Bad fire at Rachael Ray's home

[Laurie]

Thankfully she and her husband and their dog escaped.  I saw photos/video on the Daily Mail website and it looks really bad.   

I've been watching some of her videos during the quarantine.   When I saw the headlines about the fire tonight I had a sick feeling about that 1000 degree pizza oven in her kitchen, but the cause of the fire is still unknown. 

 

[Scarlett]

6 hours ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

The snarky side of me wants to make a joke about her kitchen revolting at her mid meal cleaning habits, but seriously, it’s so good they’re all okay and the only damage was the property. Fire is terrifying, and losing your home to one is emotionally traumatizing no matter how much money you have.

I really enjoyed watching RR back in the days of her 30 min meals on the Food Network.  Speaking of the mid meal clean up, one trick I learned from her is to have a big plastic bowl for trash on the counter while I prepare and cook.  It is really a time saver and I still do it.  

[KungFuPanda]

That truly sucks about the fire. 😔

I just made a turkey breast for dinner last night using one of her 60-minute Thanksgiving recipes. I have several keeper recipes from her.
 

What ARE her mid meal cleaning habits? I missed that one. 

[Laurie]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

  

 

What ARE her mid meal cleaning habits? I missed that one. 

I missed it, too.  (I haven't seen many of her tv shows, just her appearances on QVC and her recent youtube videos.)

This explains her garbage bowl.  https://www.insider.com/cooking-hack-why-i-use-a-garbage-bowl-rachael-ray-tip

(Just looking at the used garbage bowl in the photo was too much for me...I couldn't mix it all up like that and then have to sort through it later.)

I was already planning to make a meatloaf tonight (using my RR meatloaf pan), and I'll probably cry even though I don't use onions.  

 

[mommyoffive]

I am so glad they are ok.  

[catz]

We use a compost bowl.  Our kitchen is small enough that I don't feel a need not to put stuff in the trash or sink or right into the dishwasher.  I'm usually prepping over the sink on a large cutting board anyway.   The dishwasher is right next to the sink.  

I'm glad they are ok - how scary!

[Scarlett]

6 minutes ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

She is super messy while cooking and doesn’t clean up as she goes and it drives me (and many people) batty. It’s a very bad prep habit to just pile dishes and cutting boards instead of actually wiping or rinsing things down. Her counters get disastrous too. My joke was about her kitchen finally giving her the smack down for the lack of hygiene, which is a major reason I can’t stand Rachel Ray 😉

It may have improved in the intervening decade since I last watched anything of hers, though.

 

Oh I totally misunderstood.....LOL.  I never noticed she was messy while cooking.  I just remember the garbage bowl. I also don't remember her putting non garbage stuff in there....but I often do that....only remember the parts of something that I find useful for myself.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Scarlett

[KungFuPanda]

1 minute ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

She is super messy while cooking and doesn’t clean up as she goes and it drives me (and many people) batty. It’s a very bad prep habit to just pile dishes and cutting boards instead of actually wiping or rinsing things down. Her counters get disastrous too. My joke was about her kitchen finally giving her the smack down for the lack of hygiene, which is a major reason I can’t stand Rachel Ray 😉

It may have improved in the intervening decade since I last watched anything of hers, though.

 

I haven't watched the actual show since it was new.  I had to learn to clean-as-you-go because it's not my nature, so I may not have noticed back when I watched.  😄 I have since reformed.  I did use her garbage bowl tip until I finally added a little step can for compost near my prep area.

[Laurie]

9 minutes ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

She is super messy while cooking and doesn’t clean up as she goes and it drives me (and many people) batty. It’s a very bad prep habit to just pile dishes and cutting boards instead of actually wiping or rinsing things down. Her counters get disastrous too. My joke was about her kitchen finally giving her the smack down for the lack of hygiene, which is a major reason I can’t stand Rachel Ray 😉

It may have improved in the intervening decade since I last watched anything of hers, though.

 

She answers some questions from viewers as part of her cooking at home videos.  Someone asked who does the clean-up, and Rachael says her husband does most of it.  She said she gets mad at him sometimes because he'll take something away to clean that she's still using.  

(The one who bugs me is Wolfgang Puck when he's on HSN.  He's always wiping at his nose while cooking. )

[Laurie]

Just saw the news about the horrible gas explosion in Baltimore which has killed at least one person and destroyed homes.   

I'm so afraid(paranoid?) of gas that I wouldn't even consider a gas stove.  But we do have natural gas for the furnace and water heater which makes me nervous.  At least the gas co. has always responded quickly when I've called.    

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

32 minutes ago, Laurie said:

Just saw the news about the horrible gas explosion in Baltimore which has killed at least one person and destroyed homes.   

I'm so afraid(paranoid?) of gas that I wouldn't even consider a gas stove.  But we do have natural gas for the furnace and water heater which makes me nervous.  At least the gas co. has always responded quickly when I've called.    

 

 

 

Oh wow.  That just happened this morning.  Are you local or has it hit national news?

[Laurie]

39 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Oh wow.  That just happened this morning.  Are you local or has it hit national news?

Not local.  I read about it on The Daily Mail Online.   

[KungFuPanda]

Ok, here's a debate topic for you:  Are messy cooks unhygienic?

Maybe I'm just defensive since I'm a recovering messy chef, but I'm thinking this is more a style difference.  I clean as I go now just to make clean up easier later and because my workspace is limited.  Still, it seems like I'm just moving the identical job up by a few minutes and doing it the messy way isn't really more dangerous. What to y'all think?

[prairiewindmomma]

22 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Ok, here's a debate topic for you:  Are messy cooks unhygienic?

Maybe I'm just defensive since I'm a recovering messy chef, but I'm thinking this is more a style difference.  I clean as I go now just to make clean up easier later and because my workspace is limited.  Still, it seems like I'm just moving the identical job up by a few minutes and doing it the messy way isn't really more dangerous. What to y'all think?

Not necessarily. My freak out point is cross-contamination. My kids are messy cooks, but everything gets a good cleaning post cooking, so it’s not unhygienic.

[KungFuPanda]

10 minutes ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

And yes, I agree that dishes in the sink and waiting is NOT a big deal. But messes strewn across counters with spills everywhere or laying food prep utensils down on random countertops without a clean surface below them is another matter. Sink clutter is no biggie, most of us do dishes more afterward than in the middle unless they’re hand wash only 🙂

So you’re telling me people just rest ladles ON counters? I’m from a long line off chaotic cooks who like to use every tool and utensil in the room, but I’ve never seen a ladle on a counter. That’s psychotic!  
 

[Laurie]

28 minutes ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

 

Speaking of her, have they updated with the cause of the fire yet? I haven’t seen anything.

No cause yet.  But according to the fire dept the kitchen isn't damaged!  (So the scary-to-me pizza oven is off the hook!)  They said the fire burned along the roof line so the damage is mainly to the second floor.   

The fire dept also said that there was no sprinkler system inside and no fire hydrant nearby because it's rural.  They had to truck in the water and pump water from a pond and lake!  (As a city slicker and fireman's daughter, this is even scarier than the pizza oven!)

If not for the neighborhood dogs, I might be inclined to go outside and kiss the fire hydrant in front of my house right now!!!

 

[Scarlett]

12 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Huh.  

 

I wonder if maybe the dryer.  Dh is constantly on me to clean the lint trap *EVERY SINGLE TIME* but I don't always remember.  And now that the kids are running the washer and dryer for their stuff, they don't always remember either.  I do try to make sure it's cleaned out about every other day or so.  

Listen to your dh!  😉  

[Laurie]

There are daytime photos and video from a drone showing the damage:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8612705/Rachael-Ray-confirms-family-safe-revealed-chefs-kitchen-survived-fire.html

 

 

 

[Shoeless]

10 hours ago, happysmileylady said:

Huh.  

 

I wonder if maybe the dryer.  Dh is constantly on me to clean the lint trap *EVERY SINGLE TIME* but I don't always remember.  And now that the kids are running the washer and dryer for their stuff, they don't always remember either.  I do try to make sure it's cleaned out about every other day or so.  

 

Yes, clean the lint trap AND make sure someone runs one of those chimney-sweep looking brushes through the dryer vent once or twice a year. 

[wendyroo]

2 hours ago, MissLemon said:

 

Yes, clean the lint trap AND make sure someone runs one of those chimney-sweep looking brushes through the dryer vent once or twice a year. 

100%

Cleaning the lint trap is one of the first chores my kids learn at 2 years old when helping me do laundry. I train them to be just as fanatical about it as I am.  It is a life skill that will serve them well - dryer fires are a significant, largely avoidable household risk. 

[Soror]

I feel for her 😞  We lost our house to a fire 13 yrs ago. 2 days later I had dd1, it was incredibly stressful. Luckily dh made it out, if not for the smoke detectors he wouldn't have. As it was by the time it woke him the house was already really going. We had a fire extinguisher when we had the fire last time too but by the time the detector woke up dh it was too late, it didn't make a dent. He was sleeping days as he worked nights and I was at my parents. No hydrants here, they have a tanker truck they bring.

They believe our fire started with the dishwasher and said that is a common cause.

[fairfarmhand]

2 hours ago, wendyroo said:

100%

Cleaning the lint trap is one of the first chores my kids learn at 2 years old when helping me do laundry. I train them to be just as fanatical about it as I am.  It is a life skill that will serve them well - dryer fires are a significant, largely avoidable household risk. 

 

16 hours ago, happysmileylady said:

Huh.  

 

I wonder if maybe the dryer.  Dh is constantly on me to clean the lint trap *EVERY SINGLE TIME* but I don't always remember.  And now that the kids are running the washer and dryer for their stuff, they don't always remember either.  I do try to make sure it's cleaned out about every other day or so.  

So my dd18 works at a restaurant and they run laundry every day, towels and tablecloths and such.

She's constantly lecturing the workers "Am I the only one who knows how to clean out the lint trap on this thing? If it weren't for me you guys would burn this place down!" Because apparently nobody else thinks to check it. She took 2 weeks off of work one time and came home raving that she didn't think anyone had emptied it the whole time she was gone!

[cintinative]

8 hours ago, Happymomof1 said:

Yeah, don't come to my house, please. My grandmother used to say a messy cook is a good cook.  My mom and I followed her example.  Now raw meat, that is another animal.  But flour on counters and floor, utensils on counters. Yeah.  I clean it up at the end or even better have a kid clean it up.  Please do not try to convince me your way is right. Trying not to feel judged right now. It is the way we roll and I am too old to change, nor do I want to change.  So funny, another example of things I only hear of on this board.

 

I call myself a "high impact kitchen user." LOL. I have always been messy. I am careful with raw meat, and if I am actually using gluten flour, I am meticulous because I have a Celiac kid. Non-gluten flour though?  Not so much.  I do *try* to throw things in the sink as I go, but my husband still insists I am the most messy person ever in the kitchen. 😃 I have always been this way--it used to drive my OCD mother crazy growing up.  

Let's be friends!  😃

[Scarlett]

I find I become very stressed if I have to cook so fast that I can’t be clean and neat as I go.  

[KungFuPanda]

3 hours ago, cintinative said:

 

I call myself a "high impact kitchen user." LOL. I have always been messy. I am careful with raw meat, and if I am actually using gluten flour, I am meticulous because I have a Celiac kid. Non-gluten flour though?  Not so much.  I do *try* to throw things in the sink as I go, but my husband still insists I am the most messy person ever in the kitchen. 😃 I have always been this way--it used to drive my OCD mother crazy growing up.  

Let's be friends!  😃

"High impact kitchen user" 😆 That's me.  It's a bit of a shock and awe campaign, but I do clean up after myself.  I HAVE to wear an apron or I wouldn't own anything but stained clothes.  In my defense (I say that a lot) it's not unusual for me to be cooking 4 or 5 things at once.  Dh, the neater cook, is a one-dish kinda guy. There's just never a universe where he's making biscuits to go with the meal so he's never throwing flower around.

[cintinative]

16 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

It's a bit of a shock and awe campaign, but I do clean up after myself. 

I HAVE to wear an apron or I wouldn't own anything but stained clothes.  In my defense (I say that a lot) it's not unusual for me to be cooking 4 or 5 things at once.  

I clean up, at the end, but never to my husband's satisfaction. I love the "shock and awe" description!

I have, ahem, many pieces of stained clothing. I am not great about remembering my apron.

And yes, I am often also cooking many things at one time!

[KungFuPanda]

6 minutes ago, cintinative said:

I clean up, at the end, but never to my husband's satisfaction. I love the "shock and awe" description!

I have, ahem, many pieces of stained clothing. I am not great about remembering my apron.

And yes, I am often also cooking many things at one time!

Don't let Hamburger Helper Guy tell you how much mess you should be making! 

[ktgrok]

On 8/10/2020 at 11:53 AM, Laurie said:

She answers some questions from viewers as part of her cooking at home videos.  Someone asked who does the clean-up, and Rachael says her husband does most of it.  She said she gets mad at him sometimes because he'll take something away to clean that she's still using.  

(The one who bugs me is Wolfgang Puck when he's on HSN.  He's always wiping at his nose while cooking. )

Ugh, I HATE that! My DH used to try to "help" by cleaning as I was cooking. Drove me bananas! I think I like Rachel Ray more now, lol. 

16 hours ago, wendyroo said:

100%

Cleaning the lint trap is one of the first chores my kids learn at 2 years old when helping me do laundry. I train them to be just as fanatical about it as I am.  It is a life skill that will serve them well - dryer fires are a significant, largely avoidable household risk. 

Yes, I'm fanatical too! 

And I NEVER run the dryer when we are sleeping, or if we are not home. or the dishwasher. Both are known fire hazards, and I know someone who lost their house from a dryer fire. Had it happened when they were asleep they might have died. (and not when I'm not home because of the pets)

[ktgrok]

@Bagels McGruffikin, if you want to watch a woman who cleans as she goes, try this show on PBS https://www.pbs.org/food/shows/ciao-italia/#:~:text=Ciao Italia with Mary Ann,Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

I'm NOT naturally neat, although I've gotten much better at it, and never really notice if others are...but with her, I noticed! 

[Laura Corin]

On 8/10/2020 at 6:48 PM, KungFuPanda said:

Ok, here's a debate topic for you:  Are messy cooks unhygienic?

Maybe I'm just defensive since I'm a recovering messy chef, but I'm thinking this is more a style difference.  I clean as I go now just to make clean up easier later and because my workspace is limited.  Still, it seems like I'm just moving the identical job up by a few minutes and doing it the messy way isn't really more dangerous. What to y'all think?

I'm aware of meat contamination but I don't worry about anything else.  Meat knives go into the sink, chopping boards into the dishwasher wrapping into the closed bin. Then wash hands. Apart from that I will just stack things. Husband and I clean up after each other, depending on who's cooking.

[Laurie]

Sad update:

Rachael Ray gives a tour of her home after the fire...before it's bulldozed.  

The cause of the fire was creosote build-up in the chimney.

Edit:  Trying to Remove link because of celebrity content.  You can search you tube:  "Rachael Shows What's Left of Her Home" to find the video. 

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Laurie

[Laurie]

I just reported my mistake to the moderators.  If anyone else knows how I can remove the link to you tube you can let me know.  I only know how to copy and paste a link, but with you tube it automatically shows up as the video when you do this.  

Never mind.  Miraculously,  Low-Tech Laurie figured it out.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by Laurie

[desertflower]

23 minutes ago, Laurie said:

I just reported my mistake to the moderators.  If anyone else knows how I can remove the link to you tube you can let me know.  I only know how to copy and paste a link, but with you tube it automatically shows up as the video when you do this.  

Never mind.  Miraculously,  Low-Tech Laurie figured it out.  

Thanks for figuring it out!  😄

On 8/11/2020 at 10:37 PM, Ktgrok said:

Ugh, I HATE that! My DH used to try to "help" by cleaning as I was cooking. Drove me bananas! I think I like Rachel Ray more now, lol. 

Yes, I'm fanatical too! 

And I NEVER run the dryer when we are sleeping, or if we are not home. or the dishwasher. Both are known fire hazards, and I know someone who lost their house from a dryer fire. Had it happened when they were asleep they might have died. (and not when I'm not home because of the pets)

I second the no dryer or dishwasher when asleep.  I might let the dishwasher finish if it is almost done - usually I have been more worried about water than fire with the dishwasher.  I grew up with a Uber-paranoid father who turned off the pilot light on the furnace and hot water heater when we left on trips so he was a bit over the top.  He was super ahead of his time on food safety as well.  I am more easy going, but some habits are hard to break.

eta: the two people I know with significant house fires were the car in the garage caught fire and the second one the son knocked his lamp over into a pile of clothes in the morning and then everyone left for the day.  Apparently when daughter came home from school and opened the front door the influx of oxygen made it really take off.  I still feel bad on some level about the second one.  I remember driving down the street thinking it smelled like someone was burning leaves which was unusual in December, but didn’t see anything.  By the time I got the toddler down for his nap there were fire trucks all over the street  Luckily, there was a fire hydrant right in front of the house.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Mom2mthj