Four Unforgettable Moments of Anne Burrell on Food Network

From her trademark shock of platinum-blond hair to her charming television presence and charisma, Anne Burrell was unmistakable, both in appearance and presence. She wasn’t just a Food Network personality, she was a force who brought boldness, warmth, and unapologetic flair to everything she did, both in the kitchen and in front of the camera. On Tuesday morning, June 17, 2025, the beloved chef and television host passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the kitchen.

Burrell’s culinary career started at the famous fast food chain McDonald’s, but she’s best known for her role on Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America,” where she coached flailing home cooks with a signature mix of bark and benevolence, and acted as equal parts culinary technician and passionate mentor. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she also hosted “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef,” served as a sous chef on “Iron Chef America,” and made countless appearances across the Food Network universe. Her charisma was impossible to miss and even harder to forget.

In remembering Burrell, her loyal fans are revisiting the moments that made her both a household name and a leader in the kitchen. From perfectly seared scallops to searing one-liners, here are just a few Food Network moments that define Anne Burrell’s larger-than-life legacy.

While some of Anne Burrell’s most viral moments might involve putting no-filter pressure on contestants of “Worst Cooks in America” (“That’s it, hands up, you’re done!”), her sense of humor is what really cemented her cult-favorite status. Her spunky attitude lent itself to laugh-out-loud comments, and one of Worst Cook’s fanbase favorite is, of course, “Brown food tastes good.” Spoken in a funny, gravelly Cookie Monster voice, this was undoubtedly Burrell’s catchphrase. 

In true Anne fashion, the exclamation wasn’t just humor, it was a real culinary principle. Caramelization on meats, vegetables, and even toast is what delivers deep, rich flavor. The growled mantra was a reminder that food that looks well-done or even slightly burnt can also taste amazing — like Burrell’s famous perfectly crispy breakfast potatoes.

The line became so closely associated with her that Food Network fans still quote it religiously online. It’s a perfect example of how she made high-level technique accessible, memorable, and even fun for home cooks.

As a Food Network star, Anne Burrell had her fair share of culinary competition with other famous chefs, but her chemistry with Bobby Flay was the highlight of multiple shows, from “Beat Bobby Flay” to “Worst Cooks in America,” where they’d square off as dueling mentors. She often dished out witty banter to Flay on “Beat Bobby Flay” as a judge, playfully poking fun of him while he frantically worked against the clock. In “Worst Cooks in America,” the competition was even more intense. She famously beat him in their first season together, and though he later got his revenge, she never let him forget it. “I tease him all the time now,” she said in a 2021 interview with Parade. One thing they can both agree on though? Pineapple does not belong on pizza.

Their friendly rivalry made for great television, but it also underscored her talent. Burrell wasn’t just charismatic, she was a serious competitor with real chops.

On season 6 of “Chopped All-Stars,” Anne Burrell was in the thick of competition when hot oil splashed into her eye. Most people would’ve stopped or at least cried a little. Not Anne! In true Burrell fashion, she blinked, shook it off, and kept going, finishing the round with her trademark intensity and flair. That moment quickly became a legend among fans on Reddit, where one user recalled: “She had hot oil splatter in her eye, but she kept competing!” Of course, some other seasons of “Chopped All-Stars” also showed her fiery, fierce energy, like when she flat-out told a producer to stop talking to her in the heat of the moment during a competition.

It’s these kinds of moments that prove she wasn’t performing for the cameras; she was just that serious about cooking. Even in pain and quite literally under fire, she led with guts and grit.

Underneath the blonde spikes and bombastic personality was Anne Burrell’s genuine culinary prowess and knack for instruction. Burrell’s lessons left lasting impressions on aspiring chefs and casual viewers alike, making them some of the most memorable moments for fans even years later. In one popular Reddit thread titled “What kitchen hacks did you learn from Food Network?”, Burrell’s name is dropped repeatedly.

Perhaps her most rememberable tip is adding salt to water. Most of us know to salt pasta water when boiling, but you’d never, ever forget it after hearing Burrell boom, “Salty as the ocean!” She’s, of course, also taught “Worst Cooks in America” contestants and at-home viewers nifty hacks only a chef could know. In one such episode, she suggested boiling eggs using baking soda in order to make peeling easier.

However, these aren’t the only teachings that fans remember. Her tip for slicing onions efficiently is impossible to forget: Use the hairy end to keep it together while you dice. Her explanation of the Asian version of mirepoix (GGS for garlic, ginger, scallion) was another shorthand many home cooks now rely on when building flavor. Burrell left countless viewers better at knife skills, teaching them the difference between slices, sticks, and dices among other useful foundational kitchen techniques. 

Unlike some food personalities, Burrell didn’t just tell you what to do — she told you why. In that sense, she was never just making a dish; she was building better cooks. As she warmly stated in an interview with Parade regarding teaching the worst chefs around, “To watch it unfold, and to see them using the information they’ve learned, it makes me so happy.”