Chef and My Kitchen Rules co-host Colin Fassnidge is old-school: he respects simple food done well, hates wasting ingredients, and believes social media should stay out of the kitchen.

Well, most of the time.

“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s good and it’s bad,” Fassnidge told The Sunday Times.

In recent years, traditionally unremarkable dishes like Vodka pasta have made a resurgence after being featured in celebrity home cooking videos.

And in the case of the viral Dubai chocolate bar, internet users have been so mesmerised by its visual appeal they’ll ignore its hefty price tag.

Fassnidge feels the bar for quality food has been lowered.

“Everyone thinks they can cook, and some of them you’re just like, ‘Please, stop’,” he added.

“Just because the Kardashians do it, doesn’t mean it’s good.”

Returning to steer My Kitchen Rules on Monday night with good mate Manu Feildel, the 51-year-old said most of the pair’s shared meals are eaten place off screen. And there have been thousands over the years, by last count.

The Irish-born chef teased that Feildel’s wife Clarissa — who cooks alongside Fassnidge on Better Homes and Gardens — is “100 per cent” the more talented Feildel.

Inspired by her upbringing in Malaysia, Clarissa’s impressive laksa is said to be worth the hot sweats.

As judges, Feildel and Fassnidge dine at the homes of ambitious home cooks across the country, tasting each group’s most polished dishes and hearing their stories.

But away from the screen, Fassnidge said he’d rather be the host.

“In real life, I like entertaining. Chefs, we look for all the glory, don’t we?” Fassnidge joked.

The show’s freshest batch of home cooks includes three sets of mates from NSW, South Australia and Queensland, respectively, a Greek mother and daughter from Victoria, an “opinionated” couple from Queensland, and a pair of cousins from NSW.

With several classic recipes poised to shine, Fassnidge said he and Feildel have found a way to covertly share their displeasure on the occasion a dish leaves a sour taste.

“We kick each other under the table, we have our own code,” he admitted, suggesting fans should “watch out for the twitch”.

Shaped by his schooling in Dublin, his apprenticeship in London under idol Raymond Blanc, and successes leading several acclaimed Sydney restaurants, Fassnidge considered who from his past he may wish to join him in a dream dinner party scenario.

While he couldn’t offer a set menu, his guest list promises no shortage of conversation starters.

“I am friends with Marco Pierre White so I’ll bring him, because he’s quite erratic for what he says,” Fassnidge began.

“I’ll bring Manu just because he’d complain if I didn’t bring him.

“Raymond Blanc, who I used to work for, who used to nail me, just to say to him, ‘I’ve done well’, but that’s just a revenge thing.

“I’d bring my mum because she got me into cooking. And maybe one of my teachers, one of the good ones who looked after me in college.”