Get the @#!% out! Gordon Ramsay blasted for serving boil-in-bag meals at his restaurants

To the sharks of the press, it was like blood in the water: Gordon Ramsay, the man who reduces other chefs to tears over their ignorance of using fresh ingredients in a simple way, was shown to be serving half the food in his London mid-price restaurants that was made across town and delivered in vans!

Mr. 16 Michelin Stars himself was making his flunkies open the plastic packets, dump the stuff on plates, and serve it alongside for six times the original cost! The heresy, and coming from such a sanctimonious chef!

The British press had a blast with that one a few weeks ago. "Ramsay serves up coq au van," crowed the salacious Sun. But when foodies probed deeper, they learned that Ramsay himself owns and operates the off-site kitchen in question. He purchased it from the owners of Le Gavroche, one of the finest restaurants in London. He bought the pre-serve dishes from his own company, which was made separate for financial reasons.

What's more, off-site preparation is not uncommon in the restaurant industry. I think the press' outrage has more to do with exposing perceived hypocrisy than any substantive complaint or industry insight. If you've ever watched Ramsay turn the air blue with his outraged profanity on his American shows Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen, you've already learned that the Scottish chef's theatrics are just that: an act.