- Guy Fieri told Insider the two foods he can't live without are soy sauce and Brussels sprouts.
- Fieri's tip for making great Brussels sprouts includes baking them on top of a cookie rack.
Brussels sprouts might not be a popular Thanksgiving side dish, but the veggie does have one very famous fan — and he just happens to be the Mayor of Flavortown.
Guy Fieri told Insider that Brussels sprouts are one of the two foods he can't live without, along with soy sauce.
They might sound like surprising choices from the Food Network star, who has shown us how to make everything from a hot dog stuffed inside an apple pie to his ultimate grilled-cheese sandwich.
But Fieri said he's actually a huge vegetable fan, and Brussels sprouts are at the top of his list.
"I love Brussels sprouts. You can do so many things with them," Fieri told Insider while promoting his Slider Sunday Million Dollar Showdown with King's Hawaiian.
"Most people don't like them because, when they were a kid, they had boiled Brussels sprouts," he continued. "I do not like boiled Brussels sprouts. You can fry them, you can grill them, you can roast them, you can shave them, you can do just about anything with them."
Fieri shared his favorite tip for making great Brussels sprouts
"First, I quarter them and then just lightly toss them with some good olive oil, a little bit of salt and pepper," he said.
"But my key is, I put them on a cookie rack on top of my baking sheet. It allows the heat to work all the way around the Brussels sprouts, and it's almost kind of like an air fryer. It allows the Brussels sprouts to breathe and they really crisp up and get nice and crunchy, while also being tender."
Fieri recommends finishing the sprouts with a little lemon juice and lemon zest, as well as some Parmesan cheese. If you want your sprouts to have an extra kick, he suggests adding a little curry or granulated garlic before throwing them in the oven.
Fieri is also a big fan of soy sauce, which he puts on just about everything
"Soy sauce is umami," he told Insider. "It's got such depth to it."
Fieri recalled a recent dinner in which he used soy sauce while making chicken saltimbocca – chicken wrapped in sage and prosciutto — with Parmesan gnocchi and green beans.
"When I did the green beans, I blanched them and then I hit them into a really hot pan with a little bit of bacon fat, and then right at the end I hit it with a little soy sauce," Fieri said.
"And one of my buddies is looking at me, he's a cook, and was like, 'What are you doing with the soy sauce?' And I'm like, 'I'm just seasoning it,'" Fieri continued. "And everybody ate it and my buddy said, 'These are the best damn green beans I've ever had!'"
Fieri also shared the story behind his famous flame shirt during his sit down with Insider, and revealed that his Slider Sunday Million Dollar Showdown was inspired by his own weekly cook-offs during football season.
People can vote on Fieri's favorite slider recipes every week at KingsHawaiianShowdown.com. Each vote counts toward an entry for the $1 million grand prize.