Alton Brown says this is the Food Network death fruit, do you agree?

Alton Brown has been very blunt in this season’s Worst Cooks in America. While his commentary might be cutting, why does he call this food the Food Network death fruit?

Is there really a Food Network death fruit? Anyone who has been watching Worst Cooks in America has heard Alton Brown criticize the recruits who use this one fruit in any of their dishes. Given how many people love this particular fruit, why does Alton have such a strong opinion against it?

According to Alton, the Food Network death fruit is pineapple. It isn’t because people get ill from eating pineapple. Unfortunately, many Food Network contestants have dishes that fail when cooking with pineapple. Why does the pineapple get such a bad rap?

Every food competition has an ingredient, dish or gadget that just seems to bring doom. In Iron Chef, it was often the ice cream machine. For Top Chef contestants, it was the dreaded risotto. Whether it is a real cooking curse or just coincidence, the patterns are real.

For Alton, he believes that pineapple can bring cooking disaster. The Food Network legend has seen his fair share of cooking competitions. Given his food knowledge and experience, this statement doesn’t come in jest. In Next Iron Chef, the finalists who tried to put pineapple in a savory dish were all eliminated.

Pineapple can be tricky for many reasons and can even cause professional chefs to stumble. Bromelain, the enzyme in pineapple, prevents gelatin from setting. It is also the reason why the fruit can break down certain proteins.

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While this chemical reaction can be helpful in some recipes, it can be a detriment in others. Any cook needs to be cautious when using it as a recipe ingredient.

But, if the pineapple is cooked, the negative effects can be lessened. The heat can break down the enzyme and reduce its effects. So, if you want to include pineapple in some recipes, it might be best to cook it first.

While everyone might laugh about pineapple as the death fruit, it is a reminder to be cautious when using pineapple as a recipe ingredient. It might not literally cause death, it could ruin that that your dish.

Do you agree with Alton that pineapple is the death fruit? Do you cook with pineapple?