Gordon Ramsay's 4 Kids Don't Curse...But He's Taught Them Some "Alternative" Words—Watch!

Star of shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and Kitchen Nightmares is known for his on-air potty mouth and hot temper

By Corinne Heller Mar 04, 2015 11:04 PMTags

While popular celebrity chef and food reality star Gordon Ramsay is known for his potty mouth, the apple falls far from his tree when it comes to his kids, and he wants to keep all family conversations as tasteful as possible.

So he's come up with a code system. And of course, it's food-themed.

The 48-year-old restaurateur and star of several reality shows, such as MasterChef and Kitchen Nightmares, and wife Tana have four children—Megan, 16, Matilda, or "Tilly," 13, and 15-year-old twins, Jack and Holly.

"They don't curse," he told Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in an episode that aired on Tuesday.

"How is that possible...is that their way of rebelling?" joked the host, a father of three.

"I said, Look, cursing is not smart, it's an industry language and sometimes Daddy lets it slip...20 times a day," Ramsay said. "So I came up with some really nice, sort of alternatives to curse words."

"So rather than saying the word 's--t,' which, you know, is not nice...'Shitake'! Like the mushroom. It's not nice saying the word 'f--k,' so we say the word 'fructose.' 'Ass?' 'Asparagus!'"

Ramsay also took the opportunity to fire off some prime actual swear words during the interview. 

Ramsay had introduced two of his children to his reality show audiences in the past. Matilda had served as a guest judge on an episode of MasterChef Junior that aired earlier this month. She showed the child contestants a Ramsay family favorite dish, Salmon en Croute, which the kids were told to cook.

FOX via Getty Images

Her brother Jack appeared with their dad on the flagship series MasterChef in 2013.

FOX via Getty Images

When it comes to cooking, Ramsay's kids definitely do take after their father. Matilda even has her own cooking show in her native United Kingdom.

"They're pretty decent little chefs," he told Kimmel. "Teaching them how to cook properly, I think was fundamental. Weekends now [are] a lot more competitive, 'cause they cook for us."

And in real life, there is one particular thing that could turn Ramsay into his hot-tempered on-air persona; The idea of having his daughters date a chef.

"That's the bit that scares the crap out of me," he told Kimmel. "And I'm gonna grill his f--king ass."