Kristen Kish admits it: She does not enjoy cooking for herself. At all.
“I don’t find joy in the kitchen when deciding what to do on Tuesday at 7 o’clock and I’ve been too busy to think of dinner,” the renowned chef explains. “I’d rather have someone just cook for me.”
But Kish — who was recently named the new host of the iconic Emmy-winning Bravo hit “Top Chef” — says she’s happy to work her magic for others. And if her wife, Bianca, makes a request? Even better. “If she’s like, ‘Kristen, can you recreate that amazing dish we had a long time ago,’ then I love that process,” she says.
She can whip up even more delicious options now that she’s partnered with Ninja to help launch its new Woodfire Outdoor Oven. “I can experiment with a lot of different foods, and it doesn’t take five hours of prep work because I don’t have the time for that,” she says. “And I don’t smell the food inside after I’m done cooking. It reminds me of my years working in restaurants!” Best of all: She can, you know, be outdoors. Kish notes the two recently moved into a bigger place with a back patio. “We used to live in Manhattan where apartment outdoor cooking was not a thing,” she says. “It’s nice to have the space to do it.”
Nonetheless, Kish has some top advice for any cook working by any oven in any setting. “You must have a lot of curiosity, care, love and a desire to experiment,” she says. “A lot of people are like, ‘I don’t like to cook!’ And I think it’s because they’re afraid of messing up in the kitchen. But you’re allowed to mess up!”
Ahead, Kish dishes on her favorite kitchen essentials for CNN Underscored.
Kish raves that her electric oven is both hot and totally cool, as it brings out premium flavors and textures in her dishes with just the touch of a button. “I love the range of things you can cook in it,” she shares. Among her go-to dinners: smoked Korean chicken thighs with cabbage, pineapple and crispy bacon; corn and cheese flatbread; and Neapolitan-style pizza.
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At this point in her storied career, Kish doesn’t consult cookbooks in the kitchen. (“I just like looking at the pretty pictures.”) However, she does keep an impressive assortment, thanks to her fellow culinary artists. “I collect the ones that make me feel proud of the people in my life,” she says. This book, written by her friend (and another “Top Chef” alum) Gregory Gourdet, focuses on healthy and vibrant gluten- and dairy-free dishes.
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She keeps everything from oatmeal to hot sauce to exotic-flavored Lay’s potato chips in her pantry. (Oregano, anyone?). Specifically, “I like things that pack a bunch of flavor into something so when I don’t feel like cooking at home, it can be as simple as using a sauce packet.” She singles out these tangy vegan noodles that cook in just five minutes.
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These nonstick, flexible mini-spatulas may be small, but they’re hugely beneficial. “I love them for everyday things like when you want to scrape the [last] bit of your yogurt in the cup or mayonnaise in the jar,” she says. “It’s a tool I use on a regular basis.”
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The chef’s most prized spice: This aromatic all-purpose seasoning leaves a lingering heat on savory meals. “I grew up with powdered sawdust black pepper — so I love the fact that you can just freshly grind your pepper,” she says. “A heavily toasted black peppercorn is a great addition to most dishes.”
At home, Kish says she slices and dices on a bamboo or wooden cutting board. In her restaurant? She uses this natural rubber board that does not crack, splinter, swell or absorb liquids. Its high degree of resiliency also preserves knife edges while preventing slipping.
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Kish admits that she inherited this electric kettle — which features five pre-programmed settings, a soft top lid and an automatic shutoff button — from her wife after the two moved in together. “I can just plug it in and boil water for tea at a fast speed,” she explains.
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“It’s definitely more of a professional chef’s knife,” Kish says of this traditional Japanese carbon-steel tool. “But the steel is hard, it holds its edge longer, it’s beautifully made and it can get very, very sharp.” FYI, the handle grip is made from a dense Desert Ironwood.