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Rachael Ray Biography and Product Information

Rachael Ray Biography
Source: www.Rachaelraymag.com

According to Rachael Ray, she grew up in food. "My first vivid memory is watching mom in a restaurant kitchen. She was flipping something with a spatula. I tried to copy her and ended up grilling my right thumb! I was 3 or 4," says Ray, who insists that cooking is a way of life she was simply born into. "Everyone on both sides of my family cooks." Her maternal grandfather grew and cooked everything that his family of 12 needed for sustenance and her dad's family was steeped in the food-rich traditions of Louisiana. Rachael Ray's family owned a family restaurant on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Eventually the family relocated to New York, where her mother went to work as the food supervisor for a chain of restaurants upstate. "I was surrounded by all different styles of cooking and worked in the food service industry in just about every capacity you can imagine."

Eventually, she landed at Macy's Marketplace in New York, first at the candy counter and then as the manager of the Fresh Foods Department. She credits her two years at Macy's for giving her an education in gourmet foods. After Macy's, Rachael Ray helped open Agata & Valentina, the prestigious New York gourmet marketplace, where she was the store manager and buyer. Seemingly on the NYC food fast track, Ray decided that the lifestyle was exciting, but not what she wanted long term, so she moved back to the Adirondacks.

Once upstate, Rachael Ray managed pubs and restaurants at the famed Sagamore Resort on Lake George and was then recruited by Cowan & Lobel, a large gourmet market in Albany, to be their food buyer. Eventually, Ray turned the job into a dual position as food buyer and chef, jobs that she loved. As a way to increase grocery sales during the holidays, Ray began a series of cooking classes, which quickly became a happening. The cooking course promising to teach thirty "30-Minute Mediterranean Meals" became so popular that the local media sent a feature reporter to cover the phenomenon. The following week, WRGB-TV/CBS Albany-Schenectady approached Ray about doing a weekly segment, 30-Minute Meals, for the evening news. Nominated for two regional Emmy's the first year, the show was a major success; a companion cookbook sold 10,000 copies locally during the holidays.

Rachael Ray's television work grew to include a series of lifestyle and travel segments following the same theme: you do not have to be wealthy to live a rich life. Today Ray's work in food and travel continues with her popular on the Food Network shows; "30-Minute Meals" and "$40 A Day."

Her successful series of ten cookbooks, all based on the "30-Minute Meal" concept, include 30-Minute Meals, 30-Minute Meals 2, 30-Minute Meals: Get Togethers, Comfort Foods, Veggie Meals, The Open House Cookbook and her most recent introductions - Cooking 'Round The Clock Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals, Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids, Rachael Ray Best Eats In Town On $40 A Day. The new Rachael Ray 30-Minute Get Real Meals was launched on March 29, 2005. During the 2004 holiday season, Ray had five books on the New York Times Best-Sellers List at once!

"My life has been a total accident, a very happy, wonderful accident that I didn't and couldn't have planned," says Rachael Ray. Despite her growing celebrity she is determined to stay grounded. She still lives in a cabin in the Adirondacks with her family the "research team," and IsaBoo her beloved pit bull pup.

Rachael Ray Product Information

Furi Knives

After years of using traditional knives, and traditional sharpening methods, popular TV celebrity chef Rachael Ray has recently upgraded to new technology. Her new Furi RR line of products are manufactured by Furitechnics, the Australian engineers and chefs behind the internationally acclaimed Furi range of professional knives and innovations for cooks.

Here's what Rachael Ray has to say about…

...Furi's unique East/West blade shapes:
"I love the sharpness and scalloped edge of a Santoku blade - it is the best blade available for slicing through a tomato. However, a traditional Santoku knife has to have a very straight edge, which makes it difficult to use in a rocking and sliding motion, as with most traditional chef's knives. The Furi RR East/West features both a sharp, scalloped Santoku blade...and a rounded edge."

…Furi's patented 'reverse wedge' handle shape:
"I need a handle that is easy to held and doesn't slip. The Furi RR features a unique "reverse wedge" shaped handle which reduces the amount of squeeze needed and keeps my hand from getting fatigued."

…Furi's innovative Coppertail rebalancing feature:
"During years of sharpening and honing any blade, metal is removed from the blade edge, thereby reducing the weight of the blade and throwing off the balance of the blade to handle. What makes the Furi RR Coppertail different from the other knives, is that the copper insert in the handle can be shaved down to reduce the weight of the handle and rebalance the knife over time!"

What Rachael Ray has to say about TechEdge
"With traditional sharpeners, I had to sharpen each edge of the blade separately. The Tech Edge sharpens both sides of the blade at the same time…immediately cutting sharpening time in half. Also, if I use a traditional sharpening system, I have to hold the blade at the correct angle to maximize effectiveness. Tech Edge is already calibrated to sit against the blade at the proper angle…all I have to do is pull the blade straight down and back between the two sets of interlocking Tech Edge sharpening "fingers". Finally, while traditional sharpening requires many swipes to hone properly, the Tech Edge requires only three down and back swipes…just three swipes and my blade is razor sharp!"

Rachael Ray loved Furi's original Furi Pro East/West knives but really wanted to add a 'super doper grippy' handle that would appeal to home cooks in particular. Furi developed the Furi Gusto Grip knives to incorporate Furi's blade technology, single piece blade with solid forged bolster and tang, a super-tough polypropylene handle core molded over with durable synthetic rubber, and a solid stainless steel tail for perfect balance. The end result is a serious pro knife that feels immediately comfortable and safe from the first feel.

EVOO

EVOO is extra-virgin olive oil. I first coined "EVOO" on my cooking show because saying "extra-virgin olive oil" over and over was wordy, and I'm an impatient girl-that's why I make 30-minute meals! "My EVOO has an Extra Tasty flavor and a deep, delicious aroma. It's always the first ingredient in any dish I make".

· Selected olives from Spain. Hand picked from the finest groves.
· First cold pressed, preserving all the vitamins, nutrients and flavor.
· Processed within 24 hours of harvest to reach a low acidity.
· Rigorous quality control.