Ina Garten Reveals the One Item You Should Always Buy Store-Bought
Ina Garten has constructed a whole culinary empire round three little phrases: “store-bought is fine.” But because it seems, not all the things will get the Barefoot Contessa’s stamp of approval—and she or he’s very happy to attract the line.
During a lightning spherical on The Late Show with Stephen ColbertIna was put to the take a look at: which grocery shortcuts are literally value it…and which of them belong nowhere close to your kitchen?
Some solutions completely observe:
Marinara sauce? Only if it is good high quality.
Sourdough bread? Absolutely.
Bottled lime juice? Immediate rejection.
“Fresh lime juice only,” Ina stated, shutting it down. “You can’t buy it anywhere.” Colbert agreed: “The little squeeze thing—that’s terrible. You’re torturing yourself.”
The shocking “yes” is hiding in your pantry
But the actual shock got here when stuffing combine entered the chat.
Instead of utilizing it for its meant Thanksgiving future, Ina revealed she turns packaged stuffing combine into one thing much more fascinating: a savory bread pudding. And truthfully? It’s genius.
“Get the bagged stuff,” she stated. “It’s already seasoned, it’s already cubed, it’s toasted. All that’s done.”
Here’s why stuffing combine works so nicely
That’s precisely why it really works. Traditional bread pudding—candy or savory—usually begins with bread cubes left to stale or dry out in the oven. That method they’ll absorb a wealthy custard with out falling aside. Stuffing combine mainly does all that prep for you.
It’s pre-toasted for construction, pre-seasoned for taste, and able to take up no matter you throw at it. Translation: you skip a number of steps and nonetheless find yourself with one thing that tastes such as you meant to do it this fashion.
Ina turns it right into a brunch-worthy improve
Ina’s model leans savory and a bit of fancy (due to course it does): suppose leeks and cremini mushrooms cooked down with a splash of sherry—already sounding like one thing you’d order at a really stylish brunch.
Then you come to the magic. She combines all of it with the stuffing cubes, folding all the things right into a custardy combination of eggs, cream, inventory, and loads of Gruyère earlier than baking it till golden.
As Ina would say, how good does that sound? Answer: Very.
The result’s golden, wealthy, and deeply comforting—like the greatest a part of Thanksgiving stuffing, however with essential character vitality.
And the better part? No one is aware of you began with a bag.
“It’s just a tasty bread pudding,” Ina stated. “Nobody even knows there’s a bag of stuffing in there.”
The takeaway: not all shortcuts are created equal
Which is sort of the complete level of store-bought is okay: not chopping corners—chopping out the elements that do not make or break the dish.
So sure, you’ll be able to preserve your boxed stuffing combine on the shelf year-round. Ina would approve.
Just…perhaps seize a contemporary lime whilst you’re at it.
