Rachael Ray is one busy woman. In addition to her Food Network series 30 Minute Meals, her syndicated daytime talk show Rachael Ray, her magazine and cooking books, she has just signed on for another gig. The newest series will be called Rachael’s Vacation.

Learn more about TV chef Rachael Ray, host of 30 Minute Meals, $40 a Day and Rachael Ray s Tasty Travels on Food Network.

Before Emeril Lagasse, before 30-Minute Meals with Rachel Ray-before Food even became a Network-there was the towering, yet approachable, figure of Mrs. Julia Child. A pioneer of television cooking shows, she nonchalantly ushered magnificent French-style cooking into everyday American homes.

30 Minute Meals is a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray. Her first of four shows on Food Network debuted in the fall of 2001. The show specializes in convenience cooking for those with little time to cook. The show is recorded live to tape, with Ray doing almost all preparation in real time. The show was awarded an Emmy for Best Daytime Service Show in 2006.A common feature on the program is the creation of new versions of classic dishes (including clam chowder and macaroni and cheese), some of which are traditionally slow to cook. Where this is the case, Ray gives information on how to increase the speed of production. Ray will often prepare a salad or use various greens and vegetables to complement her dishes.Ray has also done two specials with the title Thanksgiving in 60, based around the idea of a one-hour Thanksgiving dinner.The show also boasts a running joke of sorts in that Ray will often carry a large number of items to her cooking space in order to save time on trips back and forth. Whenever she does this she often comments about how her mother is probably watching and wondering why she just doesn't make two trips. EquipmentRay used a santoku knife during the early days of the series and popularized its use among at-home cooks. Currently, she uses a Füri Gusto Grip knife (using a modified santoku blade with a curved tip) that she helped design.The brands of food that Rachael uses during her show are not real brands. They are not allowed to use a logo, so a graphic designer designs labels for the foods. BooksThe series has also led to a group of cookbooks. The original 30 Minute Meals: Comfort Foods book was widely successful, and has since led to 30 Minute Meals: Veggie Meals, 30 Minute Meals (1), 30 Minute Meals 2, 30 Minute Meals: Cooking Around the Clock, 30 Minute Meals: Get Togethers, and the newest: 30 Minute Meals: 365, A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. As of February 2006, there were also three mini-30 Minute Meals cookbooks, Cooking Rocks!: 30 Minute Meals for Kids!, and two additional cookbooks on the way.