The Office's Brian Baumgartner Shares His Secrets for the Best Chili

Brian Baumgartner, most well known for his role as Kevin Malone in The Office, sat down with us to talk about his on-going partnership with Bush's Beans. The duo is celebrating National Chili Day, February 25th, by sharing some tricks for tasty chili and revealing their latest invention together: The No Spilly Chili Pot.

Brian's Chili Tips

When it comes to Baumgartner's favorite kind of chili, he likes to keep things simple. "Last year for National Chili Day I partnered with Bush's and released kind of my ideal recipe," he says. For the perfect chili, Baumgartner recommends including, "some onions, definitely some peppies. Typically some ground beef, [though] I actually use turkey quite often... spices, and, of course, Bush's Best Chili Beans."

When it comes to dishing up a bowl of chili, the actor says he often tops his serving with a sprinkling of scallions and cheese, and only includes crackers "occasionally as a dipping utensil."

His biggest tip for cooking the chili is patience. "I don't think it hurts anything to have it all just be simmering in there very low for a long period of time. But I think where people make a mistake, and where people end being jaded, is you do need to wait and add the beans later." Baumgartner typically lets his recipe cook down for a few hours, then adds in the canned beans within the last 15 to 20 minutes. This keeps them firm, adding texture to each bite.

The Iconic Chili Scene

Baumgartner's possibly most famous scene on The Office is when Kevin spills an entire pot of chili. "That's just the crazy thing, I never imagined that 10, 12 years later that I would be talking about chili," says Baumgartner. "But that moment resonated with so many people."

He explains that most of the audience is split when watching the catastrophe, with half thinking it's hilarious while the other part cringes at the situation. Because of this association with chili, Baumgartner thinks his partnership with Bush's Best just makes sense. "I can't think of a better symmetry partnership that exists in the world, quite frankly," he says.

Bush's No Spilly Chili Pot

Quite like Kevin, Baumgartner also hasn't had great luck when it comes to chili accidents. "I partnered with Bush's last year and we perfected and released my recipe for chili. That went really great, except there was another mishap and I did not get to enjoy the chili," he says.

What is the logical next step? Invent a device that will make it impossible to spill. Through this partnership and from the innovation of "engineers and accomplices" came the No Spilly Chili Pot. This uniquely composed cookware allows Baumgartner to enjoy his chili without the laws of gravity getting in the way.

And as for how Baumgartner is celebrating National Chili Day? "I will be at home, but I will be making chili, and I can promise you this, I will not spill it."

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