Antoni Porowski, Queer Eye's resident food expert, doesn't just have a great kitchen, he's got one literally every New Yorker would kill for. It's got more than one square foot of counter space, with room for all the appliances a chef could ever want out (an espresso machine, a stand mixer, a full-size toaster, a Vitamix). It's got a massive island, enough for a crowd to gather 'round when dinner parties are had. The fridge is big enough for more than just last night's leftovers. You get the gist.
On a recent Monday morning, we invited ourselves into Antoni's home to get a behind-the-scenes look at the space he treasures most.
Delish: How long have you lived here?
Antoni: I've lived here for about a year and a month, but I've probably slept here for a total of, like, three months because I'm traveling all the time and I'm never here.
D: What is your favorite part of the kitchen?
A: My favorite part of the kitchen is the island because that's where everyone congregates when they come to my house. (Opening a drawer in the island) I had no idea I had a garbage until I discovered the garbage was actually right over here. (Opening another drawer) I can be a little aloof sometimes, and I didn't realize my pots and pans could actually be stored right over here. This is evidence of my older sister who was visiting here recently. She hates the sound of clinging pots, so she put all these little towels between my pots and pans.
D: Do you have a favorite pot or pan in your collection?
A: (Holding up a copper saucepan from Paris) This is my version of the best souvenir ever because it's one you have for life. This is my pride and joy, my favorite little pot. I boil water in here just because it makes me think of Paris and what I lovely time I had while I was there.
D: If you could change one thing in your kitchen, what would it be?
A: If could change one thing in my kitchen...space. My kitchen is right in the middle of the apartment, so it's kind of away from any windows. But that's New York, you know? It's what you sign up for!
D: What is the biggest disaster you have ever had in this kitchen?
A: The biggest disaster I've ever had in this kitchen, it wasn't like a total disaster, but I had a few friends over for dinner several months back, and we all got distracted. The water was still boiling with pasta water, and the pasta got to the bottom and then it crisped up and it got really burnt. So it wasn't, like, a total nightmare, but it was a pain to clean up. That's about as dramatic as it gets.
D: What are three things we will always find in your fridge or freezer?
A: This is maple syrup from Vermont that my dad gets. He's a physician, he works in a hospital, and one of the nurses has her own maple farm. They make their own maple syrup, and they have these cute stickers with different gradients for the color. The light amber is really nice, it goes well with waffles.
I'm basically a child, and I'm very nostalgic. A lot of what I do gets run by nostalgia. I love Gorton's fish sticks. When I was a child, and I ate them, they were basically the size of my finger, and now they are whole fillets. They've gotten with the times because it's sustainable-caught, 100% wild Alaskan pollock, which is awesome. My favorite way to have it is with ketchup and also with frozen peas. I'll have a whole bag of peas with my Gorton's fish sticks and then some ketchup on the side. (Head to the Gorton's site to find some recipes Antoni created for the brand, like Baja style fish tacos and fish and waffles.)
The lovely folks at Belvedere sent me a bottle of vodka with my name on it and...it lights up! For a Polish father to have his Polish son's name on a bottle of vodka was by far the proudest moment my dad ever had. Wasn't the Emmy's, wasn't my university degree, wasn't coming out, it wasn't any of that. It was having my name on a bottle of vodka.
Watch the video above for the full tour and more highlights like Antoni's impressive salt collection and his trick for cooking your way through a cookbook.
