The 2 Foods You'll Never See In Giada De Laurentiis' Kitchen
Giada De Laurentiis' kitchen has all the space in the world. As the celebrity chef showcased in a YouTube short, it has a giant walk-in pantry with a whole shelf dedicated to just oil and vinegar, as well as a full-sized standalone freezer where she also stores an assortment of different flours. You'd expect nothing less from someone who creates recipes for a living, but in De Laurentiis' otherwise well-stocked kitchen, there are two foods you'll never find: coconut and green peppers.
"I don't eat coconut," she shared with Bravo. "I don't like anything with coconut. Not [coconut] water. Just no coconut — at all. In anything." A quick glance at a few of De Laurentiis' recipes like her coconut cake, Thai curry, or her lemon coconut sorbet and it's clear she's willing to cook with the ingredient. Still, she refuses to eat it herself.
De Laurentiis has an even stronger aversion for green peppers and won't even bother using them in her dishes. "I don't like the flavor or the look," she explained to People. "No green peppers will ever be found in any of my recipes."
The one form of coconut Giada De Laurentiis can tolerate
While Giada De Laurentiis can't stand coconut water or coconut fruit, she doesn't mind using coconut oil, likely because it doesn't have as strong of a coconut flavor. In fact, she shared with NewBeauty Magazine that she often uses it in desserts, puts it in her vinaigrettes, and mixes it with maple syrup to sweeten fresh fruit. "From time to time I've been known to put it over pasta for my daughter," De Laurentiis added.
De Laurentiis has also admitted to bringing coconut oil along with her on days that she films, but not so she can put it on her food. She told the magazine that she brings a small travel container with her whenever she's on the go. "Since my hands [are on camera] all the time I try to keep them nice and moist and moisturized," she explained.
Not all bell peppers are off limits for Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis may not mind using coconut oil in the occasional vinaigrette or even creating coconut-centric desserts for her fans, but when it comes to her other least favorite food, green peppers, she isn't quite as flexible. Though she does cook recipes that traditionally call for bell peppers, none call for green ones. In her recipe for stuffed peppers, for example, De Laurentiis uses a colorful assortment of red, yellow, and orange peppers, but instead of green peppers, she uses zucchini as a substitute.
It might seem somewhat odd that De Laurentiis would like every other color of bell pepper except green, but, as Mississippi State University explains, the three bell pepper varieties actually have distinct flavors. Green peppers are basically bell peppers at their least ripe stage, giving them a bitter and bland flavor. As bell peppers ripen they change from green to yellow to red and become sweeter. Given that De Laurentiis doesn't like cooking with the green ones, it's pretty clear she must only enjoy bell peppers when they're at their sweetest.
De Laurentiis' preferences around coconuts and green peppers might seem particular, but we suppose everybody, even celebrity chefs with cookbooks and TV shows, is entitled to a little picky eating every once in a while. We've got a few strange-but-true food preferences too so we can't fault De Laurentiis for hers.