‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten Says We Should Throw Out This Kitchen Tool ‘Every So Often’

When it comes to kitchen tools, techniques, and tips, Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten has got us all covered.

The Food Network star recently offered guidance on a particular kitchen item that she surprisingly recommends getting rid of on a regular basis.

Ina Garten’s new book ‘Modern Comfort Food’

The Hamptons resident’s new cookbook Modern Comfort Food is her twelfth, joining previous bestsellers Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Barefoot in Paris, Barefoot Contessa at Home, and Cooking for Jeffrey.

Garten’s collection includes 85 new recipes that will “feed your deepest cravings,” according to Penguin Random House. “Many of these dishes are inspired by childhood favorites–but with the volume turned way up, such as Cheddar and Chutney Grilled Cheese sandwiches (the perfect match for Ina’s Creamy Tomato Bisque), Smashed Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions, and the crispiest hash browns that are actually made in a waffle iron!”

Garten has been testing these recipes in her kitchen and posting mouth-watering photos on social media.

What Ina Garten has learned while in quarantine

Besides learning to make cocktails in a giant-sized martini glass, Garten says this unusual year has given her perspective on what really matters.

“I think one thing that we’re doing is appreciating the everyday things in life, a delivery of flowers, a kindness by a neighbor,” she told PBS NewsHour in April 2020.

“I think we are — it’s not about success and collecting things. I think it’s really about staying close to people that are important to you. And it would be great if we kept that.”

More practically speaking, the Cook Like a Pro host has learned to put into practice her own advice on learning to do with substitutions in cooking.

“If you don’t have shallots, use onions. If you don’t have garlic, use ginger. If you don’t — and all of a sudden, I’m finding myself doing exactly the same thing.

“And it’s going to inform every other book that I write. I made a frittata the other day. It was a potato basil frittata. I had no basil, so I used scallions. And you know what? It was the best frittata I’d ever made.”

The kitchen item she says to get rid of

Garten told Food & Wine in October that, incredibly, we need to be tossing our vegetable peelers – and with good reason.

“Vegetable peelers get rusty, they get dull, and they’re very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones,” Garten said. “Every once in a while I do that.”

The magazine’s associate food editor Kelsey Youngman chimed in with advice on keeping our peelers around as long as possible before replacing.

“Once the blade goes, you’re better off with a new sharp peeler,” said Youngman. “In terms of wasting as little as possible, keep your peeler clean, dry, and safely stored, and it’ll last as long as possible before needing to be replaced.”