Ina Garten has constructed a complete culinary empire round three little phrases: “store-bought is fine.” But because it seems, not the whole lot 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 Colbert, Ina was put to the take a look at: which grocery shortcuts are literally price it…and which of them belong nowhere close to your kitchen?
Some solutions completely observe:
Marinara sauce? Only if it’s good high quality.
Sourdough bread? Absolutely.
Bottled lime juice? Immediate rejection.
“Fresh lime juice only,” Ina mentioned, shutting it down. “You can’t buy it anywhere.” Colbert agreed: “The little squeeze thing—that’s terrible. You’re torturing yourself.”
The stunning “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 attention-grabbing: a savory bread pudding. And truthfully? It’s genius.
“Get the bagged stuff,” she mentioned. “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 that may take in a wealthy custard with out falling aside. Stuffing combine principally 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 manner.
Ina turns it right into a brunch-worthy improve
Ina’s model leans savory and just a little 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 comes the magic. She combines all of it with the stuffing cubes, folding the whole lot 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 finest a part of Thanksgiving stuffing, however with fundamental character power.
And the better part? No one is aware of you began with a bag.
“It’s just a savory bread pudding,” Ina mentioned. “Nobody even knows there’s a bag of stuffing in there.”
The takeaway: not all shortcuts are created equal
Which is type of the entire level of store-bought is ok: not chopping corners—chopping out the components that don’t make or break the dish.
So sure, you may preserve your boxed stuffing combine on the shelf year-round. Ina would approve.
Just…perhaps seize a recent lime whilst you’re at it.
