Read on to find out all the things you didn’t know about Maneet, including the ingredient she hates the most and what she would be if she weren’t a chef.
Ingredient She Hates to Cook With: Pineapple
“I personally hate to work with pineapple, the reason being that that was the one ingredient that played a critical role in me (and all my predecessors) being eliminated on my season of The Next Iron Chef,” she says.
Ingredient She Never Eats: Spam
Most-Memorable Meal: Anniversary Meal in Italy
“My husband and I went to Venice, Italy, for our first-year anniversary, and spent a day on the island of Burano. There we had lunch at the famed Trattoria al Gatto Nero da Ruggero — one of the most-incredible meals of our lives. It was a true homage to highlighting the beauty of the freshest ingredients, best olive oil, garlic and the secret ingredient in their cooking — salt from Trapani,” she says.
Guilty Pleasure: Vanilla Ice Cream with Lots of Candied Pecans and Hot Fudge
Dish She Never Makes at Home: Sushi
Kitchen Tool She Can’t Live Without: Spice Grinder
What She Would Be If She Weren’t a Chef: Jewelry Designer
"I love my bling,” she says.
Favorite Food City: Singapore
“It’s an amazing melting pot of Asian food — Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese — and has a perfect balance of delicious street food and some amazing upscale dining,” she says.
Favorite Late-Night Snack: Masala Popcorn (Popcorn with Indian Spices)
Last Supper: Mom’s Flatbread
“[It would be] my mom’s flatbread with a big dollop of freshly home-churned butter, topped with her potato and fenugreek vegetables,” she says.
Favorite Person to Cook With: Her Husband
“He is very meticulous about cooking, and slowly and lovingly makes his family recipes, handed down generations. The flowing wine also helps,” she says.
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