BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Gordon Ramsay’s, dare we say it, softer side comes out when the formidable chef presides over aspiring child cooks on a new reality show.

Kids between 8 and 13 who love to work in the kitchen will face off on “MasterChef Junior” debuting Sept. 27 on Fox.

Ramsay is the expletive-spewing restaurateur and star of such Fox shows as “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” The new show is based on a popular British series.

“I don’t think I swore once,” Ramsay told the Television Critics Association.

“Twice,” corrected Gavin, a 10-year-old contestant from San Francisco, adding that Ramsay’s cursing was directed at servers during a restaurant challenge, not the children.

“We know the F-word means food,” Ramsay said.

The contestants knew of Ramsay’s fiery reputation as a demanding taskmaster, but 9-year-old Sarah from Pacific Palisades, Calif., said, “He can’t be really mean because we’re kids.”

Ramsay, a father of three daughters and a son, told the budding chefs when their food wasn’t good enough.

“I’m brutally honest and I think the kids appreciate that,” Ramsay said. “Being firm and fair isn’t anything we can be short on.”