health
‘They look goofy and I don’t care’: Padma Lakshmi’s onion goggles and other kitchen favorites
The longtime Top Chef host told us about her favorite things in her New York City kitchen, from steel gloves to a Dutch oven that’s lasted over 20 years
TL;DR
- Padma Lakshmi's kitchen essentials include a 20-year-old Dutch oven, Tierra Negra clay pots, and a Microplane for zesting citrus and shaving cheese.
- She advises home cooks to expand their palate by adding new spices to familiar dishes, suggesting sumac or various chili powders.
- To enhance spice flavor, Lakshmi recommends dry roasting whole spices in a hot pan until fragrant and then grinding them with a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
- She stores spices in a drawer with angled platforms for visibility and recommends buying small quantities to maintain freshness, away from heat and light.
- Lakshmi enjoys making ice cream with her daughter using a Ninja Creami ice cream maker.
- Other favorite tools include onion goggles to prevent tearing and steel mesh gloves for safety when chopping.
- Her key advice for home cooks is to read recipes thoroughly and prepare all ingredients ('mise en place') before cooking to minimize stress and mistakes.