Top Chef's Gail Simmons reveals the surprising 'best thing' in her kitchen – she keeps this appliance 'in arm's reach at all times' and so should you

In an exclusive interview, the Top Chef judge tells H&G she uses a single, under $50, appliance to make juice, smoothies, soups and popsicles

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With a seemingly unlimited number of kitchen appliances on the market, it can be difficult to cut through the noise and figure out what you actually need. Luckily, Homes & Gardens spoke with Top Chef's Gail Simmons to figure it out.

Simmons is an acclaimed food writer and cookbook author who has served as a permanent judge on the Bravo show since its inception in 2006. As a celebrity chef, she knows all the techniques for keeping your kitchen tidy and streamlining your kitchen appliances is a huge part of minimizing clutter while upgrading your cooking. When asked about her favorite appliance, Simmons had a surprising answer: her immersion blender.

What can an immersion blender make? Simmons answer is, pretty much everything. She states: 'I make my kids smoothies all the time. I make popsicles all the time. I blend the fruit and then put them in the popsicle molds to freeze them, you know, fresh fruit. We use it to blend soups, to blend stews. If I'm making a soup where I just want half of the vegetables and the stock blended to then stir into the soup to give it a thicker texture. That's the perfect job because you can control exactly how much you use. You don't have to switch it into the blender and then back into the pot. You can just do everything right in the pot. We use it for everything. I reach for it more than I reach for anything else.'

Perhaps Simmons's adoration for the immersion blender also hinges on the fact that she uses it to make one of her favorite foods: date shakes. This sweet, yet nutrient-filled treat is a staple in her home and a key recipe in her cookbook (she swears by Rancho Meladuco's signature dates). She describes discovering the shakes at the start of her career: 'I fell in love with them.'

Beyond the immersion blender, Simmons's approach to home cooking tools is simple. 'My theory on appliances in general is that never buy an appliance that can only do one thing. I don't like kitchen gadgets. I don't stuff my house with every kitchen tool or gadget that then just collects dust. I live in Brooklyn. I have limited kitchen space and I want as few things as possible. I believe in cutting boards and knives. I don't need an electric can opener. Like a thing that can only do one thing and that's electric that you need to plug in and store and care. Forget it.'

When in doubt, keep it easy. In most cases, an immersion blender may be all you really need.

Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards
News Editor

Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.