“Leeks are really having their moment right now!” Antoni Porowski tells PRIDE.
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and Porowski is no exception. However, the draw for said love is usually a partner and not root vegetables. He’s tucking away some lunch while we get ready for our zoom and I tell him I haven’t really formed an opinion on leeks yet. Poworski gives me a look that’s all too knowing and offers a chef’s kiss gesture as though it’s a promise of things to come.
It’s this kind of simple passion that makes Porowski so approachable and the skill that makes him a relatable expert when it comes to all things culinary. As one-fifth of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guyseries, Porowski is near family to millions who watch his content daily. And he’s grateful for it and wants to show you more.
“All of us individually have our own thing within a group, but I think all of us are excited to branch out,” Porowski says when asked about his side gig as producer and host of Netflix’s Easy-Bake Off Battle.
If Great British Baking Show is comfort food, then Easy-Bake Battle is the soft cozy blanket from our childhoods.
Courtesy of Netflix
“I wasn’t allowed to have any Easy-Bake Oven when I was a kid, so there’s a bit of retribution to it. We were trying to think of something unique and the idea for the show came into my head. As soon as it clicked I knew that was it!” Porowski explains. The nostalgia of the show is a huge component, but the obstacle of the biggest part of your meal being relegated to an oversized Easy-Bake Oven is also a crowd draw. Not necessarily to see the contestants fail, but rather to see the ingenuity on display in the face of challenge.
Easy-Bake Battle starts with three home chefs. The first episode stars Dave (an active military man), Andy (a former college athlete), and Haley (a stay-at-home mom who is pregnant with twins). Porowski and guest chef Kristen Kish (Arlo Grey executive chef) assign a late-nite snack challenge saying the product needs to be “greasy, crunchy, carb-loaded goodness”.
“I don’t care what anyone says, if you put love and passion into your food, it always tastes better, you can tell. We want to see and learn all the different ways you can make something delicious,” says Porowski. He’s just as passionate about talking about food as he is cooking it, but he’s not pretentious.
Courtesy of Netflix
In the show, the taste and presentation are easy to make, but the real challenge is how easy is it to make. Before the chefs go to their “battle stations”, he yells out an encouraging “Bake it Easy!”
The chefs take off and it’s a joy to see the chefs get excited over shredded cheese and microwave veggie bags. It’s just as nice to see the contestants talking amicably among themselves and to see Porowski sneak to each station learning as many tips as he gives out.
Near the end of the bake, they have access to an Easy-Bake oven. The oven has one temp and they can only use it for a specific time, and they’re required to as part of the challenge. The chefs have to be creative with their dishes.
One contestant did something that blew Porowski away.
“One of the contestants, Dave, he’s this military guy and he does these delicious potato balls. And he has to have potato mash to do this so he puts it in the microwave and bakes it, it was done in like 10 minutes, amazing!”
Courtesy of Netflix
Two things are worth noting: First, Porowski remembers every contestant and back story, and secondly, his awe over the baked potato is a perfect example of why he’s the perfect host for this show. He’s not afraid to admit he didn’t know something and more importantly unafraid to learn. It goes against the archetype of the angry chef.
I tell him about my own experience baking a potato in the microwave. At first, I wondered aloud if it was a Midwest thing my mom would do this constantly for mashed potatoes or to cube up for potato salad. I remember a home economics class where each team had a final assignment and we were to give our grocery lists to the teacher. My team had decided on potato skins, knowing we could par-cook the potatoes in the microwave and then crisp them up in the oven, a 20-minute process instead of an hour or more.
Courtesy of Netflix
We had everything planned and were crestfallen when we went to school only to find a bag of crudités and ranch dressing. The teacher (who wasn’t from the Midwest) had never heard of our microwave trick and while she was impressed, my team and the other students were not. Porowski marveled as he listened to the story.
“You see? That’s what I’m talking about! Maybe it is a Midwest thing and now it’s made its way to the West Coast. Isn’t that amazing? We have so much we can share with each other!”
He recalls a time when he was walking through the airport and three generations in the same family told him they’d been watching Queer Eye since its original 2003 inception. “I love that we are able to reach so many in their homes and we try to honor that by having people from everywhere and every walk of life,” he shares.
Easy-Bake Battle not only showcases diversity in ethnicity, but also sexuality, gender expression, and more. One stand-out contestant, Eman, is a Kurdish woman who wanted to represent Kurdish women and their skills in the kitchen.
Courtesy of Netflix
“She made her dish with these Kurdish spices that tasted so good. I really hope it inspires people to try something new,” says Porowski. He added that another contestant made “pineapple spam boats” that were equally great. It goes to show that food as a connector can be a very enriching experience. And it’s one Porowski is looking forward to sharing.
“I’m Polish Canadian so I grew up in Montreal. In school, I was maybe one of four white faces in my class so I grew up being surrounded by different cultures. I want to learn and then show others that there’s so much out there,” he explains
As for what Porowski would make if he were on the show, he says he was reminded of contestant Diego who lived in a small 200-square-foot apartment in New York.
“When I first moved to New York I had an oven that was maybe a third of the size of a regular oven. So I really had to make do. Also during the pandemic when things were out, I found that I would make plans but instantly had to turn on a dime when something was out of stock,” he recalls.
Courtesy of Netflix
It’s this simple and genuine ingenuity that makes Easy-Bake Battle well worth the watch.
You can also catch Porowski in his collaboration with fellow Fab 5 member Jonathan Van Ness in their pet collaboration, Yummers. Antoni will be heading off the food side where he intends to provide your pets with nutritious and delicious meals with flavor toppers and add-ins. You can read more about Yummers on their official website.
Easy-Bake Battle: The Home Cooking Competition | Official Trailer | Netflixwww.youtube.com
Easy-Bake Battle is airing now on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
RELATED | Jennifer Coolidge On Her Gripping New True Crime Series The Watcher
