'Top Chef' Judge Gail Simmons Is Obsessed With This $14 Spatula
Gail Simmons has been on your TV for well over a decade: She's been a Top Chef judge since the show's inception way back in 2006, joining spin-offs like Top Chef Masters and Top Chef Just Desserts along the way. Behind the scenes, she's been building something of a food empire-she started a production company, Bumble Pie Productions, in 2014, wrote both a memoir and a cookbook, 2017's Bringing It Home, and directs special projects for Food & Wine magazine. NBD.
Delish caught up with Gail at a recent Made by We event where she spoke on a panel with other women in the food industry about being an entrepreneur, juggling projects, and the magic (and eventual end) of Top Chef. Read on for some of Gail's favorite memories of the show, plus her recommendations for what kitchen tools and ingredients to add to your kitchen ASAP.
Top Chef's Staying Power
A few years in, Gail recalled asking Andy Cohen, then director of programming at Bravo, how long he thought Top Chef would really last. He guessed 11 seasons; a decade later, season 16 just wrapped and the show is still going strong. Part of that lies in the simple fact that everyone has a connection to food, Gail says.
Gail recalls a time back in season five when she realized just how wide-reaching the show had become-while taping a show with the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl said to her he couldn't believe he'd get to be on Top Chef. "I was like, I can’t believe you’re Dave Grohl for God's sake, like, are you kidding me?! It was just a really great moment to realize how similar we all are."
On Her Wild Season 16 Appearance
Gail missed almost all of Top Chef's season 16 to give birth to her new son, but she did make a very memorable appearance in episode two. Contestants prepared meals based on her pregnancy cravings, but since they were filming in Kentucky, judge Nilou Motamed "boxed up unfinished versions, got on a plane with the dishes on her lap, flew to New York, arrived at my apartment four hours later and we cooked them together," Gail describes. "It was exactly as it played out and it was hilarious."
Wildly enough, she went into labor just 72 hours later. "Now it’s sort of this amazing thing that I’m excited to one day show to my son because he was there."
Her Favorite Kitchen Tools
Good news: Gail's favorites won't break the bank. She names a $3 Y-peeler and a $14 fish spatula as two of her top recommendations. The peeler can take the place of a mandolin; use it to peel fruits and veggies or make beautiful ribbons. "They’re literally nothing and everyone should have one in their kitchen," Gail says.
The fish spatula, while great for keeping fish skin intact, is also ideal to use when making fried eggs or baking cookies. "You never want to ruin that perfect golden crust on cookies and scones."
The Ingredient You Should Add To Your Shopping List Next
Upgrade your grain bowls, soups, and salads with freekeh, Gail recommends. The Israeli grain is similar to bulgar or farro but with a more jagged, less uniform shape. Gail has tossed it into vegetable stews, and come spring, plans to mix it with herbs and veggies to make a big, fresh salad.
Pickles, Pickles, And More Pickles
Gail recently wrote an essay about pickles in the 100 Most Jewish Foods, so naturally, I had to find out more about her obsession (oh, you haven't seen Delish's pickle mania?). She stands by her sour preference-"My personal affection is for a full sour kosher dill style pickle"-but does like a good pickled fruit, too. "Pickled pineapple, pickled apples...quick-pickling of fruits is really delicious especially on the side of spicy food like pickled watermelon rind." She's also a fan of pickles in tuna and egg salad, pickle brine in martinis, and pickle grilled cheese. Our kinda woman.
A post shared by Gail Simmons (@gailsimmonseats) on Mar 21, 2019 at 12:24pm PDT
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