She's always got something up her sleeve.
I think that the most impressive thing about Ina Garten (and trust me, there are many) is that she didn’t have any formal training in food service or the culinary world before taking over The Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons. I mean, it’s kind of the total opposite of her famous catchphrase, “How easy is that?”
In her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, she recounts how a series of decent but boring jobs left her a little restless. She ended up buying the now-famous shop on a whim, and set about to learn as much as she could on the job. She’s upfront about her failures, but she also shares her genius.
And that’s what Ina Garten does so well in her TV work. In the first episode of the brand-new season of Be My Guest on Food Network, Ina hung out with Tina Fey, cooking Greek potato wedges and chicken thighs while swapping life advice. Both Ina and Tina dropped so many fun tidbits of knowledge, but one of them in particular really stood out to me.
What is Ina Garten’s trick for using dried herbs?
Ina always makes sure to crush dried herbs between her fingers or her palms before adding them to recipes. It’s such a small but impactful tip. Doing so releases the natural oils in the herbs, which end up adding a stronger kick of flavor to your dish. She showed Tina Fey how with some oregano that Tina was adding to the roasting tray along with lemon juice, olive oil and potatoes. Naturally, Tina was impressed—and so was I.
While it’s definitely nice to cook with fresh herbs, the truth is that they’re not always the cheapest or easiest to come by. Dried herbs are cheaper, shelf stable, and last for a long time. Whether you dry your own fresh herbs or simply grab some at the store, Ina would definitely approve of you using this trick the next time you break out the dried herbs.
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