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When it comes to cooking, no chef is more relatable and down-to-earth than the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. Not only does she boast hundreds upon hundreds of approachable recipes, but she has also never been shy about admitting to using store-bought ingredients. (Her catchphrase is “store-bought is fine,” after all.) And among those ingredients are condiments, ranging from the more high-end, gourmet condiments to everyone’s favorite everyday condiment brands, like Heinz.
“I generally don’t use unusual ingredients that you’ll only use once,” Garten tells Bon Appetit. “There’s no point in having a recipe you can make in 30 minutes if you takes you two hours to shop for it.”
Amen.
Garten makes shopping — and cooking — like her easier than ever, too. On her Barefoot Contessa website, she lists more than two dozen of her go-to ingredients. And within that list includes all the condiments she loves to cook with, which we’ve rounded up, ahead.
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Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Image Credit: Lee & Perrins. Bon Appetit took a picture of Ina Garten’s pantry, and we spotted a classic — a bottle of Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. It’s delicious on steaks, chicken, and chops, and adds a boost of umami-packed flavor to all sorts of sauces, dressings, soups, and stews.
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Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse Chutney
Image Credit: Stonewall Kitchen. This sweet, tangy, spiced fruit chutney was also photographed in Garten’s pantry. It makes sense she opted for a farmhouse-style chutney, considering the fact that her cooking studio is set up in the barn on her Hamptons property. Stonewall Kitchen’s Old Farmhouse Chutney is a delicious addition to cheese plates, sandwiches, or added to heavy meals like Thanksgiving dinner, where it brightens up your plate in a similar way to cranberry sauce.
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Tiptree Red Currant Jelly
Image Credit: Tiptree. Another condiment we saw in Garten’s pantry was a jar of Tiptree Red Currant Jelly. We’ve tried other varieties of Tiptree’s jams and jellies, and can confirm that it’s one of the best store-bought brands out there.
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Smucker’s Strawberry Jam
Image Credit: Smucker's. When Ina Garten gave the New York Times a pantry tour, we got to take a look into her real pantry to see what was on the shelves. One product that caught our eye? Classic Smucker’s Strawberry Jam.
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Golden Blossom Honey
Image Credit: Golden Blossom Honey. We always say it’s best to use local honey, but if you can’t find a good source in your area, maybe try the Golden Blossom Honey we’ve spied on Garten’s shelves in a few different pantry tours.
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Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce
Image Credit: Stubb's. Another find from Ina Garten’s NYT pantry tour was a bottle of Stubb’s Barbecue Sauce. Garten always says that it’s okay to use store-bought ingredients that save time as long as they taste great, and we’ll take the presence of this bottle as a sign that Stubb’s fits her standards.
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Maille Mustard
Image Credit: Amazon. One of Garten’s favorite ingredients is mustard, and her favorite mustard is Maille Mustard. So much so, she uses it in many of her recipes.
“It’s kind of that Provencal thing of mustard, and garlic, and thyme,” she tells Bon Appetit. “I use two different kinds: Grey Poupon Dijon, available everywhere, and whole grain. I like when things look like what they really are. The two of them together are great in vinaigrettes and sauces.”
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Fini Balsamic Vinegar
Image Credit: Amazon. One of Garten’s most popular recipes that feature balsamic vinegar is her Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries. And when it comes time to coat the strawberries with balsamic vinegar, sugar and pepper, be sure to use Garten’s favorite Fini Balsamic Vinegar.
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Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
Image Credit: Amazon. “I don’t assume that people at home have homemade vanilla on hand, so I use store-bought vanilla in my recipes,” Garten says, via Mashed. Her go-to? Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract.
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Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
Image Credit: Amazon. Garten only cooks with “good mayonnaise,” which to her, means Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (called Best Foods on the west coast).
“Don’t make your own mayonnaise,” she tells Food Network. “Just buy good mayonnaise.”
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Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
Image Credit: Amazon. Garten’s mouthwatering Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken wouldn’t truly come alive without her favorite Dijon mustard, Grey Poupon.
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Huy Fong Sriracha
Image Credit: Amazon. Everyone’s favorite sriracha, Huy Fong Sriracha, is Garten’s favorite, too.
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Olio Santo Olive Oil
Image Credit: Amazon. In Garten’s pantry, you won’t find Italian olive oil; rather, she uses Olio Santo California Extra Virgin Olive Oil for everything — from sautéing and dipping to finishing a salad.
“I’ve been using it for the 20 years that I’ve been writing cookbooks, but probably long before that, too,” she tells Bon Appetit.
And why?
“It’s fruiter,” Garten explains. “It doesn’t have that little turpentine-y edge, or bitterness from the olives.”
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Urbani White Truffle Butter
Image Credit: Urbani. According to Garten, white truffle butter “really turns up the volume” on everything from scrambled eggs to fettuccine. And she loves to specifically use Urbani White Truffle Butter.
“I order like six of these and keep them in the freezer,” she tells Food Network.
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Libby’s Pumpkin Filling
Image Credit: Amazon. When fall rolls back around, Garten’s go-to canned pumpkin is Libby’s Pumpkin Filling.
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Stonewall Kitchen Maple Syrup
Image Credit: Amazon. “Maple is a great autumn flavor. It goes with pumpkin. It goes great in salads as part of a vinaigrette. It’s sweet, but it’s also smoky,” Garten says, adding that Stonewall Kitchen is “very good.”
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Heinz Ketchup
Image Credit: Amazon. In addition to Hellman’s mayonnaise, you likely already have this condiment in your fridge — Heinz ketchup, which is one of Garten’s favorites.
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