How Celebrity Chefs Have Made Us Kitchen-Obsessed - Guest Post

Their cookery shows litter TV channels, their recipe books dominate the bestseller shelves and their branded products fill our cupboards. There’s no denying it - we’re officially in the era of the celebrity chef. The last few decades have seen a wave of professional cooks being catapulted into the public eye, and this has resulted in a dramatic shift in the way we think about home cooking. No longer are our kitchens simply functional spaces used to carry out the everyday task of cooking. Instead, they’re a place to experiment with exotic ingredients, show-off our culinary talents and make a fashion statement. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which celebrity chefs have made us kitchen obsessed.

Making a style statement

The fact is, kitchens are no longer just kitchens - they’re an embodiment of our style preferences and lifestyles. Thanks to TV chefs like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson, an increasing number of homeowners have started turning their attention towards their cooking spaces in a bid to replicate the homes of these famous foodies. With Jamie’s rustic wooden worktops, Nigella’s sleek pink cabinets and Gordon's extravagant appliances, there’s more of a focus on aesthetic appeal than ever before. Long gone are the days when the kitchen was a forgotten about room reserved merely for food preparation. Now, it’s the heart of the home, a space that is being used to show off our taste in decor and display our favourite pieces of furniture.

A chance to show off our talents

With celebrity cookbooks encouraging us to be more adventurous with our cooking, the kitchen has become a place for showing off not only our style, but our culinary prowess too. Our go-to dishes have been taken over by an urge to try new, interesting and extravagant food just like the professionals. And we’ve changed the way we do dinner parties as well. No longer can we whip up a prawn salad or lay down some cheese and crackers for our guests. Having people round for dinner is much more than a social occasion, it’s an opportunity to experiment with gourmet ingredients and give quirky twists to traditional plates.

Gadgets galore

As our obsession with experimental cuisine grows, so does the demand for kitchen gadgets. To keep up with our new, refined tastes, more and more people are investing in specialised cooking aids to make food prep easier and more flexible. From thermo blenders, to electric potato mashers, to ice cream makers, getting your hands on the latest celebrity-endorsed kit is guaranteed to make you the envy of your guests.