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Who wouldn’t want to cook like the Barefoot Contessa? We love her recipes, now we just need to get our hands on the kitchen staples she uses to prepare all those delicious meals. The good news is, you may already own many of her must-haves items, and the others are surprisingly affordable. So, while you may not have a spacious kitchen in the Hamptons à la Ina (a girl can dream, though!), you can prepare meals just like her using her favorite kitchen tools and ingredients.
Keep scrolling to shopIna Garten’s kitchen essentials so you can cook like a pro.
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In her cookbook Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook ($19.49, Amazon), Ina revealed that Stretch-Tite plastic wrap is her go-to. It's a beloved kitchen essential because its thicker than other plastic wraps, which means it stretches better around bowls. Users rave that it sticks to dishes better than other brands of plastic wrap, too.
This kosher salt is always in Ina's pantry. "The one ingredient that most people use wrong is salt. It’s really important in every dish, both sweet and savory. You also have to use the right one for the right occasion. For cooking, I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, and it’s always perfect," Ina told Bon Appétit.
Even if you've never heard the name, we bet you've used a microplane before — especially if you're a fan of citrusy desserts. This long skinny kitchen tool is commonly used to grate cheese and zest citrus, but it's also fabulous at grating whole spices, scrubbing burned bits from food, softening butter, mincing garlic, and ricing potatoes. In a 2017 interview with Bon Appétit, Ina said a rasp grater was the one kitchen tool she couldn't live without.
The Barefoot Contessa told the TODAY Show in 2018 that a half sheet baking ban is a kitchen must-have. One of Ina's favorite ways to use hers is to roast vegetables. A good rule of thumb when shopping for sheet pans is to pick something weighty. These will handle high heat better than thinner, flimsy baking sheets.
"My pepper mill is called PepperMate and it’s the best," Ina wrote in response to a fan's question on her Instagram. Not only is the PepperMate Traditional Pepper Grinding Mill reliable for grinding pepper, but it also fantastic at grinding coffee beans and whole spices.
One thing you'll always spot in Ina's kitchen is white dinnerware, according to a 2006 article published in the Chicago Tribune. TK DOES SHE SAY WHY? She prefers Crate and Barrel, but there are plenty of more affordable options on Amazon.
Good kitchen knives will cost you a pretty penny, but a high-quality set will last you a lifetime. Ina stocks her kitchen with Wüsthof knives, "including a chef's knife, a paring knife, a slicing knife, and a bread knife," according to a 2009 House Beautiful article.
Le Creuset cookware is notoriously expensive, but Ina says it's worth it to splash out on the brand's iconic 5.5-quart round Dutch oven. This enameled cast-iron cookware is the perfect vessel for roasts, stews, and braised meets and can be passed down to your grandchildren if you take good care of it.
"I know there is lots of really good cookware available, but the ones I use are All-Clad stainless steel and Le Creuset enameled cast iron. They're expensive, but they really do last a lifetime. They're also incredibly easy to clean," Ina says.
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