History LethalChef / WesternAnimation

* The one time that ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'' decided to make a dish ''without'' the assistance of master chef Mung Daal, he accidentally dumped a whole bottle of poison in it, and then unknowingly tried to sell it on the streets. It even managed to burp out the warning "You... will... ''die!''" when Mung was almost forced to taste-test it. He manages to redeem himself in the SeriesFinale, although everyone else is scared to try the food he made due to it being a MessOnAPlate.

-->'''Gretchen:''' The tomato surprise isn't without its useful properties.\\

* It's strongly implied in ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' that Jean Grey's skills are lacking in the kitchen given Gambit's [[https://youtu.be/CdYnL3kh1b4?t=13 reaction when he tastes her cooking]]. When Gambit offers to spice it up with his Cajun recipes, Jean gets so annoyed she busts out her MindOverMatter power to stop him. Given Gambit is a SupremeChef in the comics it's probably wise to trust his taste buds on this occasion

** Granma Stuffems is a very extreme example. The food is literally alive and acts as her helpers, forcefully stuffing themselves into kids' mouths. And also that giant sandwich creature Slamwitch is one meal that could probably make a meal out of you.
** Lizzie, #1's [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend girlfriend]], is also pretty bad. When "Nigie" is sick, she makes him soup that he later uses as an explosive weapon. When he goes on a retreat in Jamaica, she follows with a pie she baked for him. One bite of the pie knocks the pilot unconscious. And then the replacement pilot. Not helping matters is that she just ignores anyone that tries telling her how bad the cooking is ''and'' that she finds her concoctions tasty when called on to test them. [[spoiler:With TheReveal in the Galactic KND promotional video that she's really an alien disguised as a human, it makes more sense--of course the food she cooks [[AlienLunch would taste weird to humans.]]]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DaftPlanet'' episode "Snitchy and the Phobe", Ched and Hudson get jobs at Hudson's dad's TV station where they expose several restaurant chefs in Maple City as this. Notable examples include the chef of a Mexican reastaurant who was smoking while stirring a pot of chili, causing the ashes of what he was smoking to fall into said chili, and not caring if his bird poops in it. There's also Il Giovanni's Ristorante, which passed off baked sock scum as parmigiana.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' episode "Doug's Cookin'," Patti Mayonnaise is revealed to be a terrible cook. Between her lack of any culinary skill and Doug's status as a OneNoteCook who can only make grilled cheese sandwiches, HilarityEnsues when they try to make a cake for their school's bake-off. By the end of the episode they make a good pizza, though, and the later episode "Patti's Dad Dilemma" shows Patti making meatloaf well. Presumably the success with the pizza inspired her to keep practicing and improve in the kitchen.

* Peter Griffin from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' is a ''literal'' version of this trope: In an episode where he starts his own restaurant, it was revealed that the last time he made food, he baked muffins that [[YourHeadAsplode blew up the heads]] of people who ate it, which was also implied to have shut down his business.

'''Amy:''' Bender, is this salt water?\\

** Heavy Duty takes this to another level; he likes to use ''grenades'' to barbecue. This is an intentional contrast to his cousin, world class chef and gourmet Roadblock.

* Jon Arbuckle, in ''WesternAnimation/{{Garfield and Friends}}'', is frequently portrayed as a Lethal Chef; his "new recipes" invariably end up as something that looks like it belongs in a low budget horror movie, although he is also usually capable of making normal food when he's not trying to get creative. However, sometimes he even fails at that. In one episode, Jon attempts to cook breakfast. With the RuleOfThree fully in effect, the first two food items he makes, which require actual contact with flame, catch fire. Jon then gives up and decides to have some cereal. When he pours milk on his cereal, it promptly catches fire. Jon's specialty, deep fried pigs liver with chocolate sauce, is so revolting even GARFIELD won't eat it. In one episode, he prefers eating the pictures out of a cookbook.

** There are often jokes about the lethality of cafeteria food at The Skool, including missing livers if the kids are lucky. One of the more noteable dishes is ''Ketchup and Rice''. Another is some unknown sludge-like substance stored in a tank in the Skool Cafeteria ceiling that [[EyeScream crawls inside the students eye sockets after being served]].

* A ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseWorks'' short, ''Mickey Tries to Cook'', has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mickey Mouse trying to cook]] [[OneNoteCook something other than sandwiches]], and ending up causing an explosion when he doesn't realize his fan is flipping the pages of his cook book when he isn't looking.

** In "Applebuck Season", Applejack becomes one after working so hard at the farm (several days in a row, with [[TheInsomniac no time to sleep]]) that she's delirious and mishears every ingredient Pinkie Pie reads off to her. They end up making "muffins" out of potato chips, soda, lemon juice, and worms. Oddly, they somehow still come out looking (and apparently tasting) like muffins, and nobody notices until it makes them all sick, including Pinkie Pie, who had no problem eating the above mentioned cupcakes made by Apple Bloom. [[ExtremeOmnivore Spike loved them, though.]] It's also stated that she's normally a very good baker.
** In "The Cutie Map Part 1", the muffins that Sugar Belle makes for the Mane 6 look like lumps of charcoal and taste bad enough that ''[[ExtremeOmnivore Pinkie Pie]]'' hates them. When Pinkie Pie is forced to eat them all to give everyone an excuse to go meet her in the basement of her shop, she laments that she's "accidentally eaten cardboard taster than that" when they get downstairs. [[spoiler: Subverted when Sugar Belle gets her cutie mark back in Part 2; baking is actually [[SupremeChef her special talent]] and she was only a lethal chef before because [[PowerLimiter the equal sign cutie mark]] Starlight Glimmer forced on her was suppressing her talents.]]

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'', Pooh has to bake a cake for a party. Being a bear of little brain, he uses flowers in place of flour and thinks that a "dash of salt" means a huge pile of it. We don't get to see anyone actually taste the final product because when his mixture is put into the oven, it ''explodes'' inside it.
* That frog cook with the handlebar mustache from the old British Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} claymation shorts. He makes probably worse food then the Swedish Chef, though he seems to do all right with sea food.

* In the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' animated special ''WesternAnimation/ItsTheEasterBeagleCharlieBrown'', Peppermint Patty tries to teach Marcie how to make Easter eggs, but Marcie can't get a handle on how to prepare the eggs. First she fries them. Next she tries cooking them on a waffle iron, then a toaster, and then putting them in the oven. Finally, with help from Patty, she boils them... but cracks them open first, resulting in "egg soup".

* Oscar Proud from ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'' is constantly shown to be this in regards to his food product "Proud Snacks", resulting in the person ingesting it either choking, getting cramps, or simply just falling extremely sick. In fact, of all the people on the show who've had his snacks, only ''one'' is explicitly shown to enjoy his snacks, a kid who is WiseBeyondHisYears. How Oscar continues to run his business despite it clearly being unliked by virtually every single person in America is unknown.

--> '''Rocko:''' Heff! This is bonza! What's in it?
--> '''Heffer:''' Well, let's see, there's...pickled banana shavings, gym socks, canned haggis, beetle bladders, real processed head cheese, saltpeter, reconstituted corn sweat, the finest barley and hops...*stops food from moving*...Hmm, now where was I? Potash, sulfur, monosodium glutamate, and vegetable cartilage as a binding agent!

*** From season 4's "I Love Lisa", Lunch Lady Doris serves beef hearts to the kids (it's Valentine's Day)...after the delivery guy reluctantly dumps them on the dirty floor. If you listen closely, one of them is still beating.

*** Taken quite literally in “Treehouse of Horror V”. Let’s just say the kids would have preferred the Grade F meat ("Ingredients: Mostly circus animals, some filler") over Sloppy Jimbos and Üterbraten if they knew that [[spoiler: [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies they are made from their own classmates]]]].

*** When he became a “me-gan” in “Treehouse of Horror XXVIII”, he began cooking bits of ''[[{{Autocannibalism}} himself]]''.

** Krusty’s burgers contain no real meat or vegetables. But then again, they’re better than the diseased burgers in “Treehouse of Horror XX”, which caused a ZombieApocalypse.

'''Customer 3:''' [[EpicFail "He burnt my shake!"]]\\

** Mr. Krabs was also shown making a terrible dinner once, which came to life and tried to eat him and some customers ("Squilliam Returns"). In the same episode we learn that he only cleaned the bathrooms on the S.S. Gourmet -- but that he was the head chef on the S.S. Diarrhea.
** In the episode "Something Smells", [=SpongeBob=] wants to eat an ice cream sundae on Sunday but he doesn't have any ice cream. Not wanting to give up on his plans he uses the next best thing - ketchup. For his special sundae, he can't use just bananas or cherries, no he uses freshly chopped onions. And finally, he tops it off with the shriveled peanuts he was growing on the windowsill along with the dirt he grew them in. No wonder it gave him bad breath.
** Spongebob and Mr. Krabs deliberately become this while making the Nasty Patty in order to scare off the health inspector, due to believing he was a fake. But that’s NOT what knocked out him out. He simply choked on a fly and hit his head, something that continually happens to him before he even realizes what's going on.
** Spongy Patties, a Krabby Patty that Mr. Krabs was promoting to capitalize on Spongebob's popularity, were made from expired patties.
** The time Mr. Krabs and Plankton just straight-up fed everyone grease and made them sick. It got to the point where Spongebob decided to bring in the health inspector to stop the madness.

** Other specials suggest his baking is so bad, EvenTheRatsWontTouchIt, and he ''knows'' it. In one, he tries to set a trap on a road for the heroine using pies that that turned out like super-glue. (Naturally, he only ends up trapping himself.) In another episode, he suggests using them to bait a trap for a wild beast. After Sour Grapes expresses a small expression of doubt, he admits that's a bad idea.

* Michelangelo in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012''. In one episode, when he's complaining about no pizza shops being open, Donatello sarcastically suggests he make his own; Mikey actually ''does'', and his brothers are pretty revolted by what he comes up with, which includes worms from the garbage and a hot sauce called "Devil's Vomit". "You take disgusting to a whole new level," says Raphael.

** One of the competitions in ''Total Drama Revenge of the Island'' involved the contestants finding food in the radiated island and cooking it. All four dishes were repulsive in different ways, and only one was edible in the end. During the preparation portion of the contest, Zoey's salad actively tried to kill her.

* Ms. Mush from ''WesternAnimation/{{Wayside}}''. She actually comes from a land that makes [[AlienLunch very odd cuisine.]] She even has a dead rat who was killed by her food. Her worst dish is the "Mushroom Surprise" which is so powerful that one bite will put you in a hallucinatory state or make you fall in love. It is called this because "it would be a surprise if you try it".

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': {{Subverted}}. Early in the show, Zuko once attempts to make tea. Iroh describes it as "bracing", which is an understatement. However, after working in a tea shop, Zuko's tea-making ability improves substantially to the point where he makes tea for his friends with no complaints.

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*** Taken quite literally in “Treehouse of Horror V”. Let’s just say the kids would have preferred the Grade F meat over Sloppy Jimbos and Üterbraten if they knew that [[spoiler: [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies they are made from their own classmates]]]].

*** Taken quite literally in “Treehouse of Horror V”. Let’s just say we’d rather have the Grade F meat over Sloppy Jimbos and Üterbraten.

*** When he became a “me-gan” in “Treehouse of Horror 28”.

*** During Marge's stint as a professional gambler/gambling addict in the episode "$pringfield", groceries run low at the Simpsons house, and Homer attempts to make "breakfast" by mixing together cloves, Tom Collins mix and a pie crust. He takes one bite, before telling Lisa they're going to go get Marge back in a disturbingly calm voice.

** Krusty’s burgers contain no real meat or vegetables. But then again, they’re better than the diseased burgers in “Treehouse of Horror XX”.

** Squidward seems to be something of a gourmet (albeit one with an affinity for canned bread and marzipan), and, in at least one episode, is seen eating what has all indication of an elaborate and tasty dish prepared by himself. However, when asked to sub as cook at the Krusty Krab, all he manages to do is burn everything to a crisp, suggesting he's at least a lethal ''fry-chef''. Some examples from ''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E6MermaidManAndBarnacleBoyPickles Pickles]]'' and ''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E20HookyMermaidManAndBarnacleBoyII Hooky]]'' respectively.

** Squidward seems to be something of a gourmet (albeit one with an affinity for canned bread and marzipan), and, in at least one episode, is seen eating what has all indication of an elaborate and tasty dish prepared by himself. However, when asked to sub as cook at the Krusty Krab, all he manages to do is burn everything to a crisp, suggesting he's at least a lethal ''fry-chef''. Some examples from''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E6MermaidManAndBarnacleBoyPickles Pickles]]'' and ''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E20HookyMermaidManAndBarnacleBoyII Hooky]]'' respectively.

** Squidward seems to be something of a gourmet (albeit one with an affinity for canned bread and marzipan), and, in at least one episode, is seen eating what has all indication of an elaborate and tasty dish prepared by himself. However, when asked to sub as cook at the Krusty Krab, all he manages to do is burn everything to a crisp, suggesting he's at least a lethal ''fry-chef''. Some examples from "Bubble Bass" and "Hooky" respectively.

*** From season 4's "I Love Lisa," Lunch Lady Doris serves beef hearts to the kids (it's Valentine's Day)... after the delivery guy reluctantly dumps them on the dirty floor. If you listen closely, one of them is still beating.
*** In a season 5 episode, she's shown preparing a meal that consists entirely of [[{{Squick}} testicles]]. Why? More testicles means ''more iron''. In a disturbing turn, she's surprisingly animated about that one.
*** From season 7's "Lisa the Vegetarian," it's revealed that Lunch Lady Doris doesn't cater to vegetarians (except for giving them a plain bun and deadpanning, "Yum. It's rich in bunly goodness.") and that the meatloaf she makes isn't made of meat.

*** One episode has Lisa find a ''battery'' in her Mac N Cheese. Doris claims it "counts as a vegetable".

*** On the season 4 episode "Marge in Chains" (where Marge is put in jail for 30 days after accidentally shoplifting bourbon due to being stressed out from her family being sick), Marge flashbacked to the last time Homer tried to cook for the family. He served fish that weren't quite dead--and the lobsters attacked him. On the same episode, he gave Bart a pack of sugar and some peanut butter smeared on a playing card as a school lunch.

** Marge herself is implied to be kind of an uninspired chef ("''Eight'' spices? Some of those have to be doubles! 'Ore-gahno'? What the hell?"), but as her family just shovels it down anyways, there are no complaints. There's also a mention of her making Bart [[CordonBleughChef butterscotch chicken]] (which, oddly enough, [[http://www.101cookingrecipes.com/chicken-cooking-recipes/butterscotch-chicken.php people have actually made]]) on the season 8 episode "A Milhouse Divided." Which is odd, since Bart had previously been established as being allergic to butterscotch...

** Luann Van Houten is heavily implied to be a bad cook in "A Milhouse Divided." When Luann mentions the time some high school punks egged her husband's Bonneville, Kirk (the husband) snarks that the punks should have hurled some bacon so he could have a decent breakfast for once. Also, Kirk mentions that he hasn't eaten this good (or that noisily, according to Luann) since he was in the Army. [[PlayedForDrama It's from these two instances that gave the audience (and the characters) an early clue that the Van Houtens' marriage is on the rocks]].
** The Springfield prison chefs are known to be horrible, even by prison standards. In the episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch", the prisoners were fed "horse meat... with traces of jockey meat". Cue camera to a box of "Churchill Downs Mystery Meat".

** Other specials suggest his baking is so bad, EvenTheRatsWontTouchIt, and he ''knows'' it. In one, he tries to set a trap on a road for the heroine using pies that that turned out like super-glue. (Naturally, he only ends up trapping himself.) In anther episode, he suggests using them to bait a trap for a wild beast; after Sour Grapes expresses a small expression of doubt, he admits that's a bad idea.
* Both of the girls on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' are lethal chefs, but whereas Starfire might be a good cook [[AlienLunch by Tamaranean standards]], Raven is just plain terrible. It does not cheer her up at all when the alien on the team is the only one who enjoys her pancakes. Cyborg and Beast Boy are good cooks on their own, but consider each others' tastes to be lethal on principle: Beast Boy is a strict vegetarian whose dishes are [[StockYuck 90% tofu]], while Cyborg is an avid meat-lover. Their fridge has a [[ItCameFromTheFridge strange, blue, living substance]] in it (that apparently tastes quite nice).

* Ms Mush from ''WesternAnimation/{{Wayside}}''. She actually comes from a land that makes [[AlienLunch very odd cuisine]]. She even has a dead rat who was killed by her food. Her worst dish is the "Mushroom Surprise" which is so powerful that one bite will put you in a hallucinative state or make you fall in love. It is called this because "it would be a surprise if you try it".

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'''s Kitty Pryde is an example of this early on (her muffins either bounce off the walls or leave dents in the floor; poor Kurt), but gets a little better with constant practice as the series progresses.

** Squidward seems to be something of a gourmet (albeit one with an affinity for canned bread and marzipan), and, in at least one episode, is seen eating what has all indication of an elaborate and tasty dish prepared by himself. However, when asked to sub as cook at the Krusty Krab, all he manages to do is burn everything to a crisp, suggesting he's at least a lethal ''fry-chef''. Some examples from ''Bubble Bass'' and ''Hooky'' respectively.

-->
'''Customer 1:''' Hey, He burnt my Krabby Patty.\\

** Squidward seems to be something of a gourmet (albeit one with an affinity for canned bread and marzipan), and, in at least one episode, is seen eating what has all indication of an elaborate and tasty dish prepared by himself. However, when asked to sub as cook at the Krusty Krab, all he manages to do is burn everything to a crisp, suggesting he's at least a lethal ''fry-chef''.
-->'''Customer 1:''' [[EpicFail "He burnt my shake!"]]\\

** Likewise, the main reason Plankton is always trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula is because his own cooking is highly unappetizing. One episode had Karen (Plankton's computer wife) paying a guy to eat at the Chum Bucket (Plankton's restaurant). He gave her money back because ''he had to get his stomach pumped three times''. It's ''that bad''. Also, chum is literally dead fish, so the Chum Bucket is a restaurant for CANNIBALS.

** The Nasty Patty. But that’s NOT what knocked out the health inspector. He simply choked on a fly and he kept getting hit in the head.
** While the Pretty Patties taste alright, they dye skin and tongues whatever color they’re painted.
** Squidward’s dishwater soup.
** The jelly sandwiches that were made from jellyfish that Mr. Krabs tortured (and likely killed). Note that this is the first time we see him as a villain rather than just a shitty boss. And we thought PLANKTON was scary...
** Spongy Patties were made from expired patties.
** The time SpongeBob just straight-up fed everyone grease and made them sick.
** The stew made from rotten vegetables- even before the hippies found it.
** There’s evidence that some of the burger buns were in the toilet.
** In “Frycook Games”, Patrick fries the audience and turns them into fish sticks.
** Plankton’s fruitcake that turns everyone except SpongeBob mean in the 2012 Christmas special. Had it not been for SpongeBob and Sandy finding the antidote and stopping the evil robot SpongeBob, Plankton would have won.
** Patrick continues to play on fishing hooks after Mr. Krabs repeatedly tells him that they’re dangerous. SpongeBob plays on the hooks until his clothes get stuck, and he can’t free himself unless he strips naked in front of Pearl and her friends. Unfortunately, Patrick still doesn’t listen and ends up packed inside a tuna can.

* A few examples from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':

** The Nasty Patty. But that’s NOT what knocked out the health inspector.
He simply choked on a fly and he kept getting hit in the head.

* Ms Mush from ''WeaternAnimation/{{Wayside}}''. She actually comes from a land that makes [[AlienLunch very odd cuisine]]. She even has a dead rat who was killed by her food. Her worst dish is the "Mushroom Surprise" which is so powerful that one bite will put you in a hallucinative state or make you fall in love. It is called this because "it would be a surprise if you try it".

** Likewise, the main reason Plankton is always trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula is because his own cooking is highly unappetizing. One episode had Karen (Plankton's computer wife) paying a guy to eat at the Chum Bucket (Plankton's restaurant). He gave her money back because ''he had to get his stomach pumped three times''. It's ''that bad''.
** Mr. Krabs was also shown making a terrible dinner once, which came to life and tried to eat him and some customers ("Squilliam Returns"). In the same episode we learn that he only cleaned the bathrooms on the S.S. Gourmet -- but that he was the head chef on the S.S Diarrhea.

* Everybody from ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' is a terrible chef. [[http://kaeloo.wikia.com/wiki/File:Stumpycookingstew.gif Stumpy makes stew by stomping his feet in it]], Pretty serves dishes with (live) worms in them, and Mr. Cat cooks [[EyeScream eyes]].

* Dave from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dave the Barbarian}}'' is actually considered to be a good cook, however he has an episode where Dave lived out his dream of running a bistro, the term "Lethal Chef" got taken to a new level when he used a cursed cookbook called "The Cuisinum Mysterium Cookbook" to help him -- the recipes are cursed (the food comes alive and takes on a life of its own) and later on while making "Armageddon Souflé" the souflé comes to life and becomes a rampaging monster dessert.

* Jon Arbuckle, in ''WesternAnimation/{{Garfield and Friends}}'', is frequently portrayed as a Lethal Chef; his "new recipes" invariably end up as something that looks like it belongs in a low budget horror movie, although he is also usually capable of making normal food when he's not trying to get creative. However, sometimes he even fails at that. In one episode, Jon attempts to cook breakfast. With the RuleOfThree fully in effect, the first two food items he makes, which require actual contact with flame, catch fire. Jon then gives up and decides to have some cereal. When he pours milk on his cereal, it promptly catches fire. Jon's specialty, deep fried pigs liver with chocolate sauce, is so revolting even GARFIELD wont eat it. In one episode, he prefers eating the pictures out of a cookbook.

* Both of the girls on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' are lethal chefs, but whereas Starfire might be a good cook [[AlienLunch by Tamaranean standards]], Raven is just plain terrible. It does not cheer her up at all when the alien on the team is the only one who enjoys her pancakes. The boys don't fare much better. Beast Boy is a strict vegetarian whose dishes are [[StockYuck 90% tofu]], while Cyborg is an avid carnivore. Their fridge has a [[ItCameFromTheFridge strange, blue, living substance]] in it (that apparently tastes quite nice).

*** Zigzagged with the episode with the aforementioned cooking teacher, who gives Bender his secret ingredient before dying. Bender uses it to win a cooking competition where his food ends up tasting better than it looks. When Professor Farnsworth analyzes the secret ingredient, [[MagicFeather it's revealed that it was only water]], [[RuleOfFunny ...containing a bit of LSD.]]