11 Foods That Gordon Ramsay Avoids At All Costs

Everyone has their own opinions about food, but few are as passionate as Gordon Ramsay. While the British celebrity chef has racked up an impressive 17 Michelin stars throughout his illustrious career, it's his explicit critiques of food and other chefs that have earned him a spot on the cultural zeitgeist. The likes of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" have seen the foul-mouthed star tear into some of the individuals whose cooking has fallen short of his expectations — which are unsurprisingly very high given that he is a former trainee of iconic chefs Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that there are some foods Ramsay simply won't entertain. He's made his negative opinions of several dishes and ingredients extremely well-known over the years. After all, while Ramsay has proven that he's more than open-minded enough to give even the most unexpected meals a try, he also isn't exactly one to mince words when something simply doesn't work. From his least favorite candies to controversial meat dishes, these are the 11 foods that you won't catch Ramsay eating any time soon.

Shark isn't exactly a widely consumed meat. That's what made it such a novelty when Gordon Ramsay tucked into a shark-heavy dish during an episode of his National Geographic adventure series "Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted" that aired in 2021. While visiting Iceland, Ramsay was invited to try a local delicacy known as hákarl, which is made with shark meat that is fermented for four months or more.

Not one to turn down a culinary challenge, Ramsay gave the Nordic staple a try — even if he did so with a disclaimer. "I'm in Northwest Iceland sampling a pungent slice of fermented shark that I'm not convinced is meant to be eaten," he said (via People). After eating a bite, he promptly spat it out, claiming that the fish made his nose feel fizzy. He declined a second taste.

In this case, Ramsay insisted that it wasn't the quality of the shark that earned it a spot on his list of no-go foods. "That's not about you. That's just my taste," he said. Famous for its overpowering aroma of ammonia, hákarl definitely isn't for everyone. Even Anthony Bourdain refuses to ever eat the meat again.

When done wrong, deep frying a turkey is more than slightly dangerous. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association reports that the number of average daily home cooking fires more than triples on Thanksgiving, which is when most amateur cooks decide to give the dish a whirl. We're fairly sure that a chef of Gordon Ramsay's pedigree could pull it off without a hitch; it sounds like he wouldn't be overly interested in doing so, though.

While appearing on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2017, Ramsay revealed that a friend had once made him a deep-fried turkey for Thanksgiving in Los Angeles. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. "It was f***ing disgusting," Ramsay said. "Dry turkey? There's a reason why we only eat that bird once a year."

Don't mistake Ramsay for a total turkey hater. The chef clarified that he is partial to the bird when it's roasted with herb butter and paired with bacon. Since he lived for many years in Britain, it's safe to assume that Ramsay's sentiments on Thanksgiving turkey translate to Christmas, too, which is when the dish is most commonly served in the U.K. Just don't expect to find Ramsay fussing over a turkey fryer in the early hours of December 25.

A soup of the day is a standard fixture at many restaurants, with some customers opting to start their meal with the daily dish. Gordon Ramsay, however, is not one of those customers. The chef has previously voiced his extremely passionate opinion on the concept of a soup of the day, and, as you can guess, he isn't particularly keen.

Speaking to Town & Country in 2017, Ramsay made a rather logical case against ever choosing the soup of the day. "Ask what yesterday's soup du jour was before today's special," he advised. "It may be the case that it's the soup du month." Fair enough.

That may be Ramsay's reasoning for skipping the soup of the day, but there are other equally valid reasons to do so. For one thing, restaurants are often pretty vague about what actually goes into these dishes. Some restaurants also tend to use the concept as a way to use up leftover ingredients from the past few days that may be cooked in bulk and pre-frozen. While that deserves bonus points for reducing food waste, it does somewhat undercut the unique promise of a soup of the day.

Our consumption of fresh produce has changed radically over the decades, shifting away from only eating what is in season to easily importing produce from all over the world, ultimately making the concept of something being out of season obsolete. However, there are still some chefs who prefer to only eat produce that's locally sourced in season. Gordon Ramsay is among them.

Back in 2012, Ramsay challenged the government to introduce new rules that would clamp down on chefs importing fruits and veggies from far-flung corners of the globe. "I don't want to see asparagus in December or Kenyan strawberries in March," he told BBC Five Live (via The Standard). "I want to see it home-grown. It's a chef's job to ensure everything is locally sourced and, more importantly, when they haven't got it, take it off the menu." He added that he believes chefs should be fined for not using in-season veggies in their dishes.

Over a decade later, this legislation has obviously failed to materialize, with chefs still free to source out-of-season veggies. However, there are plenty who share Ramsay's sentiments on the topic. Seasonal produce tends to be fresher as it doesn't need to travel as far from the farm to your plate. It also has sustainable perks, as there's no need to burn up fuel transporting said produce.

Eating creepy crawlies isn't exactly a common occurrence in the U.S. or the U.K. In select other countries, however, they're a much more familiar culinary experience. You can find the likes of beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, and more in the cuisines of countries such as China, Brazil, and Thailand. Peru can also be included in that list, with the celebrity chef experiencing this for himself while filming "Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted."

Assisted by a local guide, Ramsay was given a bowl of cooked bugs that he ate by hand — or perhaps "sampled" is the right word, considering that he promptly spat them out a few seconds later. "It's like a crispy cockroach," he remarked. Not exactly the most glowing testament.

To his credit, Ramsay didn't shy away from trying new dishes on his show. While in New Zealand, he tried live huhu grubs, and he even tasted tarantula cooked over a fire during a visit to Guyana. He may not have enjoyed every single bite, but kudos to Ramsay for trying.

Given Gordon Ramsay's preference for fresh produce and his proclivity for racking up Michelin stars, we're not particularly surprised that airplane food doesn't meet his standards. Prepping hundreds of meals at 30,000 feet — where our taste buds also happen to be less sensitive, meaning food may not taste as good — is an impressive feat in and of itself, so we won't exactly hold the subpar quality against airlines. In Ramsay's opinion, however, the best thing to do is skip it altogether.

"I know where food's been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board," Ramsay previously explained to Refinery29. Instead, he prefers to eat pre-flight. "A nice selection of Italian meats, a little glass of red wine, some sliced apples or pears with some parmesan cheese, I'm like a pig in s***," he said. Even better is if he's flying out of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport, where he actually owns his own restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Plane Food. The restaurant offers a taste of fine dining before hitting the skies as well as the option to package meals for your enjoyment once you hit cruising altitude.

There's a reason shark fin soup isn't featured on many seafood restaurant menus. As the name suggests, it's made primarily with shark fins, some of which are removed while the shark is still alive. The dish has been a delicacy in China for over 1,000 years, and while some countries have banned finning to various degrees — count the U.S., the U.K., and Canada among them — the trade continues to prove to be a danger to the ocean's shark population. Gordon Ramsay investigated this for himself back in 2011 as part of a documentary in which he traveled to Taiwan and Costa Rica to discover the inner workings of the industry. He also discovered that he isn't even a fan of the food.

"It's really bizarre," Ramsay said after sampling a bowl of shark fin soup in Taiwan (via YouTube). "It actually tastes of nothing, almost like sort of plain glass noodles." With some diners paying as much as $100 per bowl, Ramsay was somewhat baffled by why customers would pay such a premium for the dish when the shark fin itself was so bland. While he conceded that the broth was "really good," he claimed that chicken, duck, or pork belly would all be tastier alternatives.

Back in the U.K., Smarties are a totally different candy from those found in the United States. While in England, Gordon Ramsay has the opportunity to enjoy chocolate drops coated in a crunchy, colorful exterior, somewhat similar to the concept of M&M's. In the U.S., however, Smarties (or Rockets as they are known in Canada) is the brand name for a slightly less colorful tablet candy that comes in an array of fruity flavors.

Ramsay has never clarified his position on British Smarties, but he has made his sentiments toward the American variety extremely clear. During an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in the run-up to Halloween in 2016, the chef broke down his most passionately negative opinions on a range of treats that are popular during spooky season. When it came to Smarties, he summed up his feelings in one concise sentence. "The perfect combination of aspirin and Tums," he said.

Sweet treats rarely take the spotlight in Ramsay's culinary career, but he's not totally immune to the allure of a good sugar rush. The chef has made no secret of his love for sticky toffee pudding, and he has even shared his own recipe in the past for those hoping to experience a Ramsay-approved sugar fix.

Professional chefs are rarely effusive about the culinary standard of McDonald's food. The fast food giant and its combo of burgers, fries, and nuggets may be popular across the globe, but that doesn't necessarily make it good food in the eyes of a gastronome like Gordon Ramsay.

Indeed, Ramsay shared his thoughts on the chain's most iconic meal — the Big Mac — and he didn't exactly have the most glowing endorsement. "Strip a Big Mac back of everything it's filled up with and you've got two bland basics: fat and fodder," he told Grub Street. "When you think of how exciting it is to make a hamburger from a chef's point of view — with ground mince, ketchup, Tabasco, and onions — and how easy that is, then why do you have to buy that crap?"

Granted, this was back in 2007, so there's every chance that Ramsay has changed his opinion on the Golden Arches over the years. He has, however, emphasized his love of In-N-Out since then. The two fast food chains take very different approaches to burgers, with In-N-Out prioritizing fresh, high-quality beef and McDonald's using frozen patties. With that in mind, we wouldn't be totally surprised if Ramsay retained a similar stance to this day.

Pizza lovers have debated whether pineapple belongs on pizza since, well, someone first put pineapple on a pizza. While over half of Brits recorded positive feelings about putting a fruity twist of pineapple on a pie in a YouGov study in 2024, it's safe to say that Gordon Ramsay is not one of those Brits. During an episode of his short-lived talk show "The Nightly Show" in 2017, Ramsay paused a phone call in which he was placing a pizza delivery to respond to an audience member who requested pineapple as their topping. "You don't put f***ing pineapple on pizza," he said.

Ramsay also took the opportunity to slam the sweet pizza topping on X, formerly known as Twitter, that same year. Funnily enough, it seems like he is willing to accommodate others who don't share this opinion. At his chain of pizza restaurants in the U.K., Street Pizza, customers can order a pizza topped with mozzarella, cream, smoked ham hock, rosemary oil, and pineapple. Whether or not Ramsay himself has taste-tested this pizza is unclear.

Whether you think candy corn is delicious or akin to Satan's earwax, there's no avoiding it come spooky season. The colorful sweet treat — which is basically just a mishmash of sugar, corn syrup, confectioner's glaze, and a handful of other ingredients — is as prevalent in Halloween decor as it is in the actual candy aisle. But according to Gordon Ramsay, you may be better off strolling farther down said aisle to find a better choice if you are craving a sweet treat come fall.

While on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in the run-up to Halloween in 2016, Ramsay let loose on this candy as well. "It's not candy, it's not corn, it's earwax formed in the shape of a rotten tooth," he ranted. Some people have suggested reducing candy corn's saccharine nature by combining it with peanuts. However, considering the fact that Ramsay also ranked circus peanuts as one of the five worst treats to receive on Halloween, we're not sure how warmly that suggestion would be received.