Chopped Judge Scott Conant Refuses To Eat These Foods
When you think about food judges, you have to imagine their palates are pretty refined. To be able to carefully and accurately determine good from bad versus like and dislike is much a harder task than some may give them credit.
Of course, tasting lots of food over the years sure helps make this job a little easier. And no one knows that quite like the "Chopped" judges, who have literally tasted hundreds of episodes worth of meals over the years (via Insider), not to mention all of their previous culinary experiences.
You have to have a pretty open mind when it comes to food and willing to try just about anything. However, there are some lines even a food judge won't cross. Take Scott Conant, the "Chopped" judge known for his Italian recipes, for example.
Despite his notorious dislike of red onions — although he actually dislikes sloppy cooking techniques when it comes to onions, not the vegetable itself — he won't avoid a dish just because it has onions in it. Knowing his stance on the ingredient, you should be sure you've practiced your onion preparation perfectly before sharing it with him, but that's a topic for another day.
Yet, there are some things he won't touch at all. So, if you're ever preparing a dish for chef Conant to try or judge, make sure you don't include any of these items, otherwise you won't be getting any feedback from him.
There are three items he won't eat
No matter how artfully they've been cooked or used, there are three items Scott Conant will avoid at all costs. According to the Food Network, the TV personality refuses to eat durian, insects, and rodents.
For the most part, the items on this list represent a pretty fair boundary to draw, even when your job revolves around tasting, critiquing, and cooking food. Little needs to be said about insects and rodents — all the more power to the people who enjoy them — as they're not unusual ingredients to have some kind of aversion to.
Durian, on the other hand, might be a little more of a surprise to some people. The Asian fruit is beloved by some chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, who called it "indescribable," according to an article in Smithsonian Magazine. However, durian fruit has a notoriously gross smell. Like, really gross. It's so bad, per Culture Trip, that it's banned in many public places in countries where it grows. Food writer Richard Sterling described the smell as "turpentine and onions, garnished with gym socks. It can be smelled from yards away."
Still, if you want to watch Conant go head-to-head with a durian fruit, check out the "Chopped" episode "Viewers Choice Baskets," the second episode of the 15th season. It's well worth your time to see how the contestants prepare the stinky ingredient and how chef Conant reacts to one of his least favorite items.