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Look Inside Gail Simmons' Fridge (It's the Work of Art You'd Expect)
The Toronto native whips up everything from salads to smoothies in her home kitchen — but she's never far from this ingredient.
Anyone who watches Top Chef knows that Gail Simmons has a palate that's a force of nature. But, when she's not sampling cheftestants' fare, what does the foodie prepare for herself? Let's just say this: Read on at the risk of becoming very hungry.
The Bringing it Home author recently let Food 52 inside her cozy and chic Brooklyn home, and the tour included a peek inside her fridge. The gleaming shelves are filled with fresh produce, tidily packaged leftovers, and a good jug of real maple syrup. Gail is a Canadian, after all!
As one might expect, Gail's kitchen also has a tricked-out tool kit that includes everything from a flexible fish spatula to a microplane and a SodaStream. So, what does she use those tools for?
When she's home in New York, Gail hits up restaurants and events multiple times a week. But, on the nights that she eats at home, she's quick to whip up a salad and what she describes as a "simple main course." (Something tells us it's not as simple as the weeknight stir-fry we made on Tuesday, but we digress.)
"I generally like to eat simply: lots of vegetables and fruit, not a ton of meat or rich foods," the food pro said. "We try to cook lots of veggies, hard-boiled eggs, and whole grains like quinoa and farro or brown rice, in large quantities when we can — weekends! — so we have them at the ready to eat throughout the week for quick breakfasts and dinners. During the fall, I start making a lot of veggie soups and stews, roast chicken, and always big crunchy salads." That sounds so wholesome, healthy, and delicious that we're suddenly psyched to look up farro recipes...
Some days, Gail also has a very cute sous chef who works alongside her in her home kitchen. Her four-year-old daughter Dahlia Rae Abrams love to help her mom prepare smoothies, pancakes, and berry-banana muffins. The tot also loves eggs, and seems to have inherited her mom's discerning taste: She's already a fan of braised short ribs!