Paris Hilton Tells Us Everything About Cooking With Paris - Exclusive Interview

There's something soothing about watching cooking shows. They're methodical, organized, and predictable once you know what the dishes for the segment are. Paris Hilton's new cooking show on Netflix, "Cooking with Paris," is a major departure from all of those things. Through a cloud of edible glitter, Hilton casts a spell over viewers as she glides through grocery store aisles in couture gowns and introduces viewers to the recipes she plans to make in each episode, now streaming. Joined by some of her friends and family — and always a pooch or two — in the episodes, Hilton and her "sous chefs" prepare the recipes to match an elaborately decorated dining room, themed to match the menu for the night.

While it's hard to look away from the classic Paris Hilton persona working away in the kitchen while dressed to the nines, Mashed caught up with Hilton to talk about her new show. And if you haven't seen it already, the part-cooking, part-comedy television series is definitely one to queue up.

Can you tell us a little bit about "Cooking with Paris" and what inspired it?

"Cooking with Paris" was inspired by just being at home during the pandemic. It was the most I've ever been at home in my life. So I started cooking a lot, and I made a lasagna cooking video on YouTube, and it just went viral. And then I just started getting calls from people, offering me my own cooking show and then signed the deal with Netflix, because I'm obsessed with Netflix. And yeah, I never really would've thought I would have a cooking show, but I had the best time doing it. It's so much fun, and I'm very proud of the show. I had the best time doing it.

Can you tell us anything that happened behind the scenes?

A lot happens. It's a half-hour episode, so obviously we can't fit everything in. But it was just a lot of fun, just to have all my friends coming over and just having so much fun with the fashion, because I wanted it to be a very fashionable cooking show. Because I've never really seen that and kind of mixed in comedy in the cooking show, which just very unique.

So yeah, just lots of fun memories with my friends, just coming over and cooking something. Usually, I see my friends at parties or events. So just having them over at my house and just cooking together in the kitchen was a really special bonding experience for us.

Were there any major fashion mishaps? In one episode you got a little hot and had to change. Did anything else happen?

Yeah. Especially with the homemade blue marshmallows. That just got everywhere, and it ruined my outfits. So I had to change for that. And sometimes just being in these couture gowns at the supermarket, I was like... The bottom of my dresses would just get destroyed, just from running around. So these outfits are definitely not made for cooking in, but like I said, I wanted it to be fun and fashionable. So I just went with it.

What was it like reviving the character of Paris Hilton for the show?

It was so much fun. I feel that for a show like this, I wanted something that people could really enjoy, and laugh and smile, and just have a good time. Especially after everyone being in their houses and during this pandemic, I just feel like I wanted to do something that was really a lot of fun. And I definitely was feeling the "Simple Life" vibes when I was in the kitchen. Because I did feel like a fish-out-of-water just in that show, because I don't really know how to cook. I knew how to cook lasagna, but nothing really else. And I don't know the names of certain cooking utensils and things like that. So it was all very new to me.

Did you have a favorite person that you cooked with this past season?

I loved everybody. It was just so much fun. I had the best time with everyone, so I don't really have a favorite. But I loved getting to know Saweetie better. I think she's just so awesome. She's so smart. She's just such a boss and just teaching me how to make what her mom taught her. Those shrimp tacos are so good, and it's something that I cook for my fiancé a lot now. So yeah, but everybody was just a blast to hang out with and cook with.

Was there a specific dish that was particularly difficult to master?

Yes. The Thanksgiving turkey that I did with Lele Pons. I never did that, like cooked a turkey in my life. So just to have to put my hand inside of it and pull out all of that, it was so gross and disgusting. But I definitely had a huge appreciation for all of the moms and dads out there that do that for us every Thanksgiving, because it's a lot of work.

What's one thing you learned about food during the filming process that you didn't know before?

Like, what a whisk is. I learned about just really having fun in the kitchen. I don't really like following rules, so I made my own cookbook with my own recipes and Paris-ized everything. And I found out about edible glitter, which makes food even more beautiful to look at. So yeah, just how much fun you can have just being in the kitchen and cooking is what I learned. And now I can't wait for one day when I have a family and kids to just make all these things that I've learned, even on the show for them. So definitely all that, some new skills for my next phase in life, which is getting married and being a mom one day.

Do you have a favorite kitchen tool?

I love my Swarovski crystal-covered spatula. And that's called, that thing that you flip hamburgers with. What's it called? No idea. But I love those, just because they're really sparkly and pretty.

Was there a specific food or ingredient or dish that surprised you the most this season?

Yes, the frittata that I cooked with Kim, because both of us have never cooked a frittata before, and there's like a lot of steps that go into it, but it's so delicious. And I literally would have had no idea how to do that before. And now it's something that I make for my fiance almost every weekend. When I make brunch for him, it's one of his favorite things. And how you can just change it up and do whatever you want and put anything in it. So it's a lot like frittatas are an awesome thing. If somebody wants to learn how to cook something, to impress someone on a date or something, that's a really... It's not as impressive as lasagna, but it's very impressive to cook for your loved one.

What was the best thing you cooked up this season? And the worst also?

The best was the... There's so many good things. I loved the vegan, we did the vegan meal with Nikki Glaser, and I attempted to make McDonald's french fries. They weren't as good as McDonald's french fries, but I'd never used one of those fry... the air-fryer things, so that was a lot of fun. And oh yeah. With my mom and my sister, we made like this truffle with gold flakes on a steak meal, which was so good. And the worst was probably with Demi, when I was trying to make the homemade pasta, the homemade ravioli, but I didn't follow the directions right. Thank God, I bought the pre-made ravioli, because we just didn't know how to do the other ones.

Did you have a favorite meal from the show?

My favorite one ... With Kim. I loved that frittata, and the caviar was amazing. And then the French toast with the blue marshmallows. That is just like an amazing brunch. I loved that one. And we had so much fun hanging out together in the kitchen and cooking and hanging and eating.

When you were not having to cook it up yourself, what's your favorite fast food?

McDonald's. I love their fries, I love their milkshakes. And In-N-Out. I love In-N-Out.

Can you tell us what you typically eat in a day?

I love breakfast. That's one of my favorite meals. So every morning, I have either French toast or pancakes or a breakfast sandwich and cereal, like Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes and fresh-squeezed orange juice and celery juice, if I'm trying to be healthy. And then for lunch, I love making sandwiches, with baguettes and turkey and cheddar cheese and lettuce and mayo and mustard, with fruit and smoothies. And then dinner could be anything. But I love making lasagna obviously and pasta. I'm really good at doing Italian night. So anything Italian, I love to eat, and that's usually what I have for dinner.

What is one celebrity that you still want to cook with and why?

I think it would be a lot of fun to cook with Britney, because we always had an amazing time together, and I feel like it'd be fun to make like a whole Southern meal with her.

Looking forward, are there any dishes you want to learn with your fiancé and cook with him?

I feel like I've cooked so many things. I think it would be fun to learn how to cook Thai food together and how to make sushi together, because he loves Nobu and literally eats sushi basically every single day. So I think that would be a lot of fun, just to learn how to do that together, because he loves sushi so much.

Cooking with Paris is streaming now on Netflix.