Gordon Ramsay is the latest chef to get into the frozen food business — despite voicing previous disdain for microwavable food.
On August 24, People announced that Ramsay was releasing his first line of frozen meals called “By Chef Ramsay,” which will be sold exclusively at Walmart.
According to the collection’s website, the line consists of eight frozen entrees that are Ramsay’s own recipes, from lasagna to fish and chips.
“I’m elated to bring my favorite dishes into homes across the country,” Ramsay told People. “It thrills me that these dishes are so widely available for anyone to experience, and I hope they inspire the home chef in everyone.”
The move is a natural step for a chef of Ramsay’s fame, as his peers like Wolfgang Puck and Guy Fieri also sell frozen meals. But it is a surprising move for Ramsay considering he’s spoken out against microwaves in the past.
“Ugh, I mean, microwaves are for lazy cooks,” Ramsay told Insider reporter Rachel Askinasi in December 2020, adding that no machine can replicate “the texture and the searing and the contrast” cooking on a pan creates.
Ramsay went on to concede that microwaves can be helpful for reheating meals or getting something slightly warmer before you broil it, but he said they do not “impart flavor” in food in any meaningful way.
“I was watching videos two weeks ago for Thanksgiving of people sticking turkey in the fucking microwave,” he told Insider at the time. “Now, you know, if you thought deep fat frying the turkey was not enough, how the fuck do you get flavor out of a turkey with a microwave? Are you kidding me?”
In fact, Ramsay said in his interview with Insider that he didn’t even have a microwave in his own kitchen.
A representative for Ramsay did not respond to a request for comment.
