Matt James Praises Girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell for Her Amazing Cooking Skills: She's 'Opened My Palate'

Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have been together for a while, but one thing he's grateful for in their relationship is her cooking skills!

"Rachael could do her own cookbook. I would just be her sous chef. She's the real cook; I just helicopter. I'm trying everything and getting kicked out of the kitchen! In the future, I could see her putting together her own cookbook. She's got so many go-tos, and it's everything that I enjoy, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. If she puts it together, I think a lot of people would enjoy that!" the 31-year-old exclusively tells OK! while talking about the release of the “Potato Chip to Potato Dish with Matt James,” an exclusive cookbook kit featuring a limited-edition Lay’s Classic potato chip bag reimagined for Friendsgiving and an original Lay’s mashed potatoes developed by the reality star himself.

The Bachelor Nation fan-favorite knows he's not the most helpful in the kitchen because he'll try to do two things at once. "I'll be like, 'Oh, this needs more salt,' but without even tasting it. That's how you get kicked out the kitchen," he quips. "You can't be doing both. If you're going to taste test, you have to stay in your lane. I am telling her how to make stuff that I haven't even tried, which will get you thrown out the kitchen for sure."

However, James believes his girlfriend appreciates "how easy of a house guest I am," he says. "There's things I definitely like, and I ask for the same things over and over, but she hasn't made me anything I don't like! Everything she's made I really like, and it's opened my palate to a lot of things."

The two, who met during James' season of The Bachelor, which aired in 2021, are constantly on the go, but this year for Thanksgiving they will take some time to be with the brunette beauty's crew in Georgia.

"Her family's great. They're so go with the flow, so it's fun. You don't feel pressure to be a certain way — you can be yourself, and that's why I love going down to Atlanta and spending time with them," he shares.

In the meantime, since James is such a foodie, it made perfect sense for him to partner with Lay’s and introduce the "Potato Chip to Potato Dish with Matt James."

"It's very rare that you're a fan of something your entire life. Things change. I used to only eat chicken nuggets, but one thing that's remained the same is that I've been a fan of Lay's since I started eating potato chips. Fast forward 31 years later and now I have the opportunity to co-create a mashed potato recipe for the holidays!" he says. "It's surreal. I have to pinch myself that it is happening."

"I love my family, I love my friends, and I love spending time with people that I love — and I think most people create core memories around the holidays for better or for worse," he adds. "Having the opportunity to leave an imprint on someone's holiday with this recipe is a pretty cool idea. People are now going to make mashed potatoes out of potato chips, which doesn't feel real. It's only real because the potatoes that Lay's uses are real — and you have to have real potatoes to make mashed potatoes!"

Additionally, Kirkconnell's biggest advice when putting the recipe together was to "keep it simple."

"She said, 'You don't need to recreate the wheel. It just starts with potatoes, honestly,'" he says.

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Starting November 8, fans can enter a nationwide giveaway for their very own “Potato Chip to Potato Dish with Matt James” kit by following Lay’s and Matt James on Instagram, liking the launch post, commenting with a potato emoji (🥔) and using the hashtags #LaysMashedPotatoes #Sweepstakes.