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6 Reasons We’re Obsessed with Ina Garten and Her Brilliant New Book, Make It Ahead
Ina Garten is magic. Make It Ahead, her ninth cookbook, secures the Barefoot Contessa’s place—superglues it, staple guns it, whipstitches it, hot-glue-guns it—in the pantheon of Chefs We Worship. Here are six reasons we’re obsessed.
1. She’s the exact person we want to imagine we’re standing next to in the kitchen.
Garten was just a regular old Washington, D.C., bureaucrat in charge of nuclear energy budgeting before she decided to leave it all behind and buy a specialty food store, write cookbooks, and host an Emmy-winning cooking show on Food Network. This job is just so much more her. Maybe it’s the sassy popped denim collars; maybe it’s the skin that looks like it’s been conditioned with the milk of Andalusian mountain goats (or Pond’s); maybe it’s her mischievous giggles and “don’t tell Jeffreys”; whatever the reason, Ina is everyone’s favorite cooking companion. And you just know she gives good hug.
Ships in 1-2 days.
2. You can make every single recipe in this book ahead of time. That’s the point.
Lean in, because I’m about to share a secret: life is crazy. No one has time to whip up Ham and Leek Empanadas after getting home from work at 9 p.m., or spend his entire Saturday in the kitchen because his wife invited her ten closest Krav Maga friends for dinner. But when you can make those empanadas on Sunday night and freeze them for a midweek meal? Or whip up Asparagus-Prosciutto Bundles while you drink your morning coffee instead of 10 minutes before guests arrive? In that case, the impossible becomes not only possible, but almost easy.
3. She begins with cocktails.
The first chapter is dedicated to libations you can mix up and serve by the batch. Because half the point of making ahead is guaranteeing you can lift a glass with your guests while the spiced pork reheats itself.
4. Actually, she starts by saying thank you.
Acknowledgments first because, as we said, this lady’s got class. And her amazing Jeffrey, of course. <3
5. Her recipes are way too simple for how good they taste.
If you’ve ever cooked an Ina recipe, you know this already. Whether it’s the three-ingredient Homemade Croutons (seriously, how easy is that?), the chicken stock (if it’s not a staple in your house, it should be—it’s leftovers in water, people), or the Herb Roasted Fish, her recipes are approachable. There’s something in here for every comfort level in the kitchen and (almost) no funky ingredients that will send you running to three stores for fenugreek seeds.
6. She nails it. Every time.
Sometimes we wonder if, in her test kitchen, Ina triumphantly throws her hands up in the air like Mary Lou Retton off the AA vault. Her recipes are so reliably good that we’ve made them for the first time when company’s due in an hour, secure in the knowledge that the food will turn out perfectly and the guests will be amazed and impressed. She’s that consistent.
Make It Ahead is available now.
Shop all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks >