Wielding a thick English accent, red cheeks, and a permanent scowl, Gordon Ramsay has won the hearts of millions simply by doing what he does best: wailing on inexperienced chefs. With ever-abounding curse words stashed in his back pocket, Ramsay’s indignant behavior has garnered the attention of the masses as he continues to capitalize on his need for utter perfection when it comes to dishing up great food.
Admittedly, most of us agree that good food should be served up right, but what’s so fascinating about watching Gordon is the sheer passion he exudes to ensure that actually happens.
Why is Chef Ramsay always angry? Is it just “how he is” or is there a little more to it? Hey, we don’t know the man, but after watching countless episodes of his ever-popular TV shows, we’re starting to get a sense of what makes him tick. Join us as we explore Gordon Ramsay’s triggers in hopes of uncovering why Gordon Ramsay is always so angry on TV.
He Gets Pretty Fired Up When Food Is Cooked Incorrectly
We all know how annoying it can be to be offered food that isn’t quite right at a restaurant, and we’re certain that’s why Gordon, or Mr. Ramsay, as we might call him, gets so fired up when food is served incorrectly. We’ve seen it time and time again and know for certain that poorly cooked scallops, steaks, and other dishes are a surefire way to set him ablaze.
In one particular episode, we saw Chef Ramsay just about blow his top for scallops that didn’t quite suit his fancy. Getting in a young chef’s face, he blasts the inexperienced cook for attempting to dish up scallops that weren’t “cooked perfectly.” Of course, it didn’t help that this particular contestant seemed to be quite angry as well, making for a very tense and dramatic moment that left us (and undoubtedly many others) clinging to the edge of our seats. In another nail-biting clip, Ramsay challenges a chef for forgetting to soak lettuce before adding the rest of the ingredients for the dish.
Both scenes got pretty heated, and as a result, we know this is one area in which Chef Ramsay can be pretty particular. Heads up to any future chefs out there planning to work under Gordon’s guidance: Be cautious of what you’re doing and make sure to cook up your entrées correctly — or else.
He Won’t Let Chefs Make Excuses
In defense of Gordon Ramsay’s perpetual anger, a chef-in-training usually attempts to make excuses. There’s no doubt about it; if there’s one thing Chef Ramsay hates the most, it’s gotta be excuses.
Here we reference that memorable “scallops” episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” once again to highlight this particular trigger point for Chef Ramsay. As the heated exchange between Chef Ramsay the younger male contestant goes on, the young chef insists that Gordon should “check the cameras” to verify the claims he was making. Besides the fact that the scallops weren’t properly cooked, it seems the “check the cameras” thing also sent Gordon off. Gordon’s answer to this was such a strong one that we’re hesitant to even quote his exact words here. Let’s just say he really wasn’t happy about it. In terms of other food fiascos, there was also that time when a chef put the blame on Ramsay himself for a day of awful service. The chef insisted that … without giving too many details … it was because of Chef Ramsay that the day ended up being a total failure. And yes, he boldly said this to Gordon … to his face!
Yeah, that didn’t go over too well, either. All in all, it seems that if Gordon says it, then that’s that, folks. Making excuses only adds fire to the flame, so don’t even try it.
There are a number of instances we can recall in which Chef Ramsay turned his nose up at something simply because it looked bad. Giving it a disgusted look and running servers (or even managers) through a gamut of questions dealing with what it is and how it was made is usually how all of this kicks off on a typical episode of “Kitchen Nightmares”.
As far as “Hell’s Kitchen” goes, needless to say, Ramsay expects utter perfection. Many a chef has been shouted down for mis-plated or sloppily assembled entrées, and we don’t expect his standards to change any time soon. But hey, it’s Chef Ramsay, right? Everyone knows what they’re signing up for when they volunteer to star on the show.
Raw food isn’t only an annoyance. After all, we could expect Gordon to writhe in aggravation at practically anything done in the kitchen at this point. But if we’re honest, serving food that’s raw is quite different from simply being sloppily plated or imperfectly cooked. Raw food can actually make someone sick, especially when it comes to individuals with compromised immune systems. So, how else might you expect Gordon to act when he’s discovered a chef is trying to serve a dish raw?
Stone-cold halibut, uncooked steak, raw seafood … sigh. Gordon Ramsay’s having none of it, and neither are we. Add to that a never-ending list of excuses from “Hell’s Kitchen” participants, and you can expect things to get quite tense. Some of the ugliest interactions we’ve seen between Chef Ramsay and his contestants have been over raw food, and we must admit, it is a pretty serious offense. Expect Gordon to bring the heat on this issue; it’s important, and he has a zero-tolerance policy because of it.
Any true fan of Gordon Ramsay knows that he hates — and we do mean hates — frozen and premade foods. It’s almost like the man has some sort of sixth sense when it comes to determining whether a certain kind of food is fresh. We see his disdain most often on “Kitchen Nightmares” as he drags restaurants through the mud for their use of anything other than high-quality and fresh ingredients.
Having said this, we know that Chef Ramsay has reportedly dropped his own line of frozen food products, which we can only assume must be heads above the rest since he’s so critical of all other frozen food and premade options on the market. Actually, we’re quite surprised at this move, given his utter contempt for this food type. Either way, when it comes to other people, and more specifically, other restaurants, Chef Ramsay does not tolerate being served frozen or premade meals. Yikes!
He Doesn’t Like Outdated Restaurant Decor
We’d also like to make special note of the fact that Gordon Ramsay seems to have a level of scorn for old, less clean facilities. He’s made comments about cobwebs and time-warps before, leading us to believe that his expectation is that most restaurants keep their surroundings updated, or at least clean! We, too, like a modernized restaurant environment; however, we’ll admit that some of the best food can come from some of the most unexpected, and sometimes even downright ugly, places.
Nevertheless, given that Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants seem to be “high-end,” we understand that going somewhere that looks “lesser than” might be an annoyance to him. Still, we don’t think this offense sets him off as badly as poorly cooked food does; in fact, we’re certain that if a place weren’t particularly attractive but served up a mean dish, he’d be more than willing to forgive its retro vibes.
We aren’t saying Gordon’s an angel here, but he doesn’t appear to have a complete heart of stone, either. Though he may always seem angry on TV, there are times when he gives the kind of encouragement and praise to chefs that could make anyone smile. Seeing him in that kind of mood makes us smile, too.
