The Foods You'll Never Find In Ina Garten's Kitchen

If you're a fan of Ina Garten, you probably know many things about the woman known as the Barefoot Contessa. You know she approves of certain store-bought items, that she has written multiple cookbooks, and that she once owned a specialty grocery store named — you guessed it — the Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons. However, there are certain things you may not know about her, including the foods you'll never find in her kitchen.

One of the foods you'll never find in Garten's kitchen is cilantro. In an interview with Time magazine, the Food Network star told readers that she simply "won't go near it." This is not an unusual reaction to the leafy herb. In fact, many people can't make themselves eat cilantro, including the late, great Julia Child. The cause? A quirk of genetics that makes the herb taste soapy to cilantro haters.

Canned Harvard beets are a New England staple that consists of beets cooked with vinegar and sugar ... but they are also taboo at Garten's table. In her 2024 memoir "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," she shared her dislike for canned Harvard beets that goes back to her difficult childhood when she was forced to eat them. While many people refer to beets as "dirt apples" due to their strong earthy flavor, Garten's dislike of the canned version could be more psychological than anything, since many fresh beet recipes can be found in her cookbooks.

Garten also dislikes anything with foam. She isn't entirely forthcoming on her reasons for hating bubbly garnishes, but she is in good company. Another celebrity chef, the famously opinionated Gordon Ramsay, said in a Reddit AMA thread that "foam should be used for shaving, not go on top of food [...] unless you've eaten it within 3 or 4 seconds, at the end it looks like sort of toxic scum on a stagnant pool." We're guessing neither of them would go for this viral TikTok fluffy Coca-Cola.

Speaking of foamy drinks, Garten is also not a fan of pumpkin spice coffee drinks. Speaking on the TODAY show, said she "likes her coffee to taste like coffee." Hold the foam, Starbucks. You won't be seeing Garten order the sugary beverage anytime soon. Another food you'll never catch her eating is anything with eyeballs. Since almost all animals have eyeballs, we have to assume she means that she dislikes eating any food that appears to watching her consume it. Garten may have heard that fish heads (and presumably the eyes, too) are full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, but we can't say we blame her on that one.