that night or what?

I love RR, I cook exactly like she does (simple, healthy, unpretentious and delicious), and I think she would be a blast to hang out with. Just sayin.

I have to admit, the negative reaction Rachael Ray inspires among some self-identified food-lovers is enough to turn me off foodie culture. And unless that's the GOAL of people who love food -- alienate we neophyte cooks and new-food explorers -- I can't see how that's a good thing.

I like RR because she shows that the pleasure of eating is enhanced by the process of preparing your own food, and that one needn't be tremendously well-learned in the food arena to be able to cook the kinds of food you like to eat. She's an appreciative amateur, as are many of us.

(However, hypocritically, I will gleefully slam Sandra Lee all the livelong day.)

ahhh, lisa, you raise an excellent point:
rachel ray vs. sandra lee

let me say first that rachel's voice annoys me, but i think shes a great girl (we albanians must stick together)

so, the difference btwn RR and Dandy Sandy?
well, for one thing, at least RR uses real things to make approximately real food, whereas SL uses sh*t like the cheese powder from mac&cheese, with margarine and seasoning salt to approximate mexican corn on the cob
why, why people, how hard is it to make real mexican corn? butter + lime + cheese = mexican corn
orange powder + seasoning salt + margarine = NASTY

I like the fact that RR admits she is not a chef, she just enjoys cooking. But I can't handle the wild hand gestures (most of the Food Network hosts tend to wave their hands around in a maniacal fashion. Pressure from the producers to be more animated?) and her voice is really grating. While that is not her fault, I simply can not endure it for 5 minutes, much less 30.

I used to like RR's unpretentious "30 minute meals" show. Then she got her hair highlighted, slapped a stack of makeup on her face and her voice got louder and more grating! Why the image makeover? I liked the old RR so much more. Now I can't stand to see her on the box. Why she makes me feel this way I have no idea.

Many of the Typhoon items are at www.cooking.com. That is where I purchased the fabulous red bread bin.

I don't know who Sandra Lee is, but I love Rachael Ray. She's so genuine and down-to-earth. I love it when she has a kid helping her out in the kitchen, she's great. I think the glammed up look may have been a response to all the comments her fans were making on message boards about her starting to get a little chubby.

i can't bear sandra lee. the two times i've seen the show, i had to wonder what kind of connections she had to get where she is.

the "food" she prepares looks entirely unappetizing, and her "shortcuts" seem bizarre. cooking "from scratch" does not necessarily entail a lot of time; one simply has to have a good sense about working with food, and understand that sometimes berries with cream are preferable to mixing a jar of peanut butter with marshmallows and instant pudding, putting it in a magenta tumbler with an umbrella, and calling it "festive."

If RR is one of the most influential people, I'm ready to find a new planet to live on. I'm already looking seriously at Canada, now that a Fox news person is doing White House press spin.

What is happening to our world?

Why is RR so annoying to so many people? I haven't seen her cooking show, but do occasionally watch her travel ones.

Ten reasons you want to throw the remote tv-ward when RR opens her mouth:

1. The mouth is just so huge.

2. The voice. It could cut glass.

3. The vocabulary. Yummm-o?

4. The laugh. Maniacal and fake all at the same time.

5. The smile. Can anyone say The Joker?

6. She just eats too darned much. Does anyone really eat that much on vacation? Grosses me out to think about it.

7. The hand gestures. I was taught in Cotillion to keep me hands in my lap.

8. She reminds me of my sister-in-law. In fact, I'm pretty sure my s-i-l has styled herself after RR. Oh, my. I suspect she reminds a lot of people of their s-i-l's, m-i-l's, or that annoying, bossy girl in eighth grade.

9. The Las Vegas meets Atlantic City makeup and accessories. Tammy Faye Baker in the making.

10. It ticks people off to see a low-brow person with irritating ticks and no great beauty or apparent talent make it big. Think Rosanne Barr.

And that is my negativity all vented for the entire day, I hope. Ahhhh.

"I'm ready to find a new planet to live on. I'm already looking seriously at Canada"

which, of course, is on juxtor 9, near the moon of marsupia 15.

Canada is another planet. People are friendly up there, though they do shoot bears with abandon and tend to mow their trees like grass (and there is the whole baby seal thing). How can you not like a country where curling is considered a nail-bitingly exciting sport?

famous canadians:

yvonne decarlo, sarah mclachlan, linda evangelista, keanu reeves, joni mitchell, diana krall, and - hubba, hubba - ryan gosling and brendan fraser. to say nothing of the "talented" peter north.

gotta love canada. we forgive them for corey hart and alex trebek.

Not to mention Eric McCormack and Peter Jennings. They grow pretty men in the Great White North.

brendan fraser. i say no more.