Our fascination with chefs’ kitchens is well-trodden ground — from the TODAY show to Architectural Digest, people love peeking into the kitchens of famous people, and chefs are no exception. It’s like a glimpse into the creative minds that captivate us in their restaurants, their cooking videos, and the pages of their cookbooks.
While it’s fun to see how fancy (and clean) these kitchens are, for most of us the La Cornue stoves, Carrara marble countertops, and four wall ovens are the stuff of dreams. Instead of obsessing about all the things I can’t have, I zero in on the smaller details in these fabulous kitchens that are obtainable. Using this strategy, I’ve come away with some fabulous grocery finds, cookbooks, and tools.
How to Spot Chef-Approved Groceries (and Cookbooks) in Their Home Kitchens
I look for photos of chefs in their home kitchens in design magazines, newspapers, and magazines in the act of cooking. For example, I discovered Graza Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil, my new favorite oil for finishing dishes from an article in The New York Times about restaurateurs Arjav Ezekiel and chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel. The Austin restaurateurs behind famed restaurant Birdie’s are pictured in their kitchen, where I spied a bottle of Graza Drizzle right next to their stove.
I was curious about this “drizzle” oil, but hadn’t tried it. When I saw it in their kitchen, I knew it was something they really used (not something a stylist or PR-agent staged), so I gave it a try and I’m so glad I did! I’m drizzling it on everything — vegetable dishes, pizzas, pasta, and even soup to add a bright, grassy flavor boost.
Another favorite place to find cooking inspo is to examine still shots of chefs’ cookbook shelves in their kitchens. I know from experience that food pros have a lot of cookbooks, but the best ones, the ones they really use, are kept on kitchen shelves where they’re easy to grab, not on a dusty book shelf in some other room.
No matter where you find the images, snooping in food pros’ kitchens can yield some great discoveries if you’re willing to zoom in and use an eagle eye.
Did you learn about a favorite grocery from a chef? Tell us about it in the comments below.