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Her Desperate Housewives character wasn’t much for cooking and cleaning, but Eva Longoria is actually quite domestic. On top of acting, directing (her directorial film debut Flamin’ Hot comes out next year), producing, and traversing her ancestral homeland for the upcoming CNN show Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, she recently launched Risa cookware, a line of non-toxic, non-stick pots and pans available on Amazon.
Longoria is far from the only celebrity with a cookware line, but after chatting with her about it, it’s clear that the mother to four-year-old son Santiago (with husband José Bastón) has an unbridled passion for kitchen gadgets—except when it comes to microwaves.
Below, AD gets the scoop on Longoria’s home life.
AD: What city do you live in?
Eva Longoria: Home is where my son and my husband are. We set up anywhere we go. I was [recently] directing a movie in Albuquerque for five months. I’m now in Barcelona, Spain, for six months. But my two main homes are Mexico City and Los Angeles.
Describe the style of either one of your homes in one sentence.
My husband is a frustrated architect-slash-interior designer. He is very particular about every detail and he does a contemporary style that is functional and easy. It’s not super modern with chairs you can’t sit in and sharp edges.
What is one kitchen item you use every single day?
My pots and pans for sure. Two things I don’t use are probably the microwave and the dishwasher. I don’t understand why there’s space in homes for those things. Even if I heat something up, it’s in the pan. If I’m renting a house, I’m probably looking at the microwave like, “How do you use this thing? I don’t get it. I don’t understand.”
The other tool I can’t live without is a rubber spatula. People should cook with a rubber spatula.
What is your favorite gadget or appliance?
It’s usually a kitchen item because I’m a kitchen-gadget nerd. I need a food processor. I chop and purée a lot of stuff in there. I need a KitchenAid mixer because not only do I mix a lot, I also use it as my pasta maker. I use my Crock Pot five times a week because I make beans every other day.
Oh, I’ll tell you what gadget I cannot live without—the Pampered Chef garlic press. My aunt Elsa, who taught me how to cook since I was two, swears by this garlic press. When I moved to Hollywood, my house warming present from her was this little Pampered Chef garlic press, and she’s right. Every time I buy a fancier one, they don’t work. They don’t push the garlic through. This one, you put in the peel and everything, you push it through and it comes out perfect every time.
What is your bedtime ritual?
I feel like I saw a meme about it the other day that was like, your night routine in your twenties compared to your fifties. In your twenties you go to bed with your makeup on and collapse in your clothes and then you wake up and you’re like, whatever. Now, I check if all the doors are locked, I have to take my supplements, I have to do my skin care routine, I check on Santi five times, I look at the cameras.
My nighttime routine contains a lot of Santi stuff, like bath time and bedtime reading. Once he’s down at eight o’clock, I am ready to go to bed. The house lights are off. I usually take a bath, I have a bath bomb, I have my lemon grass eucalyptus spray, I have my Epson magnesium salt that I have in the bathtub. It’s a whole thing. It makes me so happy. I light my candle, and then I do all my skin care, and I start to take my supplements because I take so many, it takes about an hour because I hate taking pills. Then I put my eye mask on to block out the light and I’m out. My husband makes fun of me.
What is your ideal bedding setup?
I don’t like a high-thread count so I’m not very into Frette and all that stuff. I’m a good Target customer for my sheets. I like a cold sheet and I feel like a high-thread count is hot. It doesn’t breathe and it makes me hot.
Which room in your house is your favorite and why?
The kitchen, because that’s where the heart of the home is. Probably my second favorite room is my closet.
Describe one item in your home that you brought back from a trip.
My prize collection is my serving dishes. I collect serving dishes from all over the world. I have some from Italy, Oaxaca, and the south of France.
What object in your house has extra sentimental value?
My husband is an art collector, so we have a lot of contemporary art in our home. We have a big Damien Hirst heart in our dining room that he gave me when we found out I was pregnant.
What is the oldest thing in your house?
Me. [Laughs.] Probably a cast iron comal, which is a thing you heat tortillas on. We’ve had it for 25 years.
What is the newest thing in your house?
I got the Therabody, where you put these boots on and they are supposed to be good for lymphatic drainage.
Do you have a room or area that serves an unusual purpose?
We have a paddle tennis court. I think my dream weird room would be a sewing room because I sew a lot. I’m literally the local seamstress.
What would you change about your home if you could only choose one thing?
Honestly, a bigger kitchen. I don’t have a kitchen big enough. But I really think I’m insatiable. I think there could never be a kitchen big enough for me.
