Joanna Gaines Reveals Her ‘Weird’ Stategy to Deal With Kitchen Chaos

Joanna Gaines has a lot on her plate — literally and figuratively. Between running her Magnolia empire, starring in a home renovation series, raising five kids, and launching a new Food Network show, the “Fixer Upper” star admits that mealtime can feel like a whirlwind. But instead of stressing out, she’s found a clever mental hack that turns dinner prep into something fun.

Joanna Gaines Reveals Her Mealtime Hack for Chaos

In an exclusive interview with Delish, Gaines revealed how she keeps her cool when dinner feels overwhelming. “I have a weird thing I do when it’s like crunch time, because I always feel like I never have enough time to make dinner,” she said. “I pretend like I’m just in a competition show and pots are floating. That motivates me. I’m trying to beat the clock. I literally play that game in my mind every time I’m cooking. It’s a tornado.”

The strategy keeps her motivated, but the chaos doesn’t end in the kitchen. Gaines relies on her kids to handle cleanup, rotating dish duty every night. “It’s someone’s chore every night. So every kid has to pick it up,” she explained. Her husband, Chip Gaines, has a slightly different philosophy. “Chip is always like, ‘Man, if you just clean up as you go, Jo, this wouldn’t be [so hard].’ And I’m like, ‘I actually do really great in chaos.’”

For Gaines, the mess is part of the fun. “The chaos makes it more dramatic and fun. It’s fun for me. I don’t want it to be clean and boring.”

Feeding a household of seven isn’t easy, especially since her kids all have different tastes. “I have five kids with five very different palates. They all have their specifications,” she told Delish. “One of my kids just only wants pasta. Nonstop pasta. My 16-year-old boy only wants meat and potatoes and bread.”

Luckily, there’s one dish that unites them: breakfast. “We do fresh huevos rancheros. We’ll make the corn tortillas. I’ll make the ranchera sauce,” Gaines said. “Everyone will get up for it, which is hard on a Saturday because when you have teenagers, you don’t know who’s waking up when. But, they start smelling that sauce, they know.”

The ‘Fixer Upper’ Star Previews New Food Network Series

Mealtime doesn’t just play out at home — it’s also the heart of Gaines’s next TV project. On August 16, she announced on Instagram that her Food Network show, “Magnolia Table,” is returning with a new twist. The upcoming season, titled “Magnolia Table: At the Farm,” will be filmed inside her Waco home.

“Magnolia Table is back! But with a bit of a twist…” she captioned the post. “Right before filming started I had the idea to film a new series right at home. We’re calling it ‘Magnolia Table: At the Farm’ and we’re scaling a few things back this time … fewer cameras, quicker comfort recipes, and me in my favorite spot to play, create, and bake something fresh.”

Fans are already buzzing. “Yay can’t wait!” one follower commented, while another added, “Literally having breakfast in bed watching Magnolia Table ❤️ Can’t wait for the new season!”

The show will be filmed in a brand-new butler’s pantry created from her son Crew’s former bedroom. “When my youngest, Crew, announced that he was ready to move into the big boy room, it meant reimagining how to utilize his bedroom,” Gaines explained. “Additional space for cooking & entertaining became the leading idea, and from there we transformed this extra room into an inspiring butler’s pantry where all my sourdough dreams can come true.”

Joanna Gaines’ new show, “Magnolia Table: At the Farm,” will premiere on Magnolia Network and Food Network on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m. ET. Episodes will be available for streaming on HBO Max the same day they air.