From Brooklyn Beckham’s seawater trick to Meghan Markle’s frying pan spaghetti, chef reveals the celeb cooking tips you should NOT recreate as they risk ‘contamination or illness’ – and the ones worth following

As social media platforms become dominated with cooking content and tips, celebrity amateur cooks are often keen to share their ultimate go-to recipes with their fans. 

But some A-listers have left their followers bewildered with their unconventional cooking skills – with Brooklyn Beckham raising eyebrows last week when he reposted a clip of him cooking a pasta dish using seawater.

The eldest Beckham son previously told The Times that he had taken a ‘six-month culinary course at a professional chef’s school’ where he ‘learnt to make ragu and fresh pasta’.

However, many questioned his cooking abilities, and indeed the harmful health effects of dipping a saucepan in the sea before using the water to boil pasta. 

And while Brooklyn’s cooking method is certainly unique, he is not the first A-lister to have sparked controversy in the kitchen.

In 2024, Reese Witherspoon shared footage of herself scooping the snow off her car with two mugs before topping it up with salted caramel and chocolate syrup to create a winter-themed drink she titled Snow Salt Chococinno. 

According to Saifur Rahman, Head Chef at Tower Tandoori, cooking pasta in seawater is something he would ‘absolutely tell people not to copy’. 

He told the Daily Mail: ‘Raw seawater can contain microorganisms that you do not want in your food, and if you’re scooping it up beside boats you also have no control over other contamination.’

From Robert Pattinson to Meghan Markle and Ruth Langsford, read on to discover which celebrity-endorsed cooking tips are not to be copied at home – and the ones to follow…

Brooklyn Beckham

Unusual tips: Using seawater to boil pasta and adding a cork to spaghetti Bolognese

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Ignore both tips 

Brooklyn Beckham left fans horrified as he showed himself putting a saucepan in seawater during his stay on a luxury yacht.

The clip, which was originally shared last year, was reposted to TikTok last week, as the aspiring chef, 27, took the opportunity to promote his hot sauce, Cloud 23, as he whipped up a tomato pasta dish.

Fans were left less than impressed by Brooklyn’s kitchen antics as they took to the comments, joking: ‘Pasta water with a hint of burnt boat fuel please sir’ and ‘Bit dodgy the water’.

Meanwhile, in 2023, the eldest Beckham son came under fire when an image was shared of him cooking a Bolognese with a rather unusual added ingredient.

As Brooklyn treated himself to a glass of fine red wine after throwing a good splash in with the mince and carrots, his followers were mystified why there was the wooden cork sitting in the pot.

Brooklyn later took to his Instagram stories to explain the addition of the cork wasn’t a mistake on his part.

He shared a screengrab which said: ‘Most research ensued and we found information that the addition of wine corks added to the cooking liquid ensured a more tender dish.’

But the highlighted text is actually taken from an article named: ‘Let’s Talk Food: Wine corks ensure more tender octopus.’

However, this didn’t stop Brooklyn who decided to try it with mincemeat.

Mr Rahman: ‘Boiling may deal with many microbes, but it doesn’t magically remove every contaminant that could be in the water. Cooking pasta in seawater gives you no control over salt.

‘The CDC specifically advises that natural seawater can contain germs capable of making people ill if swallowed. 

‘Good cooking is about seasoning deliberately. You taste your pasta water and decide how much salt the finished dish needs. Taking a saucepan to the sea is just theatre, not an improvement to the pasta vs. doing it the traditional way.

‘The cork in bolognese is even easier to argue against: just don’t bother. There is an old cooking tradition of putting corks into pots when preparing octopus, although even chefs disagree about whether that achieves anything. 

‘There is no convincing culinary reason for a wine cork to improve minced beef in a bolognese. If you want a better ragù, spend your effort browning the meat properly, building flavour in the base and giving it time to cook.’

Reese Witherspoon

Unusual tip: Collecting snow from outside to create a ‘snow salt chococinno’

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Fun idea, but I wouldn’t recommend eating random outdoor snow

Reese Witherspoon sent social media users into a frenzy in 2024 when she shared a TikTok of her making a winter-themed drink she called Snow Salt Chococinno using melted snow from outside.

In the clip the Big Little Lies star begins by scraping snow off her car with two mugs before she tops the snow with salted caramel and chocolate syrup. She then added some cold brew for a ‘yummy coffee flavour’ before digging in to her creation.

Yet fans didn’t seem to see the yummy side of the recipe, as they instead expressed their concerns over the star eating dirty snow. One asked: ‘Isn’t snow dirty??’ while another suggested: ‘What if birds pooped in that snow.’

Puzzled by the backlash, Reese took to the video sharing site again as she explained: ‘There’s so many people on here saying snow is dirty so we went and took snow from the backyard and we microwaved it and it’s clear.’

Reese then referenced a comment that said fallen snow ‘was dirty but you only live once’ as she joked: ‘OK so we’re kind of in a category of “You only live once” and it snows maybe once a year here. I don’t know! Also, I want to say something. It was delicious! It was so good!’

Mr Rahman: ‘From a chef’s point of view, I understand the appeal. Snow gives you the texture of very fine shaved ice and adding coffee, chocolate and salted caramel turns it into a sort of homemade granita or frappé. 

‘My objection is simply that snow outside isn’t a food ingredient produced in a controlled environment. Once it is falling and sitting outdoors, it can pick up dirt and other contamination. 

‘US food-safety guidance even warns against using outdoor snow to keep food because of potentially unsanitary conditions. 

‘I would steal the flavour combination and use crushed or shaved ice made from clean drinking water. You get the same enjoyable dessert without cleanliness issues and having to wait for local snowfall.’

Meghan Markle 

Unusual tips: Adding sparkling water to scrambled eggs and grilling lettuce, skillet spaghetti 

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Mostly good ideas

While filming her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex offered a range of bizarre tips and tricks for families in the kitchen.

Of these, Meghan suggested adding sparkling water to scrambled eggs to make them more ‘fluffy’ and ‘rise’. 

In 2016, Meghan appeared on a segment for NBC’s The Today Show to make a grilled Caesar salad with shrimp. In front of cheering crowds, the then-Suits actress cooked up a storm and shared her best cooking tips, which included grilling lettuce.

The actress explained: ‘This is what I love. You can grill lettuce and it has the most amazing flavour. It holds up. You can grill radicchio, kale, whatever you want.

‘You want to halve it lengthwise so that it ends up still keeping that base on there because ultimately you can end up holding it like a hand-held salad.’

She then put everything on the grill, while Lauer admitted he ‘hadn’t heard’ of anyone grilling lettuce before.

However, perhaps the most unusual cooking tip the royal has suggested is ‘skillet spaghetti’ – which she told viewers that she regularly cooks for Prince Harry and their three children. 

Traditional methods might see pasta submerged in a large pan of salted boiling water, but here, the Duchess simply pours ‘three cups’ of boiling water onto the spaghetti and then puts a lid on it. 

Mr Rahman: ‘The sparkling-water trick is reasonable but a little extra for the average home cook. A small splash incorporated while you’re whisking can help make scrambled eggs feel lighter as the bubbles and steam contribute to the texture. 

‘Markle has specifically described using cold sparkling water to make her scrambled eggs fluffier. Would I say it’s essential? No. Proper temperature control is far more important to good scrambled eggs.

‘Grilled lettuce gets my vote too, provided you choose the right lettuce. Something sturdy such as romaine or little gem takes heat very well. 

‘The skillet spaghetti is also legitimate cooking. One-pan pasta isn’t a new technique, but it works because starch released from the pasta stays in the smaller quantity of liquid and helps create the sauce.

‘The only warning is that you need to control the liquid. Too much and you can end up with more of a soup consistency, while having too little water will cause the pasta to cook unevenly.’

Ruth Langsford

Unusual tips: Adding instant coffee and red pesto to her spaghetti Bolognese and beer into chili 

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Some surprisingly good instincts, but use restraint

Television personality Ruth Langsford showcased her unique spaghetti Bolognese recipe on Instagram in 2021 – revealing that she adds red pesto and coffee granules to her recipe. 

‘I think it gives a really deep flavour,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t taste of coffee.’

In addition to the coffee, Ruth went on to add minced beef, garlic, tomato puree, Oxo cube, dried basil and a ‘lot of’ bay leaves. 

Meanwhile, when cooking a chilli, Ruth poured a can of Amstel into the pan – a seemingly unusual ingredient that she argued was the perfect finishing touch.

However, in response, several Instagram users were curious about the use of coffee in particular – with one commenter writing: ‘Coffee? Are you rage baiting?’

Another added: ‘Seriously, coffee, you winding us up…?’

Mr Rahman: ‘A tiny amount of instant coffee in a rich meat sauce isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds. Coffee brings roasted bitterness and depth, and in a long, savoury sauce you don’t necessarily perceive it as coffee.

‘My issue is that it is incredibly easy to overdo. If you start to pick up real coffee flavours in the bolognese, you’ve overdone it. I would treat it like a background seasoning, not a major ingredient. 

‘Personally, I’d rather develop depth through good browning, tomato purée, stock and cooking time, but I won’t dismiss the coffee trick completely.

‘Red pesto can make even more culinary sense because you’re introducing ingredients that already belong comfortably around pasta and tomato-based sauces.

‘Beer in chilli is the strongest of the three for me and is a classic tip that you’ll see in many online recipes, not just for chili either. The maltiness and bitterness can work beautifully against beef, tomato, chilli and spices, particularly with the right beer.’

David Beckham

Unusual tip: Adding ketchup to cottage pie

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Culinary snobs will hate it, but he’s right 

Unlike his son Brooklyn, David Beckham has become known for his genuine passion and talent in the kitchen.

The former footballer regularly shares videos preparing homemade mushroom ravioli, paella, wood-fired pizzas, Sunday roasts and elaborate barbecue feasts.

His knife skills and attention to detail have impressed both fans and celebrity chefs, with Gordon Ramsay previously praising Beckham’s enthusiasm for cooking.

According to American actress Eva Longoria, David’s ‘secret’ trick to a Shepherd’s pie is the use of ketchup to add tanginess and help thicken the sauce. 

Mr Rahman: ‘I have no problem with a little ketchup in cottage pie. Think about what’s actually in it. Ketchup gives you tomato, sweetness, acidity, salt and savoury flavour in one ingredient. Those are all things that can work in a beef filling. 

‘Tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce are already common ways of creating depth in this sort of dish, and ketchup is essentially taking the shortcut route. Recipes for cottage and shepherd’s pie have long varied in their use of tomato products, including ketchup.

‘Sometimes a home-cooking shortcut works because there is sound flavour logic underneath it, even if chefs don’t like admitting it.’ 

Robert Pattinson

Unusual tip: Mixing sugar, pasta and cornflakes in the microwave 

Mr Rahman’s verdict: Brilliant entertainment, terrible recipe advice 

Robert Pattinson left fans baffled in 2020 with a bizarre pasta recipe that involved cooking pasta in the microwave with cheese slices, sugar and a layer of crushed cornflakes.

The actor whipped up the dish while speaking to a GQ journalist over FaceTime from the London Airbnb where he was in lockdown.

According to the article, Pattinson microwaved a bowl full of penne pasta and poured it into a tinfoil bowl lined with crushed cornflakes, sugar and layers of cheese slices. To finish, he added half a hamburger bun and burnt ‘PC’ into the bread using a lighter.

Details of the unusual homemade concoction, dubbed Piccolini Cuscino, or Little Pillow, sent fans wild after extracts from the article were shared online.

Mr Rahman: ‘I don’t think anybody should analyse this as though Robert Pattinson was genuinely trying to teach classical cookery. 

‘His Piccolini Cuscino was essentially an attempt to invent portable pasta, involving microwaved pasta, cheese, sauce, cornflakes, sugar, bread and a foil parcel. The infamous demonstration became chaotic enough to involve flames. 

‘Sugar and cornflakes aren’t automatically wrong with savoury food. Cheese and pasta certainly aren’t wrong. The problem is that a good dish still needs a reason for every ingredient to be there. 

‘I’d give him points for imagination and absolutely no points for something I would tell a home cook to recreate.’