Alexander Kumptner: Star chef talks about his girlfriend

A cooking show for people who can’t cook? That is exactly the concept behind the new Sat.1 show “Double cooks better”. From July 4th (always Monday to Friday at 7:00 p.m.) the Austrian star chef Alexander Kumptner (39) welcomes three teams of two per episode. Those with little cooking experience stand at the stove – the other person gives instructions via a button in their ear.

Emotional outbursts are inevitable. “There are some who arrive totally in love and after 40 minutes it says: ‘You’re the worst of all,'” says Kumptner, laughing in an interview with the news agency spot on news. Due to his many moderator jobs, the native of Vienna constantly commutes back and forth between his homeland and Germany. Of course, this also affects his private life. In an interview, Kumptner reveals how his girlfriend feels about it.

Your new cooking show “double cooks better” starts in July. What attracted you to the format?

Alexander Kumptner: When I found out what the format was about, I was hooked. There are so many cooking formats, but mine is not just a cooking show. Cooking is basically just part of the show. But basically it’s about interpersonal relationships between lovers, siblings, with friends, between parents and children. In “double cooks better” three couples compete in each episode. I specify a dish and explain it to the team member who is more knowledgeable about cooking. However, this person is not allowed to take notes and then sits with a microphone in an adjoining room and uses a button in his ear to guide his partner who is standing at the stove.

The gag is: the person at the stove can cook little or not at all. The techniques you see there are simply incredible. Just the variety of ways you can salt and express cucumbers – unbelievable! There were techniques that I didn’t know myself (laughs). Or someone is told to peel carrots. Then the person takes a spoon and starts scraping over the carrot!

What is special about the format?

Kumptner: What makes the format really great and exciting: There are different pairings. There are couples in love, grandma-granddaughter, parents-in-law-daughter-in-law or two friends. At the beginning the candidates are still nervous, but after five minutes they usually forget that a camera is running. And then you experience them completely unfiltered. They open the bedroom door. You notice immediately: who’s wearing the pants, who’s attacking, who’s defensive, who’s choleric and who’s not. There is a different dynamic in each of the three teams. That’s what makes the show.

There are probably some emotional outbursts?

Kumptner: Absolutely! There are some who arrive totally in love and after 40 minutes they say: “You’re the worst of all.” That was sensational.

Were there moments that touched you?

Kumptner: I was touched by a very dear grandmother who competed with her granddaughter. She simply wanted to bring her granddaughter closer to cooking so that it wouldn’t be lost. The way the two treated each other was just great. It doesn’t always have to be loud. That was a real feel-good moment. I would love to watch them cook at home.

Is there a constellation that you particularly liked?

Kumptner: Each team competes with a different motivation. But the funniest situation is when the woman who always cooks wants to show her husband how much work it is – and wants to see him suffer. The ladies then really shoo the gentlemen through the kitchen (laughs).

You specify the dish and taste at the end. Do you sometimes help the candidates?

Kumptner: First and foremost, I’m the sports moderator who notices and comments on everything. But I also give cooking tips. I pick up on the mistakes that are made and explain how to do it better. But I also give praise when someone has done something well.

If you were a candidate, who would you put in the stove?

Kumptner: Standing at the stove is like driving a car, and the co-driver interferes all the time. And let’s put it this way: I would be a bad passenger in the kitchen. When my girlfriend is cooking, I can’t hold back either and get involved. The third time she smartass, she usually says, “Would you like to do it yourself?” I’m very bad at directing. I prefer to do it myself. If I would participate with anyone, it would be with my sister. She likes to bake, but has nothing to do with cooking.

What do you recommend to people who can’t cook but would like to learn?

Kumptner: Just try, fail and keep reading recipes – but don’t just pick out the most difficult one right away. Most people make the mistake of wanting to copy some superstar recipe right away. If they don’t succeed, they lose motivation. Learning to cook is a bit like skiing. As a beginner, you don’t ski straight down the black slope. You have to get to know your own taste first. Cooking is a craft and you only learn by failing. This is how you develop your culinary skills. You should definitely have your own opinion on recipes and change them if you don’t like an ingredient, for example.

What dish is your go-to recipe after a hard day’s work?

Kumptner: I’ve tried a lot in my life. But spaghetti aglio e olio (pasta with garlic and oil, ed.) is my favorite dish. It’s quick and you usually have the ingredients at home. But it’s not that easy to make up for it. Most just make an oil puddle – that’s not right. But this is my soul food and reminds me of my childhood. My dad always cooked it.

What role does healthy eating play in your life?

Kumptner: The vegetarian diet is very important to me, although I also like to eat meat. But I try to reduce it. We live in a meat overconsumption. The famous Sunday roast used to be eaten once a week. And now people eat meat six times a week and vegetables once a week for a clear conscience. What always shocks me, however, is that some people believe that they are eating healthier just because it says “low carb” somewhere. You should read the small print more often and also question certain things. Because we like to be sold something as healthy that is not healthy at all.

You have many moderator jobs. Do you still have time for your restaurant?

Kumptner: It’s difficult at the moment because I’m very busy right now. But I adjusted well to it. I’ve been working with my team and my partners for a long time and that’s how it works. It would be a lie if I said I’m in the restaurant all the time. That’s not possible at the moment.

If you constantly commute between Germany and Austria, how do you manage to combine work and private life?

Kumptner: It’s not always easy. Luckily my girlfriend also has to work a lot and is very understanding. I also have a dog that I miss terribly. But it works – where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Do you sometimes miss Austria?

Kumptner: I miss some things. I like Vienna, but I also like to travel. For example, I really like being in Munich or Hamburg, with the latter only the weather often gets on my nerves. I couldn’t live in Berlin. Cologne isn’t that pretty, but I think the people are very nice. In Vienna it’s exactly the opposite: the city is beautiful, but unfortunately the people are often grumbling.

Vienna was recently voted the most livable city in the world.

Kumptner: I’m Viennese, but I always have wanderlust and for me there are many cities that are at least as worth living in.