11 Baking Tips Ina Garten Swears By

Use room-temperature ingredients

If you find yourself wanting to whip up a spontaneous batch of cookies, it's beneficial to take a moment to allow your ingredients to reach the ideal temperature instead of diving right in. Many baking components blend more effectively when they are at room temperature. If you've ever attempted to spread cold butter straight from the fridge, you know that working with cold ingredients is quite different from using those at room temperature.

In addition to being easier to combine, room temperature ingredients incorporate more air into the mixture, resulting in lighter, fluffier cakes. Garten actually suggests keeping certain items, like citrus fruits and eggs, out of the fridge at all times. Depending on your location, using room temperature eggs might seem like a practical choice or a potential health risk. For instance, in the U.K., eggs are sold at room temperature in stores because all British chickens are vaccinated against salmonella. Conversely, in the U.S., most eggs are washed to eliminate bacteria from the shell, which removes their natural protective coating. Therefore, it's advisable to keep most eggs in the fridge most of the time and take them out a couple of hours before you start baking.

So, the next time you feel a sudden urge to bake, take your ingredients out of the fridge and entertain yourself for an hour—perhaps by watching some "Barefoot Contessa"—before returning to create treats with the best possible flavor and texture.

Add coffee to enhance chocolate treats

If you're seeking an ingredient to elevate your chocolate baked treats, coffee might not be the first option that comes to mind. However, Ina Garten is a strong advocate for this combination, incorporating coffee into many of her chocolate cake recipes.

In a YouTube video showcasing her chocolate brownies, she remarks, "Chocolate is truly enhanced by the flavor of coffee." Even if you're not particularly fond of coffee, you can still benefit from this tip, as the coffee flavor will be overshadowed by the chocolate. Pure chocolate — like raw cacao — has a naturally bitter taste, so the coffee's bitterness complements and enhances the chocolate flavor while balancing the dessert's sweetness. In addition to mixing coffee into cakes and brownies, you can also incorporate a bit into icing and ganache before spreading it on cookies or drizzling it over flapjacks.

If you were concerned that this tip would require brewing espresso for every chocolate baking session, there's no need to fret. Garten emphasizes that instant coffee works perfectly, so you won't have to dig out your espresso machine just yet. You don't even need to brew the coffee — simply stir in a few spoonfuls of instant granules directly into the batter to elevate your baking to a new level of richness.

Grease the top of the muffin pan to prevent sticking

Is there a more frustrating mishap in the baking realm than attempting to remove your perfectly baked muffins from the tin, only to find them stuck and leaving behind their deliciousness? If this scenario brings a tear to your eye, Ina Garten has just the solution for you.

While you might already be accustomed to greasing the bottom of the muffin pan to prevent sticking, Garten suggests that you also grease the top. As you may know, muffin batter often rises and spills over the edge, creating that coveted muffin top. However, if you neglect to grease the top of the tin, you risk losing valuable muffin bits, which can spoil your presentation. Garten's simple tip ensures that the muffins will easily release from the tray in one piece.

In the same Instagram video, Garten also advises using an ice cream scoop to portion your muffin batter into the tray. This technique guarantees that all the muffins are uniform in size, making them look stunning on a plate. It also helps them bake evenly, preventing larger muffins from being slightly undercooked.

Use high-quality ingredients

Unlike many celebrity chefs, Ina Garten doesn't rely on extravagant ingredients. When you look at her recipes, you'll likely recognize the items she uses, as she strongly advocates for utilizing what you already have in your kitchen. However, when you can, investing in high-quality versions of certain ingredients can significantly enhance the quality of your baked goods.

One area where Garten indulges when baking is chocolate, and she has a preferred brand: Lindt. She even conducted a blind taste test with seven other brands and still crowned Lindt as the best, noting its perfect flavor balance. Using low-quality chocolate in your baking will be evident in the final product, negatively impacting the taste. To paraphrase a well-known saying about wine, if the chocolate isn't good enough to eat, don't use it in your cooking!

Another piece of advice from Garten for sourcing high-quality ingredients is to purchase local, seasonal produce whenever possible. If you need fruit for your baking, buying from a local market ensures you get vibrant, flavorful produce while also supporting your community.

Add buttermilk to your red velvet cupcakes

When it comes to cupcakes, few are as visually stunning as the red velvet variety. Ina Garten also counts these crimson delights among her favorites, and she has a secret ingredient that she claims makes all the difference — buttermilk.

Interestingly, modern buttermilk has no relation to butter. It was originally a by-product of butter production, which is how it got its name. Today, it is created by adding bacteria to milk to initiate fermentation. This results in a tangy flavor, and according to Garten, it’s essential for keeping red velvet cupcakes moist.

Another significant advantage of incorporating buttermilk into your cupcakes is its chemical reaction with baking soda. The acid in buttermilk interacts with the alkaline baking soda in a neutralization reaction that generates carbon dioxide. These carbon dioxide bubbles are vital for producing light and fluffy muffins, as well as other baked goods like pancakes. If you aim to create red velvet cupcakes that meet the standards of the Barefoot Contessa herself, be sure to include buttermilk, and you’ll be rewarded with cupcakes that are moist, light, and airy.

Prepare your ingredients in advance

Have you ever found yourself thrilled and halfway through your baking journey, only to discover that you're missing an ingredient after opening the pantry? This situation forces you to make a tough choice: rush to the store or set aside your plans and try again another day. Ina Garten wants to spare you from that dilemma, so she suggests gathering all your ingredients beforehand to prevent any frustration.

While it may take a few extra minutes at the beginning, organizing your 'mise en place'—which translates to 'putting in place'—will help you confirm that you have everything your recipe requires in the correct amounts. This process includes measuring out your dry ingredients into small bowls, whisking your eggs, and chopping any nuts, ensuring you’re completely ready before you start.

Another benefit of prepping in advance is that the rest of the cooking process becomes much smoother and less stressful. With everything laid out in front of you, all you need to do is pick up each bowl and add its contents to your mixture. This approach allows you to savor your baking experience without feeling hurried or pressured. It’s particularly helpful when baking for others, like before a dinner party, so you can enjoy your time in the kitchen and then greet your guests with ease.

Use store-bought puff pastry

One of the reasons we all admire Ina Garten is her relatable nature. As a home cook, it’s particularly uplifting to hear her often say that "store-bought is perfectly acceptable." This doesn’t imply that she discourages making food from scratch; rather, it emphasizes that you don’t need to prepare every ingredient fresh all the time.

A prime example of an ingredient where opting for a store-bought version can save you a lot of hassle is puff pastry. Crafting it from scratch can be quite a task—it requires a significant amount of time for butter incorporation, folding, and chilling. A high-quality store-bought option can taste almost as good.

The key to using any store-bought ingredient is to choose the best quality you can afford. For puff pastry, a higher butter content typically means better flavor. Garten even suggests purchasing frozen puff pastry, ensuring you always have some on hand when needed. Whether you’re making palmiers, as Garten enjoys, or a savory pie, you can concentrate on perfecting the other ingredients while leaving the intricate pastry work behind.

Get an oven thermometer

As a home baker, it’s easy to think that an oven thermometer is a tool reserved for professional chefs, but that’s a misconception. This small, affordable device could be exactly what you need to elevate your baking skills. If you’re serious about baking, it’s essential to know the precise temperature of your oven. Ina Garten emphasizes that "regardless of what the dial indicates, the actual temperature of the oven could be quite different." Just as you wouldn’t place your cookies in the oven before it’s fully preheated, relying on the dial without a thermometer can lead to a false sense of confidence. A mere 10-degree variation can mean the difference between perfectly baked cookies and those that are either burnt or undercooked.

Baking requires more precision in temperature and timing compared to other cooking methods, leaving little room for error. An oven thermometer provides you with the exact temperature inside the oven at all times, allowing you to relax, knowing your pastries are being baked to perfection.

Avoid imitation vanilla extract

Vanilla extract is a common ingredient found in most kitchens, but Ina Garten suggests skipping the imitation variety and opting for real vanilla instead. Much of the inexpensive vanilla extract available in stores contains no genuine vanilla and relies on a synthetic compound called vanillin for its flavor.

To find high-quality vanilla extract, look for bottles labeled "pure vanilla." This ensures that your baked goods will be infused with the rich, sweet essence of real vanilla beans rather than a subpar substitute. While it may come at a higher price, your palate will appreciate the difference.

If you're feeling adventurous, consider following the Barefoot Contessa's advice and create your own vanilla extract from scratch. Although it requires patience—taking at least six months to infuse before it's ready—the reward is a homemade extract that can last for years. In an Instagram video, Garten shares that she has been using the same jar for 40 years, simply replenishing it as needed.

Make cupcakes in advance to save time

Baking at home can be fulfilling, but it often requires a significant time investment. In our fast-paced world, many of us find it challenging to carve out time for baking amidst our busy schedules. Luckily, Ina Garten offers a fantastic tip that enables you to prepare a batch of cupcakes without feeling rushed.

The Barefoot Contessa suggests baking your cupcakes the day before you need them, storing them in the refrigerator without any frosting, and then icing them just before serving. Be sure to wrap them securely to preserve their texture for a day or two in the fridge. On the day you plan to serve them, allow the cupcakes to reach room temperature before adding the frosting.

If you want to get even more organized, you can freeze the un-frosted cupcakes ahead of time. Just remember that they will need at least an hour to thaw before you can frost them. You can use this time to prepare your icing and plan how you want to present your treats. This straightforward tip from Garten allows you to create beautifully decorated cupcakes without the stress and mess on the day you have guests over.

Use golden raisins in cakes for extra sweetness

You can always count on Ina Garten to take a common ingredient and give it a fresh twist, and she does just that with raisins. If you have a bag of dried fruit in your pantry for baking cakes and desserts, Garten suggests swapping your usual raisins for golden ones.

Golden raisins undergo a different processing method than regular raisins, resulting in a sweeter taste that will add a unique flavor to your cakes. Their enhanced sweetness might even allow you to cut back on the added sugar in your recipe, making it a healthier option overall. With their plump texture and delightful sweetness, golden raisins are a perfect complement to carrot cake, cookies, and scones, while their vibrant color brings a cheerful touch to your baked goods.