Do Chefs Cook at Home? (Celebrity chefs favorite)

You might think chefs have an amazing life, due to how much fancy food they cook and get to eat every day. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Most chefs have an extremely busy and stressful schedule, and they must maintain it strictly to serve the best food to their customers. So, the question naturally arises, do chefs cook at home? 

Many chefs like to prepare food for their families when they are at home, while others find it tedious to cook again. Cooking for the family after working for eight hours a day can be quite the task. Nevertheless, for many, preparing a meal for their friends or family is comforting.

So, the answer depends on several factors. Cooking a meal for someone may sound very simple to you, but it has other connotations. People bond over food; food brings them closer together. Therefore, cooking for loved ones is a love language. And this love requires a lot of labor as well. 

Do Professional Chefs Cook at Home?  

You should keep in mind- chefs lead busy lives and sometimes work all day long. Not to mention when holidays come around, they barely get time for themselves. As a consequence, a professional chef might not cook every day of the week because they too need rest. They do, however, make an effort to feed their families on the weekends with delicious food.

Furthermore, cooking at home is common for some chefs, because they believe this is completely different than their jobs. It’s one of the best ways in which they can show love for their loved ones since they have one of the best skills they possess – culinary skill. Cooking is effortless for them, and it also allows them to spend time with their family members. 

Surely, it can be stressful to prepare food in a restaurant when you have constant orders to fulfill, and multiple dishes that need to be served at specific times. On the other hand, cooking at home requires no extra pressure and rush. They can cook, and relax simultaneously. Thus, passionate chefs do prefer to cook at home for their families, and themselves. 

However, as most chefs work exceptionally long hours, it makes it challenging for them to cook again, even if they want to. Chefs leave their homes before 7 a.m. and return home at night between 11- 12 o’clock. After all those hours in the kitchen at their workplaces, it must exhaust them to cook again. However, even if they wish to cook, it will be too late for meals.

As a result, it is difficult to determine whether chefs cook at home or not. Several different factors go into this, including how busy they were during the day, how many hours did they work, and whether they wanted to cook for their family or not. Yet, in most cases, chefs prefer to cook at home, they just can’t do it every day. 

Why Some Chefs Don’t Like Cooking at Home

Chefs have given multiple reasons to why they dislike cooking at home. Time shortage and exhaustion were the primary reasons. As noted, they work long hours, and cooking in front of the fire, while being on their feet all day is indeed very tiring. On top of that, in most cases, they have meals in the restaurants in their free time, so they don’t feel the need to cook again.

Secondly, after years of cooking for professional reasons, many found it boring to cook again after they go home. So, they usually end up taking food from the restaurants they have cooked that day. Besides that, chefs also prefer to order take-out at home. In other words, they eat food at home to survive, and not because they love eating. 

Others have stated that it’s more work at home than in restaurants. Because, in restaurants, they don’t have to prepare what they are going to cook, it’s already prepped for them by someone else. It’s just a matter of putting it all in the frying pan and cooking. However, at home, they would have to do everything, including washing the dirty dishes at the end. 

Also, chefs want to unwind when they get home, and cooking again would not help to achieve that. Think of it this way, after you are at home from work, you won’t be pleased to do the same work again at home, right? So, it is the same for them too. They prefer to relax and eat whatever they have without being picky over it. 

What Do Chefs Cook at Home? 

On weekdays, they don’t get the time to cook every meal, but if they do, they make something quick and easy. A one-pot pasta dish, pizza, mac n’ cheese are some of the meals they like to prepare when they have the time. Aside from these, their favorite food is also anything baked or roasted in the oven because it requires minimal effort.

Some of them keep marinated chicken, beef, or any other protein sources in their freezer, so they can quickly prepare meals with them. A simple salad or side dish such as white rice or any kind of pasta is a favorite. For weekdays, they like to meal prep and make foods that will store well in the refrigerator, including salmon, tofu, steamed broccoli, and asparagus.

On the other hand, some chefs only like to eat fresh salads when they are at home. They want to take a break and let their bodies detox because they keep consuming a lot of complex food while working and cooking. So, they choose salads with simple dressings and green juices with lots of vegetables and fruits in them.

Have you ever wondered what celebrity chefs like to eat when they are at home with their families? You’ll be shocked to see how simple their eating habits are! 

1. Gordon Ramsay

Does he even need any introduction? A roast of any kind is Gordon’s favorite meal during the week. He also added, he loves to make spaghetti on Fridays. 

However, his ultimate favorite food, which he swears by eating every morning is a warm bowl of oatmeal. He adds caramelized bananas on top and voila! 

2. Jamie Oliver

Jamie and his spouse love homemade curries with naan or rice. Their entire family is obsessed with it, including their five children. 

They also said they love to keep fresh milk, fish, vegetables, and different varieties of cheeses packed in their refrigerator at all times. 

3. Rachael Ray 

In her magazine, Rachael Ray says Italian cuisine is her go-to meal. She loves all kinds of pasta and pizza. 

However, if she had to choose, she said, she would pick pasta carbonara any day. She and her husband both love it dearly. 

4. Bobby Flay

This American chef loves fresh pasta with tomato and parmesan cheese. He also loves fresh basil in them. 

Bobby Flay however specializes in foods like burgers, steak, and anything with meat. So, it’s quite fascinating that he keeps his pasta dish so light and simple. 

5. Ina Garten

Ina Garten swears she eats the same breakfast every day, and she loves it. It’s Steelcut oat! She says it’s the perfect way for her to start the day. 

She also mentions, she can’t live without roasted chicken. She says her roast chicken is so delicious that her husband proposed to her because of it. 

Conclusion

So, do chefs cook at home? I’m sure you have the answer by now. Although most chefs have opted for this profession because they enjoy cooking, doing it 24/7 can become quite monotonous. I even know of chefs who gag having any smell of foods after working all day cooking meals. 

However, they do try to cook whenever possible for their families. As home cooking for professional chefs is less about eating and more about making their family members happy.