Alex Guarnaschelli

There's not enough time in each day to really focus enough attention on any one thing, but I'm doing my best. I have a great group of people who support me, and I don't sleep a lot. It's like I'm on a constantly spinning merry-go-round, and every day, I'm wondering when it will stop so I can get off. I love what I do, so that helps a lot.

When we talk about chefs, we often talk about their love of food or their passion for it, but cooking is also about making a living; it's a job.

People in professional kitchens may love what they do, but sometimes it's just something that puts food on the table.

People don't take enough advantage of the refrigerator door.

As a chef, a mom, and a member of Team No Kid Hungry, I believe that every child deserves three meals a day, every day.

I've had the privilege of having a lot of amazing people cook for me.

I like to take a day off and enjoy fast food for what it is. I have to say that in New York, I'm really partial about taco trucks. I mean, I really can't handle it. There is something about catching all those ingredients piled on top of each other: it puts me in a tizzy. I love it. I'm kind of a taco truck junkie.

A homemade hamburger can be a real treat.

Make dinner with the goal of stretching it out for lunch in the back of your mind. Making more of one thing is cheaper than buying more varied ingredients for each meal.

I love using hummus as centerpiece and then making different containers of vegetables for fun dipping.

Make a stir-fried rice dish with some cut-up chicken and any vegetables folded into the rice for a 'one pot' meal lunch that has it all - protein, starch and vegetables.

My mom, ever the Italian, made braised chicken with tomato.

I like all of McClure's pickles, but my personal favorites are the spicy ones.

I think I will never stop having mentors.

I feel very passionate about maintaining the same level of standard and respect for the food as an Iron Chef myself.

My last meal on Earth? The obvious answer is a plate of my mother's scrambled eggs.

One of the most practical utensils I can't live without is my 'Joyce Chen' Scissors. They cut with precision.

Buying food from farmers and people that I know adds that human element that I love.

I am driven by ingredients. My Italian heritage and French training inevitably poke through as well, guiding my techniques.

I love 'The Gourmet Cooking School Cookbook' by Dione Lucas. A huge source of information and inspiration. The book is organized by menu, and the recipes are unusual and exciting.

I really cringe at the sight of pattypan squash. So pretty and cute and having no taste or exciting texture. Dull.

My most memorable meal was with my parents at Joel Robuchon's Restaurant Jamin in Paris. It was Christmas 1982, and the flavors - from cauliflower and caviar to crab and tomato - astounded me. It was the first time I remember thinking that I would like to really learn how to cook.

I baked the coffee cake recipe from 'The Joy of Cooking' over and over again when I was a kid.

The longer I look at something, the more my imagination churns and I can find somewhere to put it.

If you're making a salad of any kind, cut the herbs, stems and all, and toss them into your mixed greens salad, a Romaine salad, iceberg, Bibb - it just adds a special touch.

Freeze herbs by stem and all - don't just freeze the leaves. It's better to keep them sturdier. Put the stems and the leaves together into a plastic bag, and just wrap it up and freeze it like that.

It's essential to make sure you have proper kitchen tools for food storage - like cling wrap, bags, and containers - because they help keep food fresher longer.

'Iron Chef America' is so real. Imagine putting on television the whole process of making that food, the technique. It's all about technique. It doesn't even matter if you show the faces sometimes.

Mashed potatoes with stuff in it? That's '90s.

Short ribs in the middle of a hamburger? That was pretty groundbreaking.

I've roasted a somewhat frozen turkey, and it's come out just fine.

Repeatedly opening the oven - or worse, taking out the turkey to baste it - slows down the momentum of cooking.

I don't know anyone who hasn't overcooked at least one turkey, myself included. It's easy to do.

Red wine vinegar has some personality as well acidity.

A splash of red wine vinegar can pull things together like a pinch of salt.

Every time I feel like something is missing from a dish, I think, 'Oh, I know, I'll add a pinch of dry ginger.' If it's not salt and it's not vinegar, it's probably missing dry ginger.

The hardest thing for me is restraint. I see fresh beans and ramps, and I start to quiver.

If you want to have a relationship, at some point you have to let yourself get caught.

I didn't want to write a cheffy cookbook with dehydrated ham chips.

I love roasted beets with goat cheese. I am also a fruit addict.

I love the whole process of making, serving, and eating hearty soups like lentil, potato leek and carrot, to name a few.

I love to eat. I could make a professional sport out of it.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Make something simple a few times until you 'master' it and move on to the next thing. Take a cooking class! Buy a cookbook that specializes in foods or a cuisine you enjoy.

If I am making a spice rub or a spice mix for a braise or even just to crust a piece of fish, I'll use mustard seeds. If you soak them in a little bit of vinegar and let them get plumped and soft and then you puree them, they're delicious.

There's a freshness to the approach of teen chefs. They're lighthearted, and they're not afraid to take risks.

I learned so much from 'Iron Chef' about ingredients, about the courage to put yourself out there.

Stuffed cherry tomatoes are satisfying without being filling and make a great alternative to bread-based starters. You can assemble these appetizers ahead of time and refrigerate them until you're ready to serve.

Understand that nutrition plays a huge role in athletes' lives, and one of the most nutritious ways to eat is to cook your own food.

I think no one would dispute that 'Chopped' is a highly athletic television show.

I think that cakes should have touches of candy bar in order for it really to hit all those childhood notes on the keyboard.