The One Kitchen Item Rachael Ray Can't Live Without - Exclusive

When it came to designing "Rachael Ray's Italian Dream Home," the TV star also had to have her dream kitchen, of course. However, the process of creating the perfect spot for cooking wasn't exactly as enjoyable as she had hoped. "That was a tragedy for this build," the iconic cook admitted during an exclusive interview with Mashed's sister site The List. "I thought I chose the perfect kitchen and tried to communicate that to the team, because I could not be onsite because of a pandemic."

Throughout the entire renovation, Ray had a specific vision of what she wanted her Tuscan home to look like. Communicating that to a crew (made up of people that mostly spoke Italian) was a difficult dilemma. "So that was a complete do over," she shared.

In the end, Ray couldn't be happier with how her beautiful kitchen turned out. "Eventually, I did get the kitchen that I wanted in Italy, which I love," she gushed. Though she had to make a few trade-offs to get there, there was one item that she was not willing to compromise on when it came to creating her dream kitchen.

There are a few things you must have if you're hoping to be a great cook. Some nice pots and pans, an ideal oven, and all the right ingredients in your cupboards. However, the one thing that Rachael Ray had to get right in her Italian home was something she swapped out three times over the course of the renovation. "My stove," she shared in the recent interview.

For all the delicious Italian meals Ray enjoys making, she had to have the correct stove to cook it all on while relaxing in Europe. "I needed a strong commercial grade stove," she said. However, what she ended up with instead was somewhat comical for a famous cook. "What I first got was like cooking over a Bic lighter," she joked.

A few tries later, Ray was able to install the incredible appliance she now works on whenever she's hanging out in her Italian home. "And today, I can cook for many people," she told us. Lucky them!

New episodes of "Rachael Ray's Italian Dream Home" air Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET on FYI.