Chefs reveal the things they never use in their kitchens, from turkey bacon to glass cutting boards (2024)

Food coloring and liquid smoke have no place in the kitchen

Mark Estee, a renowned chef with multiple restaurants in Nevada, said he never uses artificial coloring and liquid smoke, a water-soluble fluid used for flavoring.

"I am not a fan of the chemical taste and chemical makeup of liquid smoke," he told Insider, adding that it's a "slacker" way to get smoky-tasting food. "You can achieve the smoke many other ways like [by using] a wood oven, a log on a burner, or a smoker."

Estee also said he avoids using fake coloring and prefers using fruits or vegetables to dye food naturally.

Minced garlic just doesn't make the cut

Angelique Santana, a vegan chef and founder of Eat With Angelique, told Insider she doesn't cook with garlic powder or the minced kind from a jar, as there is nothing like the real thing. But when working with the cloves, she doesn't use a garlic press.

"I love to chop, and I prefer to do it by hand — you also get all of the garlic [clove] when you use this method," she said. She also said that the press tends to create more waste.

Good tools are just as important as quality ingredients

In terms of cooking tools, Santana said she also avoids using plastic utensils, glass cutting boards, and dull knives.

"Glass cutting boards are bad for your knives and they tend to be slippery, which is also dangerous," she explained. She also said it's important to sharpen your knives before using them because using a dull blade may make your knife more prone to slipping as you cut ingredients.

Santana also avoids using plastic tools because they are not very eco-friendly and they can melt at high temperatures, especially if they are being used to fry food. She said she uses silicone kinds instead.

Bacon and butter just can't be replaced

Shea Wafford, sous and pastry chef at Rí RáLas Vegas, told Insider that when it comes to bacon and butter, there are simply no substitutes.

"Margarine, shortening, and butter flavoring doesn't compare to real butter," she said, noting that she doesn't cook with any of those ingredients. "The rich, full flavor that butter provides to a dish just can't be duplicated, especially when dealing with pastries and baked goods."

She also said she doesn't use turkey bacon in any of her recipes and cooks with classic, salt-cured pork bacon instead.

Packaged ingredients can make food taste cheap

Craig Hopson, a Michelin-starred chef at Farmhouse, told Insider he refuses to cook with minced garlic from a jar and to use grated, canned Parmesan.

Hopson said that both of these items have a distinct and unpleasant smell that adds a "cheap" flavor to food.