Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Reviews

• 
  El

  Unlike many of the Martha Stewart Living recipes I've tried, you don't get halfway through a Barefoot Contessa recipe only to find that you were supposed to soak the pears for your cake or whatever in some liquor for three months last fall (true story) or something equally as ridiculous. Who starts planning a recipe three months in advance???? (excluding famous chefs and Stepford wives, that is)
  I love the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks because Ina Garten's recipes are fairly easy while still maintaining the kind of elegance that makes you want to light candles and have friends over.
  Every time I make something from one of her cookbooks people ask me where I got the recipe. I have worked my way through at least half of her recipes (in all of her books) and they always turn out wonderful the first time!
  Also, Ina's introductions are warm, well-written and full of good advice on cooking and life in general. Definitely recommend reading over coffee on a lazy Saturday morning. You will be inspired.
• 
  Darlene

  First I will say I love cookbooks! Secondly, Ina Garten has been a favorite of mine for so long now I can't even remember when I first saw her. I watch her religiously on the Food Network channel whenever she's on. This may sound odd, but for me she has a comforting nature. When I watch her show I'm just relaxed and really enjoying watching her putting together her recipes in that easy way that she has.
  
  
  This latest cookbook of hers is fabulous. First of all it's a beautiful book from the front cover to the wonderful pictures of the recipes themselves inside the book. The photos are bright, vivid and inviting and definitely have your mouth watering! The book is separated into sections like breakfast, lunch, dinner and my most favorite-desserts.
  
  
  Ina's introduction to this edition is great and not to be bypassed on your way to the recipes. Here's a quote from Ina that I really think sums up her cooking style, "I don't see 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". This is one thing I really enjoy about using Ina's recipes-she takes ordinary ingredients that I can get at my local store and she doesn't make it a complicated process for someone to put them together into a tasty and wonderful meal. The recipes in this book are very easy to follow and most don't include a list of ingredients that is so long that you're scared to even contemplate trying it out.
  
  
  A few recipes that I've tried from this book and that I've seen her cook on her show are the Parmesan & Thyme Crackers. These are so yummy and perfect for a party or get together with a few friends. For me, parmesan is a staple in my kitchen and these simple crackers have a not so simple flavour-they are easy enough to make but at the same time, delectable. Her Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup I've made with fresh tomatoes from my back yard. The onion and garlic flavors along with the heavy cream mixed in make this a heavenly soup. As for a dessert which is my favorite meal, I vote for the Brownie Pudding-butter and cocoa-need I say more. Yummo!
  
  
  A few recipes I really want to try but haven't yet are the Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad that's made with rasins, sour cream, mayo among other things and it sounds divine if you're a lover of these kinds of ingredients as I am. Another is the Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli-doesn't the title of the recipe itself make your mouth water-it does mine. It's got more of my favorite ingredients like garlic and parmesan; the only thing I would leave out is pine nuts as I'm allergic but this is definitely another recipe I plan on trying soon.
  
  
  There are just so many amazing recipes to try in this book and it will take me a while to make it through ones I've marked as my favorites. For those who really like Ina Garten and her cooking style as I do, this newest book of hers is a must. For those who love to cook, it's a must and for those who maybe aren't so talented in the kitchen, this is really an easy book to follow and you may just surprise yourself with some of the delights you can make in your very own kitchen.
  
  
  Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten was released by Random House on October 28.
  
  
  http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspo...
• 
  A.M.

  I'm not much of a cookbook person.
  But when I use a cookbook, I want it to be just that: a collection of recipes. I am not interested in the page-long descriptions of why cooking is so great, and how to buy ingredients, and anything else that the author feels like sharing. So the 9 introductory pages could have been summarized a lot more concisely.
  On the plus side, the photographs are beautiful, although it makes me feel this book is more a coffee-table book than a cookbook.
  The recipes all seem quite tasty and simple to make, but being a student, they are not what I would call 'back to basics'. Half of the ingredients (lobster, scallops, etc) are not things I would have around the house!
  I liked the 'tips' pages, although much of the advice seemed like common sense than anything.
• 
  Gina

  I'm late to the Ina Garten party, yet this is my 3rd Ina cookbook review in the last year. I'm not a big fan of the show, and thus, hadn't experimented with any of her recipes prior to scoring 3 for a $1 each at a library book sale. Besides Emeril Lagasse's recipes, my celebrity chef recipe reviews have been mixed at best. I can now honestly say that through these initial 3 cookbooks, Ina has won my admiration and respect. This is the best of the 3 (other 2 were Easy as That and Parties) of the ones I've reviewed. Everything I made was delicious, and I found the recipes easy to follow. The photography is lovely. I mostly ignore the long write-ups and descriptions, but I did find a few attached to a specific recipe helpful with sub suggestions.
  
  I could go on and on about specific recipes, but I'm going to sum it up by discussing 1. After several successes, I decided to test whether I could truly trust Ina. I picked the recipe I was least likely to like - something I would never typically make - the French Chocolate Bark. Chocolate bark is pretty basic (something I rarely make), and I'm on the fence about lots of dried fruits. This recipe is essentially a combo of various chocolates with multiple fried fruits and cashews lightly pressed into the top. I did make 1 suggested (in the write-up) sub since we aren't fans of raisins and subbed sweetened dried cranberries. Otherwise, I made as written. It was crazy good. I can't believe how good it was. Something about the specific combo was so, so good. I gave some to my dad and he couldn't stop eating it - and he's picky. If Ina can make me like dried fruit chocolate bark, then I'll trust all her future recipes.
• 
  Sarah

  I checked out a bunch of her cookbooks - and out of four of them I found maybe three recipes I would make. They all looked delicious, but just for various reasons I probably won't be making most of them. I sure enjoyed looking at all the pictures, though, and dreaming of eating her food. I also read most of the text in each book. One book (maybe this one?) had an essay about how she only has the essential pans - and not so many that she can't store them with their lids on. The photo showed some Le Crueset (sp?) pans. She has four of them in varying sizes. She then said she doesn't have a very big kitchen. She also said it is cheaper to have two dishwashers than more cupboards. Oh, she also believes you should have more than one mixing bowl so you can swap one out after it's dirty and not have to wash it right away - she means for the Kitchen Aid. Needless to say this essay made me laugh. Really? Small kitchen? Apparently she hasn't been to my kitchen that is too small for a dishwasher. Anyway, I guess I just came away realizing I am not her target audience. I did get inspired to make my homemade granola and granola bars in a new and delicious way. She knows her stuff!
• 
  Tina Wright

  Many of these recipes are now staples in my menu-planning. They are all delicious, albeit too fattening to eat every day!
• 
  e_anne_b

  Feel like some recipes are definite repeats/copies of other versions of her fabulous recipes! Can’t NOT give Ina 5⭐️ though lol
• 
  Kathryn Bashaar

  I heard this was a really good cookbook, but it is expensive so I thought I would borrow it from the library first. Oh my! On almost every page Al and I were saying, "Oh, we have to try that," and "Oh, we have to try that, too," so I just ordered it. She offers nice tips, too, on planning menus, setting a nice table, arranging flowers, etc. And I like her philosophy of cooking with a few good ingredients, preferably seasonal (although not every recipe is simple and a few call for ingredients I've never heard of. What is a cornichon?!)
• 
  Rachel

  I found a delicious potato salad recipe in this book - so yummy, in fact, that I have to find it again! I really like the style and the photos are gorgeous. The layout is very clean and enticing, and Ina Garten's writing voice is warm and friendly. I definitely want to add this to my permanent cookbook collection one day.
• 
  Jen

  Okay, so I'm a huge Ina Garten fan and was excited to try out some of these recipes. A new Barefoot Contessa book always means taking out the battery of the smoke alarm near the kitchen because of all the smoke caused by roasting. I'm going to think of this one as the fennel and dill book because seriously, has she always used so much fresh fennel and dill? (I did not make any of the fennel or dill recipes but I am planting fennel this spring, so I'll have to revisit.)
  We made (and my thoughts):
  baked blintzes with fresh blueberry sauce: definitely an easier method but still not equal to the blintzes I had at a brunch in L.A. while on vacation (HEAVEN!).
  pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream: we're going to dumb it down from mascarpone cheese to cream cheese frosting and omit the ginger chunks to be more kid friendly. My favorite.
  garlic ciabatta: great technique resulted in good flavor, we substituted fresh basil for the oregano, but it was way too salty -- is it just me or is an entire teaspoon of salt for one loaf of bread way too much?!
  roasted tomato caprese salad: yay! delicious caprese in the winter!
  parmesan-roasted broccoli: tasted like pesto with lemon. A great change from the cheese sauce we usually serve with it.
  baked shrimp scampi: we made it without the wine, my hubby loved it, and we will be making again.
  french apple tart: best dessert for a dinner party ever.
  I'll have to check it out again for sure, but it still does not top Barefoot Contessa: Family Style.
  
• 
  Heather

  the subtitle for this book mentions simple ingredients. in this book simple does not equal budget-friendly. the techniques she uses are indeed simple, the pictures are beautiful, and i want to try many of these recipes. maybe if i start saving money now, i will request in my will that pasta with truffle butter be served at my funeral.
• 
  Julie H.

  Thus far I've made the sweet potato fries (wedges baked on a cookie sheet with a light toss in olive oil with a bit of brown sugar, pepper and salt) and the tomato, basil and goat cheese tarts--simply delicious. I'm seriously considering the turkey roulade for Thanksgiving, as it looks super yummy and pretty darn straightforward. I'm so glad I picked this up.
• 
  DeAnne

  I really enjoyed looking through this older cookbook from Ina Garten. There are several recipes that I am excited to try. Her cooking instructions seem simple enough and she does a good job explaining techniques and ingredients that are less mainstream. Go Ina!
• 
  tatiana

  I've already tried a number of recipes in this book, but I'm starting from scratch (so to speak) so I can fully enjoy all of the wonderful tips, anecdotes and lovely photographs from cover to cover.
• 
  Meredith Henning

  So many good recipes in this one!
• 
  Lena Phealan

  Even my husband loves looking at this book and wanting to try the recipes
• 
  Chanel

  Lots of classic recipes.
• 
  Gabi

  The oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is amazing!
• 
  EPic Bookclub

  A cook book for book club...everyone chose a recipe and fun and eating ensued!
• 
  Correen

  Her books are beautiful and filled with information beyond her recipes.
  
• 
  Sundry

  There are some great tips for simplifying meals one hosts, and some great looking recipes. The book seems to rely heavily on stand mixers and food processors, so if you have a lower tech kitchen you'll have to vamp a little.
  
  I only tried one of the recipes--Parmesan Thyme Crackers--and it was great, except that the dough didn't hold together well enough to slice them neatly, and I had to sort of form the dough into tasty little blobs. This may be because I tried to make the dough without kitchen machines...just a bowl, a spoon and a pastry cutter.
  
  
• 
  Joseph

  Ina comes across as very personable and genuine on food network ... sadly, however, this cookbook is just another celebrity cook money making gambit ... it does however have beautiful photography and is a triumph of form over substance ... some of the recipes are good, others well, you are better of checking youtube ... had a feeling this cookbook would be less than stellar, so bought it used ... glad i did, i wud have been upset had i paid full price
• 
  Carrie

  A cookbook about basics but there wasn't much that was basic here (Parmesan and thyme crackers anyone). And honestly there was only one recipe I tagged to try. Get into my belly baked chocolate pudding (which will hopefully taste good since I'm not going to scrape seeds from a one vanilla bean for it)! And bonus, it doesn't have coffee grounds in the ingredients. Beautiful full colored pictures that look ever so yummy.
• 
  Lorraine

  Again, this is one of the cookbooks used in my cooking club, where a large group of test the recipes. What a great cookbook! The recipes were well written and easy to follow. And did I mention delicious?
• 
  Nicole

  I like the introduction throughout the basics and the way the cookbook is planned out. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, veggies, dessert. She has beautiful photos with simple but delicious (looking) recipes.
  
  I have marked quite a few recipes to attempt.
• 
  Jillian

  I picked this up looking for some "basic" meals to put together during the week. Ina, your basics may include saffron and truffle butter, but it's a different story for most of us, the "or storebought is fine" masses. The recipes that we made were good, but the cookbook feels mis-titled.