Andrew Zimmern Finds This Ingredient 'Disgusting' (But So Many People Love It)

Throughout Andrew Zimmern's career, he's explored foods from all over the world. After all this time, there are bound to be a few things he doesn't like, but you'd surely expect that list to include universally hated foods, right? You'd be wrong. In TikTok video posted by Eater, Zimmern explained his absolute horror at the appeal of eating raw cookie dough.

Zimmern doesn't just dislike raw cookie dough; he straight up "refuses" to eat it — among these other common foods that Zimmern can't stand. He told the outlet that "raw cookie dough is disgusting," and that "cookie dough tastes better cooked." While this surely broke the hearts of cookie-dough lovers everywhere, Zimmern clarified that it's not because he hates sweet foods, but because he believes that eating raw cookie dough is doing the dessert a disservice. "Why would you leave it in its untransformed, its nascent state, when 10 minutes in the oven turns it into something that is the food of the gods?" he plainly questioned.

While Zimmern may find cookie dough "disgusting," much of the world disagrees with him. Besides generations of bakers eating a spoonful with every batch, raw cookie dough has become so popular that there are entire shops dedicated to selling it, the same way other places sell ice cream. Tubs of edible cookie dough are also available at grocery stores, made by famous brands like Toll House, M&Ms, and David's Cookies. A quick search online will even show dozens of recipes for making edible cookie dough that tastes like the real thing.

In the TikTok video, Zimmern noted that "what people like is the raw sugar and butter," continuing that "flour, raw flour, does not taste good." It's that unprocessed flour that also makes eating cookie dough dangerous, as raw flour has the potential to harbor dangerous bacteria. That's why store-bought brands tend to be safer, since those tubs are created using heat-treated flour. Of course, recipes containing raw eggs can also be risky. 

As for why people are so obsessed with consuming raw cookie dough, no one truly knows. Maybe it's a texture thing, or maybe it's the temptation of doing something you've been told not to do. Regardless of the reason, as this Redditor put it, "Raw cookie dough [is] one of the best parts of making cookies."