"If a restaurant serves this, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

MASTERBAKER · Jul 3, 2023

"If You Use A Glass Cutting Board, We Can't Be Friends": Cooks Of All Levels Are Revealing Their Most Divisive Culinary Opinions, And They're Pretty Hot Takes

by Pernell Quilon
BuzzFeed Staff
View 177 comments

00:0901:32

People hold strong opinions when it comes to cooking. I was reminded of this when u/CessnaBlackBelt asked home cooks, "What's your most gatekeeping culinary opinion?" There were so many hot takes you could have cooked an egg in the comments section. Here are just some of the opinions served:

1. "If a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant serves bad or bland hummus, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

customers has trouble swallowing some really bad hummus in "kitchen nightmares"

Kitchen Nightmares / Via youtube.com

—u/Anduinnn

2. "Burning the sht out of food does not* make it Cajun."

Island Vibe Cooking / Via youtube.com

—u/HanMaBoogie
"Cajun does not equal so spicy it can't be eaten. Most Cajun food is full of flavor and not all that spicy.
I have been to a few restaurants and seen dishes to the effect of pasta with 'Cajun sauce.' I don't know what the hell 'Cajun sauce' is, but in all my years, no one in my family has ever made that or heard of it."
—u/orezybedivid

3. "MSG makes average food delicious, and takes delicious food over the top. It is not a bad ingredient."

chef david chang informing people that msg is not bad in "ugly delicious"

Netflix

—u/Mendican

4. "People slam TikTok recipes, but a lot of them give you the info a four-page website recipe does in, like, 30 seconds, with better visual cues for how to do it."

cardi b making jalapeno avocado dip in the blender

Cardi B / Via tiktok.com

—u/Pays_in_snakes
"'Cook the onions until they look like this,' is a million times more useful than 'cook for three minutes until 165°F,' or whatever."
—u/Loose_Acanthaceae201

5. "Stop calling mayo with anything mixed into it aioli."

making aioli with oil and crushed carlic

allthingsbbq / Via youtube.com

—u/Poet_Pretty
"The name literally means garlic and oil. That is the base to make an aioli. You can get more creative from there, but that's where it starts."
—u/BrandanosaurusRex

6. "Seasoning without measurements is way more fun than seasoning with measurements. I’ve stopped caring about teaspoons and tablespoons, and just throw stuff into the pan until it tastes good."

Bounce_TV / Via giphy.com

—u/osmoticmonk

7. "While recipes are useful, folks should prioritize why things work in a recipe over just memorizing a recipe."

Comedy Central / Via giphy.com

—u/The_Owl_Bard

8. "Most recipes you find online use way too little spices. One teaspoon of cumin? That's it? Unless you're making a meal for one, GTFO."

Grace Cary / Getty Images

—u/appleslip
"My biggest gripe with most food blogs, usually run by a white woman with kids, is that if you follow the recipe, the dish turns out under-seasoned and bland. I've made it a rule now that if I see pale hands in the pictures, I'll probably need to at least triple the spices, as well as add additional herbs and spices."
—u/MSteds728

9. "If you don't allow chicken to brown when you're pan frying it, just...don't."

Chef Billy Parisi / Via youtube.com

—u/TwoLittleNeedleMarks
"A lot of people don't realize you shouldn't crowd your meat when you're browning it."
—u/VisualCelery

10. "I'm of the opinion that you can do whatever the hell you want with food, but if you fundamentally change a dish, you have to change its name. It's all about expectations. If I go into a restaurant and order a carbonara, then when it arrives, they say, 'Oh, we make it with Peperami snack sausages and cream cheese,' then it's...no longer a carbonara. Certain dishes are called what they are for a reason."

Jamie Oliver / Via youtube.com

"Come on, people."
—u/broom-handle
"My wife and I went to a coffee shop years ago, and I'd ordered a BLT — universally meaning bacon, lettuce, and tomato. The food came out, and it was a bagel with egg, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. I tell the waitress that they got my order wrong, and she tells me, 'No, this is our version of a BLT.' I kinda just sat there, staring at my 'bagel lettuce tomato,' trying to process their disconnect."
—u/Different-Horror-581

11. "You can't freakin' caramelize onions in less than 20 minutes. I don't give a damn what the hell you think you're doing, or how you think you're going to 'hack' this — that's not caramelized! It just f*cking isn't."

America's Test Kitchen / Via youtube.com

—u/JT_3K

12. "When people say white folks can’t cook, I just know that they've been eating the wrong food."

Netflix

—u/Ldiduknowshinigami
"I love that take, considering the French practically invented fine dining and are, in fact, white."
—u/thesneakywalrus

13. "If you change a recipe when you make it, you’re not allowed to rate it in the reviews without making the original. There's nothing worse than someone rambling about the 14 changes they made to a recipe, and then giving it a three-star review."

losing their temper in "the rehearsal" (inset) comments section with one user criticizing a recipe they drastically changed

HBO / allrecipes

—u/Slickness81

14. "One piece of garlic is never enough."

Florence Pugh / Via Instagram: @florencepugh

—u/Diathor

15. "Wash your filthy hands. I don't want food poisoning again. And if you use a glass cutting board, we can't be friends."

chef telling people to wash their hands first before they touch meat

BuzzFeed Video

—u/Beared-and-Bored

16. "A lot of the time, it’s actually not salt that's missing, but some sort of acidity. Especially for things like soups, stews, and sauces. Adding something like a small splash of an appropriate vinegar (I pretty much always use apple cider or white wine vinegar), or even citrus juice, can seriously elevate a dish."

Food Network

—u/RandyMcSexalot

17. "If you can't take a full bite of your sandwich or burger in one go, it is a fundamental failure. If your sandwich or burger requires a skewer to maintain integrity, it has fundamentally failed. If you want more filling, scale horizontally, not vertically."

patron stares at a burger that is several stacks high

BBC Three / Via youtube.com

—u/Djinjja-Ninja

18. And finally: "Please scrape the food off your chopping board with the non-cutting edge of your knife. That is all."

Universal

—u/Ex-zaviera

What's your own culinary opinion that'd be considered a hot take? If you can take the heat, drop yours in the comments.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.https://www.buzzfeed.com/pernellquilon/controversial-culinary-opinions-revealed?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bfsharecopy&sub=0_130349725#130349725

"If a restaurant serves this, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

MASTERBAKER

DEMOTED MOD

"If You Use A Glass Cutting Board, We Can't Be Friends": Cooks Of All Levels Are Revealing Their Most Divisive Culinary Opinions, And They're Pretty Hot Takes

People hold strong opinions when it comes to cooking. I was reminded of this when u/CessnaBlackBelt asked home cooks, "What's your most gatekeeping culinary opinion?" There were so many hot takes you could have cooked an egg in the comments section. Here are just some of the opinions served:

1. "If a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant serves bad or bland hummus, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

ADVERTISEMENT

2. "Burning the sht out of food does not* make it Cajun."

3. "MSG makes average food delicious, and takes delicious food over the top. It is not a bad ingredient."

4. "People slam TikTok recipes, but a lot of them give you the info a four-page website recipe does in, like, 30 seconds, with better visual cues for how to do it."

ADVERTISEMENT

5. "Stop calling mayo with anything mixed into it aioli."

6. "Seasoning without measurements is way more fun than seasoning with measurements. I’ve stopped caring about teaspoons and tablespoons, and just throw stuff into the pan until it tastes good."

7. "While recipes are useful, folks should prioritize why things work in a recipe over just memorizing a recipe."

8. "Most recipes you find online use way too little spices. One teaspoon of cumin? That's it? Unless you're making a meal for one, GTFO."

ADVERTISEMENT

9. "If you don't allow chicken to brown when you're pan frying it, just...don't."

11. "You can't freakin' caramelize onions in less than 20 minutes. I don't give a damn what the hell you think you're doing, or how you think you're going to 'hack' this — that's not caramelized! It just f*cking isn't."

ADVERTISEMENT

12. "When people say white folks can’t cook, I just know that they've been eating the wrong food."

13. "If you change a recipe when you make it, you’re not allowed to rate it in the reviews without making the original. There's nothing worse than someone rambling about the 14 changes they made to a recipe, and then giving it a three-star review."

14. "One piece of garlic is never enough."

15. "Wash your filthy hands. I don't want food poisoning again. And if you use a glass cutting board, we can't be friends."

ADVERTISEMENT

17. "If you can't take a full bite of your sandwich or burger in one go, it is a fundamental failure. If your sandwich or burger requires a skewer to maintain integrity, it has fundamentally failed. If you want more filling, scale horizontally, not vertically."

18. And finally: "Please scrape the food off your chopping board with the non-cutting edge of your knife. That is all."

What's your own culinary opinion that'd be considered a hot take? If you can take the heat, drop yours in the comments.

"If a restaurant serves this, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

MASTERBAKER

DEMOTED MOD

"If You Use A Glass Cutting Board, We Can't Be Friends": Cooks Of All Levels Are Revealing Their Most Divisive Culinary Opinions, And They're Pretty Hot Takes​

People hold strong opinions when it comes to cooking. I was reminded of this when u/CessnaBlackBelt asked home cooks, "What's your most gatekeeping culinary opinion?" There were so many hot takes you could have cooked an egg in the comments section. Here are just some of the opinions served:​

1. "If a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant serves bad or bland hummus, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."​

ADVERTISEMENT​

2. "Burning the sh*t out of food does not make it Cajun."​

3. "MSG makes average food delicious, and takes delicious food over the top. It is not a bad ingredient."​

4. "People slam TikTok recipes, but a lot of them give you the info a four-page website recipe does in, like, 30 seconds, with better visual cues for how to do it."​

ADVERTISEMENT​

5. "Stop calling mayo with anything mixed into it aioli."​

6. "Seasoning without measurements is way more fun than seasoning with measurements. I’ve stopped caring about teaspoons and tablespoons, and just throw stuff into the pan until it tastes good."​

7. "While recipes are useful, folks should prioritize why things work in a recipe over just memorizing a recipe."​

8. "Most recipes you find online use way too little spices. One teaspoon of cumin? That's it? Unless you're making a meal for one, GTFO."​

ADVERTISEMENT​

9. "If you don't allow chicken to brown when you're pan frying it, just...don't."​

11. "You can't freakin' caramelize onions in less than 20 minutes. I don't give a damn what the hell you think you're doing, or how you think you're going to 'hack' this — that's not caramelized! It just f*cking isn't."​

ADVERTISEMENT​

12. "When people say white folks can’t cook, I just know that they've been eating the wrong food."​

13. "If you change a recipe when you make it, you’re not allowed to rate it in the reviews without making the original. There's nothing worse than someone rambling about the 14 changes they made to a recipe, and then giving it a three-star review."​

14. "One piece of garlic is never enough."​

15. "Wash your filthy hands. I don't want food poisoning again. And if you use a glass cutting board, we can't be friends."​

ADVERTISEMENT​

17. "If you can't take a full bite of your sandwich or burger in one go, it is a fundamental failure. If your sandwich or burger requires a skewer to maintain integrity, it has fundamentally failed. If you want more filling, scale horizontally, not vertically."​

18. And finally: "Please scrape the food off your chopping board with the non-cutting edge of your knife. That is all."​

What's your own culinary opinion that'd be considered a hot take? If you can take the heat, drop yours in the comments.​

"If You Use A Glass Cutting Board, We Can't Be Friends": Cooks Of All Levels Are Revealing Their Most Divisive Culinary Opinions, And They're Pretty Hot Takes

People hold strong opinions when it comes to cooking. I was reminded of this when u/CessnaBlackBelt asked home cooks, "What's your most gatekeeping culinary opinion?" There were so many hot takes you could have cooked an egg in the comments section. Here are just some of the opinions served:

1. "If a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant serves bad or bland hummus, I’m not even going to bother with the rest of the menu. If you can’t get the basics right, don’t waste my time."

ADVERTISEMENT

2. "Burning the sht out of food does not* make it Cajun."

3. "MSG makes average food delicious, and takes delicious food over the top. It is not a bad ingredient."

4. "People slam TikTok recipes, but a lot of them give you the info a four-page website recipe does in, like, 30 seconds, with better visual cues for how to do it."

ADVERTISEMENT

5. "Stop calling mayo with anything mixed into it aioli."

6. "Seasoning without measurements is way more fun than seasoning with measurements. I’ve stopped caring about teaspoons and tablespoons, and just throw stuff into the pan until it tastes good."

7. "While recipes are useful, folks should prioritize why things work in a recipe over just memorizing a recipe."

8. "Most recipes you find online use way too little spices. One teaspoon of cumin? That's it? Unless you're making a meal for one, GTFO."

ADVERTISEMENT

9. "If you don't allow chicken to brown when you're pan frying it, just...don't."

11. "You can't freakin' caramelize onions in less than 20 minutes. I don't give a damn what the hell you think you're doing, or how you think you're going to 'hack' this — that's not caramelized! It just f*cking isn't."

ADVERTISEMENT

12. "When people say white folks can’t cook, I just know that they've been eating the wrong food."

13. "If you change a recipe when you make it, you’re not allowed to rate it in the reviews without making the original. There's nothing worse than someone rambling about the 14 changes they made to a recipe, and then giving it a three-star review."

14. "One piece of garlic is never enough."

15. "Wash your filthy hands. I don't want food poisoning again. And if you use a glass cutting board, we can't be friends."

ADVERTISEMENT

17. "If you can't take a full bite of your sandwich or burger in one go, it is a fundamental failure. If your sandwich or burger requires a skewer to maintain integrity, it has fundamentally failed. If you want more filling, scale horizontally, not vertically."

18. And finally: "Please scrape the food off your chopping board with the non-cutting edge of your knife. That is all."

What's your own culinary opinion that'd be considered a hot take? If you can take the heat, drop yours in the comments.