Ina Garten and nonstick cookware don’t go collectively like the Meals Community star and “good” olive oil. This implies nonstick pots and pans received’t be present in the kitchen of her Hamptons house or the “barn” the place Barefoot Contessa’s filmed. Nonetheless, the motive the longtime Meals Community star isn’t a fan might be not what you suppose.
Nonstick cookware isn’t an Ina Garten kitchen suggestion as a result of she doesn’t like that they require being ‘careful’ and utilizing a ‘special utensil’
The Trendy Consolation Meals creator shared her emotions about nonstick cookware in the early 2000s. At the time Garten had a column known as Ask the Barefoot Contessa in House Beautiful the place she would reply questions submitted by readers. In one in all the Q&As, a reader requested if she used nonstick cookware. Garten admitted she’s not a fan and defined why.
“Personally, I’m not so crazy about nonstick. Although nothing works as well as nonstick pans, I’ve always avoided them,” she mentioned. “I always feel as though I have to be careful with them, and need to use some special utensil or the nonstick coating will come off in my dinner. That’s not so appetizing!”
So what pots and pans does Garten advocate if not nonstick cookware? She has a whole part of cookware and Barefoot Contessa-approved kitchen devices on her official website. Some examples embody sheet pans, forged iron skillets in varied sizes, Le Creuset dutch ovens, tart pans, white baking dishes, and All-Clad cookware.
Though she typically recommends “good” (learn: prime quality and costly) merchandise from vanilla extract to olive oil, not every part has to return with a hefty price ticket.
“If you can’t afford a good set of pots, you can go to a restaurant supply store,” the Barefoot Contessa host advised Food & Wine in March 2019. “Simple, really good equipment that you can have forever is really the best.”
Further suggestions for kitchen must-haves embody sheet pans, a “good” set of knives, a mixer, and pots.
Garten’s cookware seems new as a result of she takes care of it
How do Garten’s pots and pans at all times look clear and shiny? It’s a query the Meals Community star answered as a part of her Ask Ina Q&A on her official web site. For starters, Garten mentioned she makes use of “good-quality All-Clad and LeCreuset cookware.”
Then she shared the particulars on how precisely she maintains her cookware. Spoiler alert: Garten doesn’t put them in the dishwasher.
“I never put a dirty pot or pan into the dishwasher; the heat bakes it on permanently,” she mentioned. “Instead, if a pot has food caked on, I fill it with the hottest tap water and dish soap and allow it to soak in the sink overnight. In the morning, the pots come out clean with either a sponge or a quick steel scrubber.”
“My cookware is expensive but I take good care of it,” the Barefoot Contessa added. “And so far, many of the pans have lasted for almost 40 years!”