Yes, Ina Garten hangs with the likes of Jennifer Garner and Emily Blunt, and yes, she owns an incredible East Hamptons estate. But what makes the Barefoot Contessa so wildly successful is her relatability. She didn't go to culinary school, her recipes aren't fussy, and she has a way about her that makes you feel like you're listening to a friend chat. So, when Garten says she likes something, we take note, knowing that we can almost certainly acquire it ourselves. This is very true for the "magic ingredients" she always has in her kitchen.
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1. Non-"table salt" salt
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"There are a lot of ingredients that can unlock flavors, but if I were stuck on a proverbial desert island, I'd definitely have to bring salt with me," Garten shares in her cookbook Back to Basics. "Not traditional 'table salt' but rather kosher salt, sea salt, or a very briny French sea salt called fleur de sel."
In another cookbook, Modern Comfort Food, she advises that there can be a big difference among salt brandcs: "I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all my cooking and baking. David's and Morton kosher salts are actually saltier and if you use them, you'll need to cut back on the measurements."
She's also a fan of Maldon sea salt.
2. Parmesan cheese
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The next thing you'll always find in Garten's kitchen is parmesan cheese, which she says can complete a dish when it's "just missing something."
Specifically, she likes to use Reggiano Parmesan from Italy. "Even a little bit can be spicy and full of flavor, and if it's ground correctly, it also has a wonderful texture," she writes in Back to Basics.
If it's been aged for at least two years, even better.
3. Wine vinegar
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Another reason a meal may seem off is a lack of acid. That's why Garten says she often reaches for good wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice "to give a dish a sharper edge."
For example, she notes that her "rich and delicious" lentil soup "perks up" with a splash of red wine vinegar at the end.
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4. Pernod
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Pernod is an anise-flavored apéritif that Garten employs to "bump up the...flavor in dishes with fennel."
You'll find this "magic" ingredient in her creamy potato fennel soup, bay scallop gratin, and cured salmon toast, among other recipes.
5. Coffee
iStockEven if you're not a coffee drinker, you may want to keep some in your pantry. Garten writes in Back to Basics that she uses it in desserts to "intensify the taste of chocolate."
And speaking of chocolate, another one of the cook's go-to ingredients is Valrhona cocoa.
6. Butter and cream
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Finally, hit the dairy aisle in search of a good butter or cream that you can use to "round out the flavor" of certain dishes, notes Garten.
For the recipe "crispy chicken with lemon orzo" in Modern Comfort Food, she specifically calls for European-style butter such as Plugrà.
"European butters have lower water content and help the chicken sear better than domestic butters," she explains.
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Here's why you should invest in these "good" ingredients.
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If you've ever followed one of Garten's recipes, you know that she calls for "good" olive oil, "good" balsamic, etc. In Modern Comfort Food, she acknowledges that she gets teased for this but says, "Why would you use bad ingredients??"
"I started calling for specific ingredients because they do make a difference when you're cooking," she shares. "They don't have to be expensive but they need to be chosen thoughtfully; which olive tastes the freshest and which vanilla delivers the best flavor to balance the sweet chocolate."
