New York- Thanks to publications that cater to the voyeur in all of us, we’ve peered into the handbags of many of the world’s fashion icons and seen the most exquisite personal spaces of celebrities.

Now, an aptly titled book brings us inside chefs’ fridges for a glimpse of the stuff Europe’s top chefs, from Ottolenghi and Inaki Aziparte to Fergus Henderson and Kobe Desramaults, stock in their home kitchens.

The authors Adrian Moore, a food writer and the assistant chef concierge at the Mandarin Oriental Paris, and Carrie Solomon, a writer and photographer, tapped some 40 chefs for the project.

And the contents of their fridges reveal strange local ingredients, culinary experiments, guilty lowbrow pleasures and a few clues about some highly treasured recipes. Even their organizational styles, or lack thereof, are telling.

“The fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants chef had a haphazard home fridge with good products (a few past their expiration date) but unorganized, and made us a totally improvised, interesting recipe in two minutes,” Solomon recalls.

“Others, known for their meticulousness in the kitchen and on the plate, left nothing to chance in their home fridge. Only the most exquisite products, all carefully presented as in their restaurants.”

The duo spent over a year traversing Europe to meet with their subjects, who boast 60 Michelin stars between them, and photograph the spaces. With rich images and clever commentary, the result is both eye opening and entertaining, geared toward a broad audience.

“It’s for food enthusiasts to geek over, but attractive to nonfoodies as well,” Moore says.

Here, Moore and Solomon share with T some of the 10 most surprising items they found while making “Inside Chef’s Fridges.”

The New York Times