Back to Basics was my very first cookbook purchase and it lead me down the path we are currently on, cookbook obsessed. I owe a lot to Ina Garten and the Food Network because in 2009 I was a senior in college and I was watching Barefoot Contessa, drooling over her gorgeous kitchen, loving her accessible yet chic dinner parties, and wishing I would find a soulmate like Jeffrey that I could cook roast chicken for on Friday nights. That cooking show sparked an urge in me to learn to be a good cook like Ina, so I bought her book and started with my very first recipe.

We are going cover to cover through this book (minus the actual recipes) so that you can determine if this is a book worth adding to your collection. I’ll share the recipe names, give feedback on the ones I’ve personally tested, and give you a visual sneak peek at the end.

This is Ina’s sixth cookbook (she has 13 as of right now) and its focus is on simple ingredients and methods. Most of Ina’s recipes are accessible to the beginner cook and it’s rare that her ingredients list is long or contains obscure things. I also appreciate that she doesn’t have you in the kitchen for 6 hours to prepare a meal. She stresses that simple is better and this book delivers on that promise.

cocktail hour

The chapter on cocktail hour starts with Ina’s top 10 no-cook things to serve with drinks. Firstly, she makes entertaining seem achievable, and she stresses that it’s not a fun party when the host can’t partake in the celebrating. Ina reminds us that entertaining should be fun, and she delivers tips on how to do that effortlessly. After she boosts your confidence, she delivers nine recipes including things like pomegranate cosmopolitans and parmesan & thyme crackers.

Recipes Made: Pomegranate Cosmopolitans and Juice of a Few Flowers

soups

Ina is my go-to for soup recipes, especially in the fall, and there are eight delicious recipes in this book. The first recipe I ever made from a cookbook was the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from this book and it’s so good that I make it every single fall. Indeed, Ina is relentless when recipe testing, and she measures everything so the end results are consistent. I appreciate that and I think it gives newer cooks early confidence because when you cook a dish and it comes out perfect, you are more motivated to keep exploring. At least, that was what happened to me with her roasted butternut squash soup recipe.

Recipes Made: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (10/10)

lunch

Generally, lunch is a meal that get’s overlooked. We are all busy with work and family that we usually don’t put much effort into our lunches. But the 11 recipes in this section make me want to start romanticizing my lunch hour. Recipes include things like tomato & goat cheese tarts, creamy cucumber salad, and cap cod chopped salad. I’ve made the roasted butternut squash salad with warm cider vinaigrette and it was absolutely the most perfect fall salad. Pair one of these salads with one of the soups from the previous chapter, and you’ll have yourself a delightful lunch.

Recipes Made: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

dinner

This chapter is the most robust with 21 recipes and Ina’s tips on what not to serve at a dinner party. After all, she is the queen of entertaining and these recipes really feel achievable yet delectable at the same time. You will find recipes for beef, pork loin, coq au vin, shrimp, scallops, sole, and crab. If you’re a vegetarian, she has you covered with recipes for wild mushroom risotto, truffle tagliarelle, spring pea risotto, pasta with pecorino & pepper, and spanakopitas.

The longest ingredient list is for the soft-shell crab sandwiches with 22 ingredients. The rest are all 15 ingredients or less, with most of them being salt, pepper, and olive oil.

vegetables

Are you a vegetable lover? I personally could eat vegetables and only vegetables for the rest of my life, especially with these recipes. There are 14 recipes in this chapter and all recipes were easy and delicious. This cookbook was release in the fall, so many of her recipes include root vegetables, roasting, and and maple syrup. The ones that stand out to me are parmesan roasted broccoli, baked sweet potato fries, and confetti corn.

Garlic bread is certainly not a vegetable, but it made it’s way into this chapter. The night I made the Butternut Squash and Curry Soup I made the garlic bread and HOLY COW, it was amazing. I know garlic bread shouldn’t need a recipe, but again, Ina perfected the proportions here, and following her recipe will be a gift to those you are cooking for.

Recipes Made: garlic bread (8/10), maple-roasted butternut squash (7/10), the celery root and apple puree (7/10) and the pan roasted root vegetables (8/10)

dessert

Ina took the theme of simple right into the dessert chapter. She shows us how to make things like brownie pudding, honey vanilla pound cake, old-fashioned gingerbread, and raisin pecan oatmeal cookies. Some desserts are perfect for weekdays like the affogato sundaes, while others are more weekend friendly like the french apple tart. Since Ina owned a bakery, she knows how to fulfill one’s craving for something sweet and I’m sure you’ll find a new favorite treat inside these pages.

breakfast

Surely weekends are made for breakfast and Ina has 13 recipes to help romanticize our mornings. If there is one thing I know, it’s that Ina knows how to make a muffin. In this cookbook she shares her recipes for blueberry streusel muffins, as well as tri-berry pancakes, and easy sticky buns. You could pull together a wonderful brunch with some of the recipes in this entire book. From the cocktails, to the soups and salad, and in this chapter with the breakfast goodies.

take a look inside

Want to take a deeper look inside the book?

overall rating

By now you know I love Ina and she can do no wrong in my world. But, I need to review this book so that you can decide if it’s worth it for you. Overall, the recipes are simple from their methods and ingredients, so if you are a newer cook, or are looking for easy to make meals, this book may give you some new inspiration. Consider yourself intermediate when it comes to cooking? Then you may not be as inspired here. There are recipes for baked potatoes with sour cream, garlic bread, and roasted vegetables, which may not be things you even think deserve a recipe.

Ina is classic and so are her recipes. You aren’t going to find twists and bizarre ingredients combinations in her cookbooks. You will find good, solid recipes that your family will request time and time again. I know I personally will cook from this book until the day I die because each one I’ve made is perfection. If you have this book in your collection I would love to know what your favorite recipes are from it!