Matt James Reveals the One Meal Rachael Kirkconnell Cooks That He'll Eat 'Over Anything' (Exclusive)

The former Bachelor told PEOPLE at Samsung 837 in New York City that his girlfriend "makes the best everything"

Matt James has traveled the world sampling international cuisines from Dublin to Tokyo. But for the former Bachelor, 32, nothing beats a home-cooked meal prepared by girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell.

“Rachael is my favorite cook,” James told PEOPLE on Wednesday at Samsung 837 in New York City. “She makes the best everything. I love to eat out, but there's nothing more I love than a home-cooked meal. A lot of the times I'm eating leftovers.”

James partnered with Samsung to promote their devices and technology, like SmartThings, which comes in handy to effortlessly heat up those leftovers. “You can prompt the microwave to have meals warmed up, so if I'm working out in the garage and I want something ready to go, by the time I get to the kitchen, it's as easy as tapping a few buttons on my phone,” he explained.

Related: Matt James Finally Shaves His Beard with Help from Girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell: Watch the Clip!

The reality star said Kirkconnell, 27, recently made a “delicious” Philly cheesesteak pasta, but he especially loves when she whips up breakfast for dinner.

“That's my omakase,” James quipped. “I'll take that over anything. She knows I like the waffle crispy with the butter on there and the syrup warmed up. It's that touch that you don't get going out.”

While they might be on the same page about food, “we have different ideas of exercise,” said James, who’s training for the TCS London Marathon in April.

He prefers running, whereas Kirkconnell likes pilates, which James hasn’t gotten into just yet.

“It’s just frustrating to me because I like to be good at everything,” he laughed. “When I see her on the reformers so effortlessly and I'm struggling, it's a reality check for anytime that I'm trying to convince her to do something that is foreign to her. It's a good workout, but it's frustrating for someone who is unfamiliar with it."

"But I'm a proponent of anybody doing anything to sweat," he added.

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Should Kirkconnell, who James met on his season of The Bachelor, ever want to take up running, “I'd be her biggest fan and coach and do anything I could to get her across that finish line,” he said.

James hopes to cross the finish line himself in London in less than three hours, a goal that evaded him by just five minutes when he ran the New York City Marathon in November. He started doing more strength training with the Samsung Health app in hopes of hitting his goal time.

“I wasn't doing a lot of strength training and I feel like my hamstrings kind of gave out towards the end,” James admitted. “So having access to strength training programs through Samsung Health has made it easy. I could start my day or my run with a nice warm-up or workout, and it's going to help me achieve that goal. It’s an easy thing to work into my routines from my house.”

Related: Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Say They Want Kids but 'Have a Few Steps Until Then' (Exclusive)

James does his best to stay consistent with his workouts when he travels by having a routine.

“When I stopped playing organized sports, I tried to do everything willy-nilly, and I didn't get anything done. So having a routine is the only way that I can get anything done,” the ex-college football player said. “It's prioritizing things. When I travel, I prioritize fitness over anything. There's time to do whatever you want to do, it's just a matter of what you prioritize. If you want to scroll on TikTok, then that becomes a priority for you.”

Right now, James called his priorities "a lot of training and working on some fitness programming for our students" whom he works with in New York City through his ABC Food Tours charity. "It's eye-opening when you go into some of these public schools and you see how little exposure these students who love sports have access to them," he said. "So [ABC Food Tours is] trying to find ways to bridge those gaps."

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