Anne Burrell was one of the most recognizable and beloved Food Network stars, and not just because of her signature stark blonde hair—but yes, that too. The late television personality, who passed away on Monday, June 17, was one of the most vibrant and unapologetic personalities ever to grace our television screens.
As we mourn Burrell and reflect on her legacy, we can’t help but remember her most iconic TV moments—and allllll the realness she brought along the way. Without further ado, here are her most candid quotes.
“Brown food tastes good!”
While we certainly can’t count the number of times Burrell deadpanned, “brown food tastes good” in her signature Cookie Monster voice, I think we can all agree her trademark line live forever in our brains.
The Worst Cooks in America host’s catchphrase offered a real culinary lesson, too: caramelize your meats and veggies, crisp up your bacon, give your toast a good browning. Well-done (or yes, even slightly burnt) didn’t mean bad in Burrell’s book. Case in point: Her breakfast potatoes.
“I think people need more to do in their life if my hair pisses them off.”
An unbothered QUEEN! During an interview with a Chicago outlet, Burrell called out the haters. “My hair is always a big topic. It is just hair. People tweet me and tell me my hair is dumb or it pisses them off,” she said. “People need more to do in their life if my hair pisses them off.”
Amen.
“There are so many things that you think will look cool, but then you look like an idiot!”
When opening up about life on camera, the Food Network host said she’s “used to it now” but admitted that it takes a while to get there. “It never gets any easier watching yourself, but you have to do it in order to get better,” she revealed. “There are so many things that you think will look cool but then you look like an idiot!”
“I try to take the fear factor out and let people know that it doesn’t have to be this awesome, daunting experience.”
Burrell, to her core, was a teacher—first at the Institute of Culinary Education and later on-screen for Worst Cooks in America. This advice is an example of what made her so great at the role. “Let’s just simplify it and make awesome stuff, so you feel good about it, and then people can tell you how great you are!” she added.
I always use my ‘Holy Trinity,’ which is salt, olive oil, and bacon. My motto is, ‘Bacon always makes it better.'”
It goes hand-in-hand with her “brown food tastes good” line. Burrell loved bacon and lived by her comment that it makes everything better.
“I am everywhere, and I am tired of me.”
Anne Burrell knew she had star power—but didn’t necessarily care. During an interview, she admitted that her friends would send photos of her—on billboards, in a taxi cab, wherever. “I open Entertainment Weekly and there’s me,” she said. “I am everywhere, and I am tired of me.”
“I think that it’s kind of funny that because you’re a tough, strong woman, that you can’t be kind and nice at the same time or feminine …”
During a candid conversation with close friend Rachael Ray, Burrell did not mince words when talking about what it’s really like to work as a female chef in the industry.
“I think that it’s kind of funny that because you’re a tough, strong woman, that you can’t be kind and nice at the same time or feminine … She’s either tough, or she’s nice, or she’s feminine,” she said in the podcast episode. “Like, why can’t it just be all of those things? And why does it have to feel like a novel concept to have a woman that is all of those kinds of things?” Good question.
“We’ve done a lot of celebrity seasons, but it’s celebrities. They’re just like us. They’re bad cooks, too. I’m not, but they are.”
Burrell didn’t care whether she was teaching bad “civilian” chefs or bad “celebrity” chefs. “I’m just happy to teach people how to cook,” she said.
“I’ve eaten food out of my trash can.”
During a spirited round of “Never Have I Ever” for an episode of The Rachael Ray Show, Burrell admitted that she had, in fact, eaten something out of the trash can before.
“Well, you know, like if it’s something and you’re like, ‘I threw that out because I didn’t want to eat it because I shouldn’t,’ but then you’re like ‘It’s my own garbage can in my own house and it was wrapped up really well.’ It’s not like I go out on the sidewalk, like ‘oooh someone left a half a sandwich in there,'” she joked.
