"Don't burn the house down" - Shaquille O'Neal on what he tells himself before cooking a meal

Shaquille O'Neal is a basketball legend and Hall of Famer, one of the greatest players ever. Shaq is also in the food business, owning a couple of Big Chicken restaurants in Las Vegas, while also serving as a board member for Papa John's pizza.

The 50-year-old LA Lakers icon is known for his appetite. He has his own personal chef, in addition to two executive chefs. However, the pandemic taught Shaq the importance of knowing how to cook food. O'Neal recently released his own cookbook called "Shaq's Family Style."

In an appearance on CBS Mornings to promote his new cookbook, Shaquille O'Neal talked about all the food he ate growing up. The new cookbook is about Shaq's take on these foods with his own personal twist. He also revealed what he says to himself before cooking something.

"Don't burn the house down and pay attention to what I'm doing. In the kitchen, you really have to pay attention. Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen, these guys (his chefs) treat me like a little kid. 'Hey, man. Turn around. You'll burn the restaurant down,'" O'Neal said.

According to Alison Ashton of Parade, Shaquille O'Neal has three chefs in his ktichen crew. They are Alex Conant, his longtime personal chef, and Matt Silverman and Matt Piekarski.

They taught Shaq how to cook during the pandemic and he turned it into a business opportunity. However, O'Neal does not want people to think that he's a great cook.

"I don't want people to think I'm a full-blown chef. Every recipe in the book, I've tried and cooked with their assistance," Shaq said.

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What's in Shaquille O'Neal's cookbook?

Shaquille O'Neal at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

Shaquille O'Neal released a cookbook titled "Shaq's Family Style" on April 5th. The tagline is, "Championship recipes for feeding family and friends." The cookbook has 80 simple recipes, which are comfort food for the family. These recipes are Shaq's favorites, but with a twist.

Some of the recipes came from Shaq's mother, Dr. Lucille O'Neal, who cooked for the family when they were in Texas. Shaq also included some of his favorite meals while he was studying at Louisiana State University. The four-time NBA champion's humor is also all over the cookbook.

One of Shaq's teammates, Dwyane Wade, endorsed the cookbook. Wade played with O'Neal from 2004 to 2008, winning one NBA championship in 2006.

"If there's any teammate I trust in the kitchen, it's my man Shaq. All I can say is pass me a plate," Wade said.

In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Shaq showed off his baking skills. He cooked his own version of brownies with Colbert, even taking a shot at Charles Barkley during the show. The finished product looked delicious as the brownies had cookies, caramel and ice cream.