Ina Garten Shares Her Top Five Tips For Cooking At Home

Ina Garten is one of the most loved celebrity cooks, from her warm personality and delicious recipes, she is truly a national treasure. Garten stars in her Food Network TV show Barefoot Contessa and has penned almost a dozen best-selling cookbooks, and the fact she is self taught and was never trained in cooking makes her so much more relatable to fans. 

While her cookbooks give away her best and newest recipes for easy cooking at home, Ina has also shared some of her top tips to make you a better cook on her Instagram. These are just a few of her useful and simple ways to up your game in the kitchen, feel more confident in cooking and ensure you get the best flavors out of your ingredients and a dish up a mouthwatering meal.

Use a kitchen towel when cutting corn

Corn is a very versatile vegetable. It can be used in so many different dishes and flavored to taste like almost anything. However, cutting kernels of corn can be quite the challenge, not to mention messy. To eliminate this problem, Ina’s trick of placing a kitchen towel under the corn will keep the kernels in one place, also making it easier to transport the corn to a dish. 

Chill wine and champagne in ice cold water, not just ice

When chilling wine or champagne, most people place it in a bucket filled with ice, but there is a way to get it done more effectively. Garten reveals that filling the bucket with ice cold water will speed up the process and allow you to enjoy your beverage quicker.

Serve simple appetizers on beautiful silverware

When planning a dinner party there are so many things to consider and prep, taking up most of your day. Ina suggests that when it comes to the hors d’oeuvres, don’t think on it too much and purchase pre-made, simple foods at the store such as fresh cut veggies and dips or some salty chips or nuts. Place them in shining silverware bowls and your time can be focused on the main dishes. 

Always cut cauliflower from the bottom

Cauliflower is a very fashionable food at the moment and all the big chefs are using it in so many ways. However, preparing it at home isn’t so simple as it can be very messy when chopping it. To avoid the mess, Ina explains that you cut the cauliflower from the bottom to section it into florets. After cutting it, boil it, then move to a tray to grill with salt and pepper and your roasted cauliflower is ready. 

Make your own vinaigrette

Forget buying store dressing. Ina’s simple vinaigrette is a healthier and more delicious option to serve your salads with. All you need is lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper, and any other flavoring of your choice to add to taste. To save time, Ina suggest pouring the dressing into the bottom of the bowl, then add the lettuce and when its time to serve, just toss it around. 

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