10 Questions for Rachael Ray

By Rachael Ray

The perky Food Network host's empire includes a magazine, a talk show and a nonprofit group. Her latest book, Yum-O! The Family Cookbook, comes out April 29. Rachael Ray will now take your questions

What were your favorite foods as a child? --Soyeun Yang, Superior, Colo. My grandfather lived with us and was my caretaker, so I liked everything that old Italian men liked. I liked sardines and squid and eating calamari with your fingers and anything with anchovies, anything with garlic and oil. I still eat much the same way today. I was not a very popular girl when I opened my lunch sack at the lunchroom.

Why do you use extra-virgin olive oil on everything? --Katherine Hote, Phoenix That's how my family cooks. I try to cook a little bit of everything, but when it comes to what I enjoy, it's Mediterranean because that's what I am most familiar with.

You've had a lot of negative comments concerning your personal and professional life. How do you not let it get you down? --Amelia Leung, Auckland, New Zealand People gossip about you no matter what. With regard to the tabloid press, my husband and I have been through the whole gamut of emotions. First we were angry, and then sad, and then back to angry again, and then frustrated, and then we wanted to hire lawyers, and then at the end of the day you're like, Really? I don't have anything better to do? People are pretty divided about Martha [Stewart] and anybody who does this intimate thing where you're not only in people's homes but you're in their kitchens. There is very little [said] that isn't true: I'm not a chef, I don't bake, I am loud, I am goofy, and after a while, my voice is annoying.

If you had the chance, would you punch chef Anthony Bourdain [for the things he's said about you? Be honest.] --Dharan Kumar Kalamazoo, Mich. No, I actually love and appreciate Tony Bourdain's work, and I think everybody has the right to their own opinion.

With all your books and shows and magazines, do you feel you have become overexposed? --Drew Pencek, Washington It would be sort of a waste of energy for me to worry about that because it's not anything I have control over. I do manage it. I don't put my name on things I don't believe in. I love every page of our magazine. I'm extremely proud of it. I work very hard on each cookbook to make it different. I'm extremely proud of [the television show] because it really focuses on the viewers themselves.

Have you ever turned down a product-endorsement deal? --Tim Smith, San Diego Thousands, and some products that I love and use. It's just that there is a finite amount of time in the day.

What is your favorite fast food? --Andy S. White, Schodack, N.Y. There isn't a fast food that I don't like, really. [Laughs].

Any suggestions for cooking in a college dorm room? --Allyson Van Buren, Morrison, Ill. Yes. Get good at a couple of group meals, and sell them off. It's a great way to make a quick living.

If you were stranded on an island but miraculously it had a refrigerator, what 10 ingredients could you absolutely not do without? --Matthew LeMay, Philadelphia I'd have to have olive oil, garlic, pasta, canned fish--anchovies if I had to pick just one--cheese. If my husband were on the island with me, then I have to have salami. I've got to have some prosecco and some other wine, and you need your roughage, so escarole--and I have to have some beans, so I'd pick white.

There's an old axiom: Never trust a skinny chef. Any comment? --John Rhodes, SALT LAKE CITY Well, if he's trying to say I'm too skinny, thank you. I've never loved clothes enough to give up food, and I never will.

Who really intimidates you? --Shaun Brauteseth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa My mother when she is angry, because she is the biggest influence in my life and her opinion matters so much to me. She didn't raise me to be intimidated much, though I feel very intimidated if I have to go down a red carpet or stand next to celebrities or be in that sort of environment. The whole idea of being in a place where I'm kind of the square peg for a round hole makes me very nervous.

Make your choice: Cuban sandwich or American burger? --Omar Laffita, Miami Well burger to me is pretty wide. I have probably 300 different burger recipes. I'll make anything into a burger, from salmon to swordfish. I make shrimp burgers and Portobello burgers. I guess I have to pick the burger, though it's probably not what he's asking. He's probably thinking a straight up little beef patty on a lone bun.

If you had a full free day, what would you do with it? --Susan Watkins, Forth Worth, Texas Pretty much what I do at work: I cook, I travel, I love watching films, I love writing recipes. It's truly a joy. I love writing in general and I'm a huge film buff so I like to catch up with some movies, and I like to eat and sleep a lot [laughs]. I either do absolutely nothing, or do what I do for a living. Or I might jump out of an airplane. I do enjoy that.

What do you think of your detractors? --Danny Leon, New York City I just wasn't raised to be a person who thinks you can be all things to all people. Popeye said it best--"I am what I am," and that's it. What I have to offer is accessible food and accessible programming. Some people love it, and for others, it's not for them. So be it.

When do you believe the turning point occurred in your career? --Cali McCullough, Hershey, Penn. Cooking up thirty-minute meals literally as a way to sell groceries. That cooking class turned into a local news segment, which led to the Food Network job, which led to this. It was a happy little accident there.