Gail Simmons Explains The Hardest Part Of Judging Food - Exclusive

Judging food sounds like a piece of cake. After all, what sounds better than potentially eating some of the best meals you've ever had in your life, all cooked up by rising stars in the culinary industry? But some aspects of the job definitely prove more fun than others. According to Insider, some judges love taking on a mentorship role in the lives of some of the contestants, while others love boosting morale through positive comments on the contestants' food.

On the other hand, judging meal creations isn't all fun and games. Getting through multiple dishes takes some serious fortitude and space in one's stomach. Eating multiple dishes with conflicting flavors can also make some judges feel sick, especially when they have to get through a ton of filming in a very short amount of time. Others hate delivering bad news to up-and-coming chefs and dread sending contestants home.

While every judge has different aspects of the job that they love and hate, each experience is incredibly different. According to Gail Simmons' personal website, she has been judging contestants on "Top Chef" ever since the show launched in 2006, and over the years, Simmons has pinpointed the toughest aspect of this role. Mashed sat down with the chef for an exclusive interview and delved into what the hardest part of judging actually is.

For Gail Simmons, the hardest part of judging on "Top Chef" comes down to eating so much quality food. "At this stage, they're not amateurs where one day, they can nail it, and the next day, they totally mess up," Simmons told Mashed. She noted that the contestants that make it onto the show are at the top of their game, and their meals rarely fall flat. While the chefs have good or bad days, the range of quality usually isn't that extreme to completely count out a contestant during a cooking challenge.

Simmons also noted that the contestants who find their way onto "Top Chef" usually have at least ten years of kitchen experience under their belts before making their way in front of the camera. "Most days, the food is really good and that's what makes my job so hard, which is a good thing," Simmons continued. "It makes it exciting, but it also makes it harder to send people home because more times than not, they're going home for cooking a good dish."

Catch the latest episodes of "Top Chef" on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on Bravo. Check your local listings to find out how and when you can watch "The Good Dish."