The documentary “Boiling Point” was a story of a very young Gordon Ramsay as he launches his namesake restaurant in the UK, and during the process, fight for his very first Michelin Star. In the process, his mental health and high pressure environment of a kitchen made him a namesake for his hot temperament and vicious scathing words at his employees and staff.

Trained by Marco Pierre White, Ramsay has learned from the greatest, and as such, used his celebrity-status to host a slew of television shows. From “Cookalong Live” and “The F Word”, to FOX’s Culinary Boot Camp show “Hell’s Kitchen” and a dozen of other cooking shows such as…

Culinary Genius

Masterchef

Masterchef Junior

Next Level Chef

Future Food Stars

Food Stars (Future Food Stars USA)

Hotel Hell

24 Hours in Hell in Back

Bank Balance

and yes, Kitchen Nightmares.

In “Kitchen Nightmares” he helps struggling restaurants with fixing up their menu, bringing joy in the team, and trying to turn it around, Kind of like Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine, but on Network, and With Gordon Ramsay.

In many episodes, restaurants try and just reheat through microwave already pre-prepared frozen dinners. Which upsets Gordon Ramsay, who insists they use “Fresh” (and, rightfully so). But this “use of frozen” has gotten him in a bit of hot water in the press, when Gordon Ramsay also has been noted to use frozen at some of his Gastropubs, including the Foxtrot.

Gordon has also gone on record saying, much like Marco Pierre White, he detests the “Celebrity Chef” iconography and just wants to be known for his no-nonsense cooking approaches (and his tiktok videos where he roasts people failing at cooking)

There are two sides to Gordon, obviously - the “persona” and the “person”. And audiences at home already get a glimmer of that from time to time when Angry Scotsman goes into Heartfelt Huggable Chef.

But it’s really weird that, Ramsay, of all the chefs in the world, - would be endorsing frozen dinners.

I’ve eaten at “The Fat Cow”, a short-lived Ramsay Restaurant at The Grove, and friends of mine have been on Hell’s Kitchen, and are well aware of Ramsay’s HIGH LEVEL of cuilinary excellence. The show itself has “the persona” of ramsay upset when people bring terrible food out to customers - because it’s “his name” that’s on the line.

Ramsay, does have great taste in food, and his ability to adapt and modernize with trends is why he’s one of the most loved and respected chefs in the world. His food, REALLY IS GOOD, his perfection at the restaurant is one thing, but is okay if you mess up at home, because we’re only human. (And if you can take a joke.)

But, these frozen dinners at Walmart, have become a bit of a controversial issue, because of his past demeanor of frozen. And also, it just doesn’t “scream” ramsay.

THE TL:DR VERSION - Please do not spend money on these Ramsay Frozen Dinners. Ramsay should be ashamed with what they put his name on. AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF…

They had “Cookalong Meal Kits” instead - Fresh, Preprepared Ingredients, with a step-by-step guide and a QR Code that leads to a “personal video” by Gordon Ramsay himself, teaching you how to prepare it at home.

It would have been a MUCH better use of his Celebrity Status, while simultaneously continue his theory on “fresh” and “easy cooking”. While also being able to be on Camera, much like his YouTube and TikTok channels, share how it’s done.

AND NOW… HELLS MICROWAVE

The first thing I tried was the Risotto. You know, risotto, the difficult thing to make over a pan as the secret is it's viscosity. Anyway, this is a Mushroom Risotto. However, if I was blindfolded and had to guess the flavor, I would say “Parmesan Cheese” because it is the only thing I tasted, and as such, is VERY salty.

It did however give the right “gloop” of a risotto, which is very rare, but it's a very tiny offering as well, roughly “half bowl” worth.

If you're here for sides, get ready for a whole lot of them!

Next I had the Shepherds Pie. It's one of my guilty pleasure favorites at restaurants, pubs, and at home, that mix of a ground beef, gravy and a really great mashed potato top. What could go wrong?

Well, if you're told put it in a microwave. And you can tell where 6 little metal tubes shat out a watery mash made from flakes, then you get a really disappointed shepherds pie.

It's more “gruel”, a liquid stew, with barely anything savory, you're paying for the most watery mashed potatoes and gravy, but with one teaspoon of ground beef and vegetable as well. Just disappointed.

Next was the SLOW ROASTED BEEF IN A RED WINE SAUCE. I hate to put on my conspiracy hat, but I'm lead to believe the original idea was a Sunday Roast dinner with potato and a Yorkshire Pudding, but it was too expensive to attempt in frozen food, and most Americans who shop at a Walmart might not know what a Yorkshire Pudding is. (Funnel Cake batter without sugar inside a muffin tin)

But while we aren't British we are American, and our roast can only mean… BRISKET.

Most brisket needs to take hours to prepare, it's a slow cooker type food, so the assumption is, large vat of cheap brisket, in a malted grape reduction, and then put in the bowl and flash frozen.

What you wind up with is a really chewy, tough piece of meat, paired with some pretty okay potatoes. If you love balsamic vinegar on baby potatoes, you're in luck, have I got the side dish for you.

The one thing that I really assumed would be the best is the Fish and Chips. Gordon has a few chippy places available around the globe. I assume this would be the most “restaurant quality”. And SURPRISINGLY this one doesn't require a microwave.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HELLS MICROWAVE HISTORY

The Microwave is OUT OF BOUNDS, and instead the fish and chips have two options - the oven OR IN THE MOST DRAMATIC COOKING ATTEMPT YET an air fryer!

Yes, this is one that PREFERS you cook, not in a microwave (it's fish, only sociopaths microwave fish) but rather in an Air Fryer.

The Fish and Chips are well, it's okay. I think of all the offerings I've had so far this is the most “okay”. There is a light ale and malt vinegar flavor in the batter, the “chip” is a classic English Style chunk fry.

But instead of a classic cod strip, I've received “fish nuggets” which are the exact same specifications I see in Kid Cuisine. It's one step above the “fish sticks”/”fish fingers” known in the household. But it's a step below a fresh fish and chip.

It's like if you ordered fish and chips from Uber Eats, it was an hour long drive, and it arrived cold, so you decided to reheat it in a airfryer to salvage your $90 delivery order. It's the exact same feeling. Only, just like the delivery - THEY FORGOT THE LEMON WEDGE AND TARTAR SAUCE.

Personally, I'm more of a catfish guy, with a bit of hot sauce, but, if I want some Fish & Chips, and am very lazy, I wouldn't mind getting this again and trying it out.

But I think if that's the case, you'll need to probably aim for a “family size” bag of like 20 nuggets and a 16 oz cup of the very bland, saltless potato “chippy”.

Hell, maybe experiment a little, try and push for some sauces, get that Curry Sauce you sometimes see or that Malt Vinegar that's not technically Malt Vinegar according to that one Tom Scott video.

Next, we’re back to the microwave with Lemon Caper Chicken. This is essentially a chicken picatta without the effort of the pasta to include, and as a bonus, the potato from the brisket thing from earlier.

As you can tell from photos, broccoli is a bit wilty, no seasoning, the chicken itself was a chicken breast patty you would've definitely seen on a frozen Chicken Sandwich covered with a lemon sauce that has capers on it, which makes it “fancy”.

I think the best part, like the other is the potato. This one, isn't balsamic, but rather an actual herb potato. Maybe they should just sell the potatoes on their own, make it a side or a main!

The chicken, however, is rubbery, it's stringy, and while you definitely taste lemon, and capers, you feel disappointed in the chicken itself. It's not a refreshing light dish as you'd expect.

This ambulance has nothing to do with his food review article. But much like on all his reality shows give the appearance of “danger”. Nothing quite like reality television!

Here is the Chicken Pot Pie. The ultimate “microwave” frozen dish. Almost every frozen food company in America has some variation of this comfort item. Ramsay picked something so obvious, they included PUFF PASTRY at the top instead of a premade cracker, a weird dough with a logo, or a cornbread stuffing. To me, it's ideal for a chicken pot pie, especially if it's buttery and flaky. That perfect meshing, like a bread bowl clam chowder.

But instead, I got one giant round disc, impossible to crack with the fork or spoon, lacking any butter to give it a glistening factor or add something that, much like the Shepard Pie Gruel, just amounts to a Cream of Chicken soup, but with frozen puff pastry.

Just like the Fish and Chip, I think this one needs that oven or even a toaster oven type design and package. Because it's microwave attempt was tough. They microwave simply couldn't heat up the soupy stuff as it was blocked by the pastry. however, I think you could justify paying more for a less frozen, still need refrigerating alternative, at a supermarket.

So when I said I tried every item…

I lied.

I did not get the Lasagna, I’m not Garfield. It's not something I really crave frozen. Additionally, it's the one item not available at my local Walmart. So it’s not a total loss. However, I did get the next best thing…

GUY FIERI’S now THIS is a CELEBRITY CHEF who will gladly put his FACE ON JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

And before you all complain - this comes from the same distribution company - the GOLDEN WEST FOOD GROUP OF VERNON, CA

A company that, probably just like Guy, gave a deal with Ramsay to lend his face and likeness to Frozen dinners, in exchange for a big bag of money. And, much like ghost kitchens with the likenesses of Mariah Carey, Mr Beast and, yes, Guy Fieri, it's just sort of common.

The lasagna itself wasn't oven baked it was instead microwaved. In the same black bowl as everything else. It's single handedly the worst thing I've ever eaten today. Forget the Parmesan blast on the risotto. This was GARLIC BREADCRUMB overkill over egg noodles, typically for a beef stroganoff, with the wettest tomato sauce I've ever had. With little mozzarella cheese, and I counted. Two pepperonis.

Lunchables are cheaper, have more pepperoni and are more reminding of the food being presented.

This was a terrible experience and I would not waste the money on something like this,, especially when the total would have been enough for Gordon Ramsay’s Hells Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas. And even though a young Ramsay was cash scrapped in “Boiling Point”, would be screaming every obsenity in the book if he saw what happened here. ESPECIALLY with the brand of a guy who is on the Fox Network 40% of the week.

So What Have We Learned…

Frozen Food is a really tough business. This is not to condemn the frozen food industry, as there are people who have medical problems and are unable to cook for themselves. Walmart does offer a “good” in providing food access to frozen meals to help.

My mom is currently chairbound, she misses going out of the house and eating at restaurants. She is a fan of Ramsay, and has gone through lengths to even surprise me with finds.

When the news broke about this concept, she was very skeptical, the idea of $$$$ Doordash dinners at $ prices, with a celebrity chef that isn't going to sully his name for less quality.

This, was to her, a possible return to normal, with simple directions. But instead of being on blast, instead of probably doing what every food vlogger is doing going “OH MY GOD THIS IS SO TERRIBLE/YUMMY”.

She was gobsmacked, disappointed, and was almost to the point of tears. “A waste of money” “a cash grab” and followed up by “who is this for?”

This is roughly 2-3 dollars more than most frozen entrees. If you're on a budget (and this is a Walmart Exclusive, so that's most consumers) you're going to need to try and justify the price.

If you're a fan of the show, you're going to do what I did, try it and like Joe Bastianich on Masterchef, just do this big staredown of Disappointment.

In my mind, the ideal person is one of those “rise and grind” people who buy Tesla stock, despite not owning a Tesla. Who have that mindset of “every minute you're not working is money you can't get” (which is usually in scamming people with AI art commissions, Fiverr flips, and outright theft) as you eat a “Chef Ramsay” frozen dinner in some sort of “The Secret” Spirit board to channel your aspirations of eating at Michelin Star Restaurants every day.

I think we need to rethink the “heat and eat” meal industry, in so many ways. For not just people like my mom, but those all over the country, who might be living in Food Scarce Locations and Walmart is the only place in the county lines that has not just fresh produce, but frozen meals.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…

Oh fuck me.

Just, shit.

I guess that's all I could remark about this experience, please don't buy the TV Celebrity Chef Frozen Dinners. It's just disappointing.

And one last thing - THE IDIOT SANDWICH THING CAME FROM A SKIT FROM “THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN” WHERE THEY DO A “CELEBRITY HELLS KITCHEN” WITH JULIE CHEN-MOONVES, HOST OF BIG BROTHER. SO EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK THAT SHOW ISN'T FUNNY, THE INTERNET SURE LOVES TO MEME IT LIKE NO TOMORROW

Take off your jacket and leave Hells Microwave…

(V/O) : Gordon might be the ultimate social media celebrity chef, but word of mouth says that these meals do not meet the standard he applies in his restaurants, and if that's coming from his fans and followers, he won't stand a chance in the freezer section…