Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust: A Cookbook

I own all of Ina Garten's cookbooks. I am amazed by how simple she makes cooking seem and every year around Thanksgiving, I start sorting through her recipes and planning my Thanksgiving menu. She delivers top notch results without much fuss, and I think she is probably my favorite long time Food Network personality. Foolproof is a cookbook that seems to revolve around mistake proof entertaining. When Ina says "foolproof" she doesn't mean a recipe has only five ingredients or that it has only three steps. Ina means she has an ingredient list with easily obtainable ingredients and steps that appeal to your common sense so that you don't worry about whether the recipe will turn out. She tells you what to look for so that you know when each recipe is perfectly done. She lists ten foolproof tips for cooking. Other chapters include: cocktails; starters; lunch; dinner; vegetables; and desserts. She also gives you 12 foolproof tips for table settings with photographs which help you out if, like me, making a table setting look polished but simple is something you need a little help with. She finishes the book with a foolproof index of menus for special occasions which cross references with special dishes from all of her cookbooks. She does repeat foolproof recipes from her previous books such as her standard chicken stock, but the book is mostly comprised of new material. I have seen some complaints that some of her ingredients are just too much of a splurge. I like to look at her recipes from a couple of perspectives. She lives in the Hamptons, and ingredients such as lobster are a local, easy-to-obtain natural part of her repertoire. Also, these recipes seem to mostly have an emphasis on entertaining and many of us don't mind splurging a little for a special occasion. She typically will tell you where to source the occasional not so common ingredient such as truffle butter. I'm not certain why anyone would expect budget recipes out of someone who has never been known for them at any point in her career. This cookbook is the same sturdy hardback that the rest of her classic cookbooks are fashioned in. Her cookbook has wonderful photography and stays open with no help, a real perk if you like to actively cook or don't own a cookbook stand. I enjoy all of Ina's recipes but have always felt she has a rare gift to make vegetables shine. Her sweet potato puree is very simple to prepare but is full of nice nuances in flavor. I have been using her roasted carrot recipe for over a year now and am delighted to see that she has mixed it up with a recipe for braised carrots and parsnips.She presents a mashed chickpea recipe that is yummy. I will be serving up her chocolate chunk blondie recipe regularly (a neat twist on the chocolate chip cookie). The raspberry shortbread bars are buttery, flavor-filled, and exceptional. Expect food that you turn to when you want to make a delicious impression at a holiday dinner, special occasion, or because you love impressing friends and coworkers with yumminess. I think her cookbooks consistently get better and become more user friendly with each book. I am excited to test drive this book throughout the holiday season.

Up front I'll admit to owning all of Ina's cookbooks, so obviously I'm a fan. That being said, during the years I was raising my children her books wouldn't have worked for me as well. Generally speaking, the recipes are geared more toward a sophisticated adult palate, and the main focus is flavor not budget-friendly meals. Therefore if you find yourself the parent of 3 picky elementary school age children, her books, including FOOLPROOF, may not be for you - at least not yet. Now that it's just my husband, my 20 something daughter, and myself, we eat Ina based meals at least once a week, and often several times a week. When my husband asks, "What's for dinner?" and I answer, "Something from Ina", he automatically assumes it will be delicious and doesn't ask any further questions. She is my go to guru for entertaining as well. I've been "asked for the recipe" on numerous occasions, and I've frequently found that people have heard of Ina and would like to try one of her books but don't know which to choose. This would be a good place to start because, while in my opinion Ina hasn't put out a bad cookbook, I do feel that she keeps getting better and better. Since this is her latest, it has all the charm and yummy recipes that we've come to expect coupled with her own evolving ability to streamline instructions, offer helpful tips, and make the cook feel relaxed and confident. She has also become a bit more conscious about cutting back on salt and butter than in her earlier books, but don't expect it to be a diet book. However, while she may not offer the lowest fat recipes on the planet, what I do appreciate about her is that she puts a lot of emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables and buying local and organic when possible, plus she offers genuinely delicious recipes for various whole grains, legumes, salads, and fish/seafood. Some reviewers have accused Ina of repeating recipes in several of her books. While that may be the case on a few occasions, I think it is painting an unfair and not entirely accurate picture. Ironically, Ina's ability to look at an older recipe and find ways to give it a new twist is one of my favorite things about her. She doesn't reinvent the wheel with each new recipe, which can be daunting for home cooks anyway. Rather she uses techniques and ideas she's already helped us to become familiar with and puts a new, fresh spin on then. I've made quite a few of the recipes in this book, and they've all been very good and satisfying to the soul. Each double-page spread features a gorgeous full-page photograph of the finished product and the complete recipe. I hate when I have to flip back and forth between pages! Two other cookbooks that I particularly like are Back to Basics and How Easy is That? for all the reasons I've noted above. It may help if you're undecided to go to her web site, [...] and click on the Cookbook Index tab where you will find a list of all the recipes by cookbook. It's cheaper to buy them here on Amazon, because the only cookbooks you can purchase on her site are autographed copies. If that's your thing, though, it may be worth the extra money. BOTTOM LINE: If you like Ina's other books, you'll most likely enjoy this new collection of recipes and ideas. And if you're new to Ina, this is a good place to start.

I mean its a Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Beautiful pictures and the best recipes. Highly recommend

Arrived safe and well packed. Wife loves the book.

Avendo un amica appassionata di Barefoot Contessa, ho deciso di comprare il suo ultimo libro. Sinceramente potevo risparmiarmi questa spesa. Il libro in se è bello per quanto riguarda le foto, i suggerimenti su come organizzarsi quando vengono ospiti, le regole per congelare, ma le ricette non sono niente di particolare, alcune di sapore proprio strano e spesso non fattibili (aragosta, astice... insomma in tempi di crisi preferisco ingredienti non troppo costosi). Non comprerei questo libro.

Me gustó todo

I'm a manic cook possessed of over 300 cookery books but I still buy IG's books. She sits well next to Elizabeth David on my shelves although she is a completely different cook and writer. I'm a British cook and some American cookery books sold on the British market are un-necessarily complicated but in general, IG's books are easy to follow. Some ingredients are unusual and some are the same but have different names (eg coriander and cilantro) but, as Corporal Jones would say "Don't panic!" - you CAN cope!