Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes Youll Make Over and Over Again by Ina Garten

Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes Youll Make Over and Over Again Reviews

• 
  Scottsdale Public Library

  This cookbook is absolutely a blast to work with. Recipes are interesting and approachable and the finished product is always delicious. The book itself is gorgeous and offers a wide variety of recipes and menus from which to choose.
  
  A must-have for any aspiring chef or home cook.
  
  -- Meagan
• 
  Jane

  Alfonso and I decided that we should try cooking together every week... so this is where we'll start.
  
  Most of the recipes are basic--for the home cook as the title suggests. Nothing too fancy or extraordinary. Great for beginner cooks who need a word for word walk through of the method. Not for the experimental or seasoned cook.
  
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  pg 37: Chicken salad sandwiches -- I've never actually tried this particular recipe, but I'm going to say that since it's very close to my own, I like it! The only difference is (this is for you Damaris since you asked =), I use dried tarragon instead of fresh (but you can use either, fresh taste better), and I add a handfull of cranberries. I don't know exact measurements for my own recipe, but I'm sure it's close to Ina's.
  
  pg 96: Chicken piccata -- (5/7/09) Mmm... Lemony. Simple and light. We used Pinot Grigio for the sauce. Just remember to use more oil than recommended if you choose panko instead of fine bread crumbs. Our experience would have been flawless if Alfonso didn't spill about 1/3c of lemon juice on my head--I was reaching down for a sheet tray when that happened. That's the other thing: have the lemon juice ready before starting the method.
  
  pg 92: Blue cheese burgers -- (5/15/09) Without blue cheese; I don't like blue cheese. The method calls for a bit of butter enclosed in the center of the patty, which I thought was brilliant! It made the burger extremely juicy even at med-well. I would've preferred more spices, a handful of oregano would be good.
  
  recipes I'll try later:
  Chocolate cupcakes & peanut butter icing
  Cranberry orange scones
  
  --------
  
  We're switching to
  Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics How to Get Great Flavors from Simple Ingredients.
• 
  Ariel

  I have made the chicken salad veronique recipe many times from this book. It's very good for parties and is even better with my own addition of dried cranberries and pecans. The orange-honey glazed carrots are also out of this world. I have been making a very similar recipe from Martha Stewart for years. A great way to get the kids to eat the veggies when they taste like candy. Aside from the potato salad and maybe the chicken piccata (though I already have a million recipes for that) there isn't anything else in the book I would really make. I cook primarily for the immediate family and they aren't clamoring for things like duck, blue and goat cheese, cornish hens, and roasted peppers. The family likes their lasagna with pasta not portobello mushrooms, thank you very much. There is also more than one recipe for lobster. I am sure Ina can afford it. Have you priced lobster these days? Yikes!, not on our everyday budget. This is definitely a foodie gourmet book. As an aside I was very disappointed to find out that Ina turned down the make a wish foundation. They should have asked Giada. I recently saw her in person and she was every bit as nice in person as she seems on TV. I will not be purchasing from Ina in the future.
• 
  Steven Peterson

  I love checking out cookbooks. One never knows what culinary treasures will show up in a volume. Authoors differ in their approaches and even provide varying recipes for the same dish.
  
  In essence, the author, Ina Garten, lays out her approach in the following quotations (both from Page 11): ". . .I don't see any reason why we can't buy perfectly good ingredients in a grocery store, cook them simply, and serve an absolutely delicious meal that will delight everyone at the table." And a second observation: "What truly fires my imagination is taking ordinary ingredients and cooking them--or pairing them--in a way that `unlocks' their true flavors." She also argues strongly in favor of cooking by the season, since different foods are at their most flavorful at different times.
  
  Throughout the book, Garten scatters "Top 10" lists, such as the "10 No-cook things to serve with drinks," "Top 10 Flavor Boosters," and "10 Things Not to Serve at a Dinner Party."
  
  But let's take a look at some of the recipes. I enjoy Potato Leek Soup, and have tried out several different recipes (enjoying all). Garten adds a new one to my collection. One ingredient that distinguishes hers from others is the use of arugula. Delicious.
  
  "Coq au Vin" is one of my favorite tried and true French recipes. Garten provides her recipe, basing it on a Beef Bourguignon. As her producer once said, triggering the experiment, "Well, [coq au vin:] is just beef bourguignon with chicken." Boy, this sounds interesting, richer than the normal recipe that I use.
  
  All in all, a fine cookbook. Garten lays out her views on cooking at the outset and then illustrates how to implement those views in her recipe collection. People who want to create tasty dishes without major hassles will find this a good cookbook to add to their collection.
  
• 
  Miranda Lynn

  I will be the first person to tell you that I'm not a huge fan of Ina Garten. If she's on the television, I will immediately change the channel. I'm not sure why her personality grates on me so much (although at least she's not as bad as Paula Deen!), but I've just never really gotten into the whole "Barefoot Contessa" thing for some reason.
  
  But...this is probably the best cookbook that I've read all year. I can't quite pinpoint exactly what I loved about it — it just seemed like it was kind of made for me. I loved the beautiful, modern, playful layout; the colorful gorgeous photographs; and all of the recipes seemed like things that I would love to make. I almost kind of want to do a "Julia and Julia"-type thing and go through this, making every single recipe! What more can I say? This is exactly the type of cookbook that I've been looking for for months, and I can't believe that I finally found it in Ina Garten! I was so impressed by it that I actually want to go out and get my own copy to keep!
  
  I'm not sure why I was never interested in her before, but let me tell you — I'm definitely going to be checking out more of her cookbooks after reading this one!
• 
  Sebah Al-Ali

  عذاب نفسي. مليء بالوصفات ذات المقادير سهلة التوفر و يسيرة التحضير، و مقسم لعدة أقسام تشمل الأطباق من مختلف الأصناف (حلو، رئيسي، سلطات، ...)؛ رغم أني فقط اطلعت على وصفات السلطات و الحلويات.
  
  أظنه من الكتب المفيد تواجدها في مكتبة المنزل. من الكتب التي أنوي اقتناء نسخة منه لمكتبتي.
• 
  Justin Walshaw

  Alfonso and I decided that we should try cooking together every week... so this is where we'll start. Alfonso is an imaginary person. He doesn't really exist. But if he did, I'm sure he'd make me a lovely sandwich.
• 
  Sandy

  This cookbook has about a handful of recipes that I’d be willing to try but the majority of recipes are for dishes that I typically wouldn’t eat or even prepare for others at my house. They didn’t seem everyday to me. I’m not an adventurous eater nor do I stick to a routine when it comes to recipes but I guess you could say, that I have some limitations when it comes to food. Here are some of the dishes that I think sound delicious: Caesar club sandwich, maple baked beans, summer garden pasta, honey white bread, garlic & herb tomatoes, old-fashioned potato salad and tomato, mozzarella & pesto panini. That left is plenty other recipes that someone else might find appealing, recipes such as parmesan-roasted cauliflower, peanut butter & jelly bars, blue cheese coleslaw, stuffed cabbage, fresh pea soup, shrimp bisque and lemon fusilli with arugula. These are just a few examples of the many recipes that are included in this book.
  
  Ina gives us plenty of personal information in this book beginning in the intro and at the beginning of each of the sections. Ina has included 6 food sections in this book, an intro, a credits sections, an “if you’re visiting the hamptons” … section, a menu section, and two indexes.
  The food section consists of: soup & sandwich, salads, dinner, vegetables, dessert, and breakfast. There are 14-17 recipes included in each section. For each recipe you will discover a picture of the prepared dish, how many the dish will serve, a small paragraph describing the dish, a list of ingredients and step-by-step directions. There is a picture to accompany each recipe which to me is a big plus. You will not find any nutritional information nor how much the serving size is or many total cups the whole recipe yields. I really wish cookbooks would include either the total cups or the serving size per person as that really helps me when I am cooking. Sometimes I can tell by looking at the list of ingredients but sometimes, it’s hard to tell. The pictures make the recipes look delicious!
  
  In the “if you’re visiting the hamptons…” section Ina highlights some of the places in the Hamptons that are her favorites. From farmstands, places to eat, to places to visits, there are pages listing the establishment, the address and what makes this business so special. Using this cookbook, Ina puts together some of the recipes and creates menus for different occasions under the Menu section. From a holiday dinner, to a birthday breakfast, to a summer BBQ, Ina puts the dishes together for you. There are 2 indexes which I like in cookbooks. One is the general index and one is the recipe index. Another big plus for me in this cookbook. For content, I would give this cookbook a 2 for me but for the other aspects that I look for in a cookbook, I would give it a 4.5.
  
• 
  Lyndsey Bookish Nature

  Great cookbook with easy to make recipes! Our cookbook club made lots delicious recipes! We all found this book and the ingredients very accessible and doable.
• 
  Felicite

  Mrs. Barefoot Contessa is classy, jazzy lady that knows what she doing in the kitchen. Hats off to her Mrs. Barefoot Contessa. Lemon Squares recipe is the marvelous!
• 
  Aneesa

  I liked the section intros. I don't know if we tried any of the recipes.
• 
  Joyce Williams

  Appealing to the nester in me....this is all about creating a joyful home, along with basic recipes that I'm looking forward to trying.
  
  'A good home should gather you up in its arms like a warm cashmere blanket, soothe your hurt feelings, and prepare you to go out into that big bad world tomorrow all ready to fight the dragons.'
• 
  Lori

  Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa series are so much more than just the recipes. Her warmth, wit and passion are all translated in the stories she shares with the readers as well as the great photos of the food and places she loves in East Hampton. At Home is her lastest cookbook and although my favoite remains Barefoot Contessa Family Style, I am pleased to have this one in my collection.
  There are great tasting recipes, those that have become requested favorites are; Mustard roasted potatoes, blue cheese cole slaw, old fashioned potatoe salad, blue cheese burgers and buttermilk mashed potatoes to name a few. The real stars here are the desserts; Beatty's chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was a sensation at a birthday party, peanut butter and jelly bars and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing are stand outs. But the main attraction was the coconut cake with cream cheese frosting I made for my son's 16th birthday. It was a spectacular presentation with rave reviews from all guests and most importantly my son. This latest of the Barefoot Contessa series although not my favorite is definetly worth the investment and you will make the recipes over and over as Ina Garten promises.
• 
  Janene

  Found some treasures here! Hello, HELLO, Lemon Yogurt Cake, and welcome to my life!! So good. Other favorites were the buttermilk mashed potatoes, peanut-butter icing, a couple of vegetarian dishes to try like fresh pea soup, stewed lentils and tomatoes, parmesan roasted cauliflower. Hits! These were just what I was looking for.
  
  In terms of practicality, however, this isn't a cookbook I NEED on my shelf. In fact, it feels like it was written for the rich East Hamptonites, complete with shout-outs and driving directions to all of her favorite local roadside shops. If you have regular access and ability to purchase ingredients like duck, fresh salmon fillets, lobster, and creme fraiche, then this is the book for you! And do make sure that when you "design" your home, you face the kitchen such-and-such way. Have fresh flowers everywhere and the cushions all fluffed when hubby gets home from work. Yeah. A bit heavy on the snob scale.
  
  But again, I can't complain. She knows her food stuffs and I happily gleaned from them. :o)
• 
  Sherri Staples

  One can count always count on Ina Garten to whet our more sophisticated appetites. I read her cookbooks not just for the recipes, but for the photography, the elegance and most of all her tips on entertaining. Sometimes the level of her creations are above my ability, but the rest of the time I find them within a normal home cooks range of skilla. Usually, I attempt her recipes on a weekend, when I set aside the time to play and indulge myself and my family. As usual though, with such type of cookbooks, for those of us in suburbia, and not in the rarified air of NY, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc., we do not have the access to the specialized ingredients that Ina has, whether in NY, or in The Hamptons. Mere mortals, in their home kitchens will just have to make do.
  
• 
  Leanne Petrin

  One of my favourite things about a Barefoot Contessa cookbook is the little pearls of wisdom she includes throughout, whether it be about how to arrange a platter when entertaining a crowd or making a cozy meal for two.
  
  This cookbook has a tonne of my favourites, among which are: Fresh Whiskey Sours, Green herb dip, Caesar club sandwich, Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (a legend in my family), Guacamole salad, Portobello mushroom Lasagna, Garlic & Herb Tomatoes and Lemon Yogurt Cake.
  
  A definite must have.
• 
  Andrea

  Contrary to its title, I am never inspired to make the Barefoot Contessa's recipes again and again. Not that I don't like her. But she seems to have such a strong following of people who love her, and I just don't like her as much as they do. How about Nigella Lawson? James Beard? Even Rachel Ray is more fun to read, though she puts together some odd combinations.
• 
  superawesomekt

  I am one of those people who reads the text in cookbooks. In fact, shortly before my now-husband and I started dating I raved to him and a mutual friend about it when they expressed doubt that cookbooks could be read with pleasure (The cookbook I used as evidence:
  The Gourmet Cookbook. Love you forever,
  Ruth Reichl). On our first date, of course, we made the recipe I read aloud as proof that cookbooks can be prose, literature, poetry even (
  Citrus Chiffon Cake).
  
  Now that we've got that important point covered, reading this cookbook was like reading
  Pride and Prejudice directly after watching the 6 hour BBC film adaptation. You can't get the actors' voices out of your head! If you have ever seen
  an Ina Garten cooking video, then you will hear her accent, her tone, her voice in your head while you read this. This is not fault or praise, it is simply confirmation that Ina wrote her own cookbook (whoever writes her teleprompts also wrote this book, you say? I find even the idea of teleprompts for Ina completely ludicrous!).
  
  I will review further once I cook more of the recipes. I have already made her
  lemon fusilli with arugula. I liked it, my husband didn't, so between that and the Ina-ish writing (warm, but also kind of basic), 3 stars seems about right.
• 
  Charla

  I liked the simplicity IG's recipeies, but many of the recipes weren't a fit for my family. I liked the green green spring veg recipe, stewed lentils and beans was pretty good, maple baked beans weren't at all for us (my spouse thought the onion was the issue in such a sweet dish?). I did enjoy the fro berries w/hot white chololate and my hubby loved the idea behind her easy cheese danishes (which led him to try other puff pastry danishes w/meat/cheese). I think that would be good w/jelly as well. A lot of the recipes we didn't try though because he doesn't do creamy foods or salads and some of the dishes aren't dishes either of us enjoy (potato salad, pasta salad), which took a lot of options off the table for us.
• 
  Tlwinky

  This is a solid cookbook. Everything made (10 different recipes) had a really nice flavor and were relatively easy to make. But I have to admit that there isn't much more in the book that I am interested in making. So many of the recipes have ingredients that are not typically in my Texas kitchen and I have a vegetarian in the house, which limits me even more. Happily, this was a public library check out and the recipes made were enjoyed. I'm not sure if I would look into any other Barefoot Contessa books just because she is influenced so much by New England produce/meats/fish.
• 
  Carrie

  Not many usable recipes from this book. The title made me think this cookbook included everyday, more casual recipes. Instead I got warm duck salad, lamb kebabs with couscous and chicken with goat cheese and basil. And once again we have two chocolate baked good recipes that contain coffee. I don't drink coffee nor do I have anyway to add a "freshly brewed cup of coffee" to my chocolate cake. I'm not driving to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. There were a couple of recipes I looked at with interest but discovered they involved items that I could not easily get so disregarded them.
• 
  Kuster

  My final Ina Garten cookbook for now and one of her oldest that I have on hand. Probably because it's rather aged (published in 2006), the recipes don't seem very enticing and maybe a bit old-fashioned. However, this cookbook does include some rather appealing classic baked goods that I am excited to try.
  
  Recipes to try:
  - Lemon yogurt cake
  - Chunky banana bran muffins
• 
  Alrek Reino

  Along with beautiful photographs of Ina's dishes, her home, and the East Hampton she loves, this book is filled with signature recipes that strike the perfect balance between elegance and casual comfort. With her most indispensable collection yet, Ina Garten proves beyond a shadow of doubt that there truly is no place like home.
• 
  Lindsey

  Some great recipes and I like the "voice" that Ina Garten has when talking to the reader. The only reason I gave it a lower rating is that having a family with young kids, some of the recipes involve a lot of time in the kitchen and other "everyday recipes" are more like if people are coming over recipes.
• 
  Cindy

  Orange marmalade . . . ultimate ginger cookies. Ina Garten always has a recipe or tow in her cookbooks that make me want to head to the kitchen! These are the two I copied out of this book - it's citrus season here in Texas, so this marmalade will get made soon. I've got oranges and meyer lemons to make it with already.
• 
  Rebecca

  Pictures of Recipes? Yes.
  Commentary on Recipes? Yes.
  Nutrition Facts? No.
  Recipe style? Fancy home cooking?
  Any keepers? Not really. I wasn't really inspired by much in this one. I don't think every cookbook needs her chicken stock recipe.