Reading this article reminded me why I think Grubb Street articles are stupid.

Not food writing, but writing in general: the royal we. Unless you really speak for the publication as a whole stop it. And especially here at apartmenttheraphy there are often the silliest sentences (like, apparently more than one of the writers has more than one romantic partner since I have read "our boyfriend" dozens of times).

I have no problem with it but my husband (who is not a food writer) despises when people say flavor profile. I have to admit it does sound ridiculous if you're not in the biz.

This isn't food writing as much as it is food advertising: anything with the word "hand" in it. Hand-cut fries, hand-dipped ice cream, hand-grown produce, hand-spun milkshakes, hand-tossed salads. Its just over-used at this point. And I just think of hands touching my food.

I have to take issue with Grub Street calling out "mouthfeel" as a no-no. I think it's actually a really important component of the experience of food (being substantially different from either flavor or texture). I guess the word itself is maybe a little yucky, but as far as I know nobody has yet come up with a better word to describe it. Any ideas?

I take issue with Grub Street putting "savor" on the list. Really?

Yeah, nope. Lots of these words/phrases have a place in food writing, and Grub Street's explanations for why they are "overused" are snobby and smug. (Also, the random cruel fatphobia in the "decadent" entry? Blech.) I can, however, get behind the Serious Eats house list of banned words, which include a lot of these, but also have better rationales for why they shouldn't be used or used sparingly. http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/04/our-secret-list-of-banned-words.html

I hate "toothsome", especially because its used incorrectly so frequently.

"Grilled to perfection" gets me every time. Just... just say "grilled!" It's ok, I promise!

Bapplebeet -- solid point. However, I do sometimes grill things to mediocrity when "to perfection" is not specified.

LOL @ Ninetek!

I recoil when I read or hear, "makes my mouth water." Eeeew, not appetizing at all. Also, "married together." Redundant and inappropriate.

Cloyingly sweet. Can't stand it.

"Zesty." ...makes me think of italian salad dressing packets or, somehow, Shake&Bake.

"Spot-on" and, when describing cooking: "in the weeds".

"yummy" "delish"

"(Insert name of food, drink, whatever) yes, please!" So annoying.

"Artisan" has lost all meaning as have "homemade" and "homestyle".

And I really hate it when Anthony Bourdain writes something idiotic like "next-level shit" in a food article or when David Chang compares food to crack (or any other drug for that matter). Buffoons.

My personal favorite food descriptive is "oralgasmic" but I'm glad the term's never caught on in the mainstream food media or I'd hate it too.

"Sexy" I can't stand when someone on a food show or writer describes food as sexy. If you have to state that it is sexy, it's probably furthest from it.

"studded". "the muffin was studded with blueberries."

"yum!"

Makes me cringe every time...

@Ninetek- "mediocrity"! Cracks me up.

and @ Illopro "_______, yes please!" also chaps my hide. I wish I never saw it again.

Yum, yummy, yummo or any variation of this. I blame Rachel Ray.

Also, the word epic but not just in food writing, but everywhere. Unless we are talking about "Odyssey", is not epic.

"Crave-able"--really hate that. Also "pop," as in "makes flavors pop." "Artisan" is so overused as to have become completely meaningless. Have to disagree on "savor" since I have been reading Barb Stuckey's wonderful book, "Taste," in which she uses "savor" to describe the total gustatory experience in contrast to "taste," which just happens on the tongue. And totally agree with Rucy on Bourdain and Chang; I had high hopes for "Lucky Peach" but the bad-boy chef writing style is really juvenile.

overuse of "yummy" makes me stabby. "delish" and "unctious" are close seconds

Yep, I'm with Kitchen Witch. "Sexy" is my pet peeve! It's food - we eat it for sustenance. Yes, it can be good, but let's not get confused! Hearing food described as "sexy" makes me cringe!

I cringe whenever I see the word "gifted" used as a verb. It's not a verb. It's an adjective. And using it as a verb is not grammatically correct or cute.

"Spot on." STFU.

I hate the word veggies. I really do. Whenever I hear it I roll my eyes; it's just a natural instinct.

I despise on shows when people are asked about or are telling us all about their "culinary point of view."

I could do without some of terms on that list and mentioned here, but I find that people complaining about the terms is more annoying than the terms themselves. Sorry.

I hate it when writers have to use an unusual adjective to describe each and every ingredient or food. Things like "boisterous cherries", "extravagant gelato", and "proud olive oil". Ugggh. It's sounds silly and is tedious to read.

Nom. NOM. NOM! Nom nom nom. #nom. Nom-nom.

Nothing food-related irks me more.

I am so tired of "decadent," although perhaps for a different reason than the article says. It seems as though "decadent" is almost always used in reference to desserts, which are practically by definition, decadent. That is like saying you're going to eat some cold ice cream: you just sound like you don't quite grasp the english language. You just don't need to add unnecessary trash words. If anything, you should only make note when a dessert ISN'T decadent, because that would actually be worth mentioning. Maybe this just comes from spending a lot of time writing, but it is a great example of people seemingly having no idea how to "cut the fat" in their writing, and makes me think they need to go back to highschool and take an english course.

I also really hate "sinful," but that is almost entirely just my personal thing, just because it reminds me of people saying, "oh, I shouldn't...!!" as they go for the second piece of cake. It just makes it seem like it is promoting a lack of self-control as fun and okay, when really, it's just a shitty approach to eating.

isitoctoberyet, I second dislike for food baby-talk, particularly sammies, although I find myself using it when i write notes to myself because it's short. and yes, NY Dana, "studded" makes me think of something decidedly NOT food related! :)

People should get to write whatever they feel accurately describes the food. If we, the writers don't like it we don't have to read it!

I've noticed a lot of "you'll never need another (insert ANYTHING) recipe ever again," or "This will be your favorite (whatever) EVAH!!!!!!!" on Foodgawker and the like. Dubious.

Totally with you on the "nom". I have never heard anybody actually make a noise like that when eating.

Yummy, nom and other baby words, as another poster suggested, are also very irritating to me. But what really makes me cringe are the terms "and you're good to go" and "my go to recipe".

'gilding the lily' and 'works like a charm' both disgust me.

Dollop. I can't stand the word.

Good list, but I hate most for food to be called "sinful."

I have to get something off my chest: I am so so so so sick of seeing on food blogs pictures of the blogger (or worse yet, the blogger's child) cupping food in their hands. You know what I'm talking about- it is absolutely EVERYWHERE. I know that this isn't related to the actual writing, but since we're talking cliches... Please, someone agree with me!!

Anything Rachael Ray coined or made popular "sammies" "EVOO" (UGH!) "stoup" Describing food as yumskies or yummerific or yummers. You're a grown woman, not a 4 year old.

I agree with most of these, but I can't understand the vitriol towards "veggies." This is a word I've heard all my life so I don't associate it with fadishness or trends. Maybe that's the problem? I truly don't understand...to me it's just a common sense shortening of the original word.

locavore, farm-to-table, locally-sourced, craft. The concepts are great, the endless repetition is irritating.

I have learned to hate "smitten," mostly because it's so terribly overused.

"Scrumptious" makes me angry at the world. And 'wow factor' is possibly even worse, but not related to food only sadly.

I agree with anything that has been popularized by Rachel Ray: EVOO, yummo, splendiferous and all her other stupid made-up words, delish.

This is more for TV chefs, but when they say, "Can you believe how good that looks?" I always think: "Yes, dipshit. You have a team full of people helping you make this and stage it during commercials."

I am seconding JMORRI26. "EVOO", "Delish"-both make me cringe. Don't even get me started on Rachael's use of the garbage bowl.....