Gordon Ramsay is hell in the kitchen, says survey

Hotheaded Gordon Ramsay is cooking up another storm this week after being named Britain's most dangerous celebrity chef.

Research among cooking fans, commissioned by Kidde Safety, showed Ramsay was the chef least likely to warn people of the potential fire hazards of recipes such as his trademark flambéed dishes.

65% of Brits said celebrity chefs were out of touch with their viewers' ability and designed recipes for restaurants rather than homes.

Worryingly, many cooking fans have experienced serious cooking accidents when following TV chefs' recipes. Those who found trying to multitask like the chefs and keep up with their kitchen skills difficult had experienced fires (33%), burnt food (22%) and food poisoning (20%).

Nearly half of respondents (48%) felt Anthony Worrall Thompson's Steak Diane (prepared by flaming brandy onto steak) and Gordon Ramsay's Crepe Suzette (which includes a flammable mixture of hot caramelised sugar, orange juice and liquor) were the hardest recipes to make and should include a fire safety warning.

Almost half of UK cooks (46%) said Gordon Ramsay was the most dangerous chef, with his mentor, Marco Pierre White, coming second with 18% of votes. Viewers also scolded Heston Blumenthal and Hugh Fernley Whittingstall for being too experimental with their 'flamboyant' cooking methods.

Slow burner Delia Smith and Saturday Morning Kitchen presenter James Martin were commended for encouraging viewers to be safe in the kitchen.

Simon Jones, brand manager for Kidde Safety said: "I'm not much of a cook, so I am unlikely to attempt any of these dangerous recipes, but if I did, I would certainly make sure that I had a fire blanket and a fire extinguisher to hand to prevent a small fire from getting out of control."

"There are over 3,000 cooking related fires per week in the UK. A fire blanket, properly used, could prevent fat or chip pan fires from spreading as it starves a fire of oxygen and cools hot oil, therefore reducing damage."

Words: Clare Riley

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