Here’s What We Learned About Ina Garten in 2018
If you think you know everything there is to know about Ina Garten already, well guess what? You thought wrong! We’re always keeping tabs on the cookbook queen (she’s our favorite person to follow on Instagram), and it turns out we learn something new every day. She’s bursting with new nuggets of information and we’re eating it all up.
Whether it’s her ingenious method for making fresh corn salad, her favorite wine varietal, or her go-to fast food order, the fun facts are endless. We challenge you to a round of Ina Garten Trivia. Here goes nothing.
1. Her In-N-Out order.
Even Ina indulges in a fast-food burger every now and then. While on the road during her Cook Like a Pro book tour, Ina met up with her pal Jennifer Garner at a local In-N-Out and the pair snapped the sweetest pic. Bonus: We learned that Ina orders her In-N-Out “Animal Style” — just like Julia Child.
2. Her no-mess corn cutting strategy.
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: Ina’s method for cutting corn off the cob is brilliant. To avoid making a mess, Ina cuts off the kernels using a vertical motion over a kitchen towel. She then picks up the towel to usher those pesky kernels right into a bowl.
3. Her favorite kind of wine.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to pick Ina up a bottle before swinging by one of her famous dinner parties, take it from us: She likes a nice bottle of Sauternes.
4. Her biggest cooking pet peeve.
The words “season to taste” really get Ina’s gears going: “Every recipe says season to taste, but you don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like so how are you supposed to season it to taste?” That’s why Ina always gives exact amounts in her recipes.
5. Her microwave popcorn hack.
You would think that Queen of Cooking, Ina Garten, would pop her own kernels from scratch, but she let us in on her dirty little secret: She loves microwaveable Newman’s Own popcorn with Urbani truffle butter.
6. Her political leanings.
For a while, Ina’s lips were sealed when it came to politics. But recently, Ina couldn’t hold it in any longer. In a conversation about what she would serve four different politicians if they came over for dinner, Ina revealed what she’d serve President Trump “a subpoena!”
7. Her favorite recipe in Cook Like a Pro.
Ina claims that her lemony ricotta cake with fresh figs on top is “literally the easiest cake [she’s] ever made.” We’ll (happily) be the judge of that!
8. Her favorite kind of cheese.
When we asked Ina what cheese she couldn’t live without, we had our money on Gruyère. Bit it turns out, Ina relies on Parmesan even more! It’s her number-one go-to cheese.
9. Her preferred brand of knife.
Ina only uses the best of the best ingredients and tools. That’s why she swears by Wüsthof knives: “They’re what I use. They’re pretty expensive but they last a lifetime.”
10. Her go-to olive oil.
Ina Garten recently took to Instagram Stories to give the staff of Bon Appetit a tour of her pantry. They learned that her preferred brand of olive oil is Olio Santo extra-virgin, which is produced in California. She finds that CA-based olive oils are “fruitier” than Italian varieties.