The Genius Way Ina Garten Avoids Messy Disasters At Dinner Parties

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Ina Garten has liberated generations of at-home cooks with one simple phrase, "Store-bought is fine." You can hold your head high today when placing a box of puff pastry or stuffing mix in your grocery cart. Ina Garten's culinary revolution extends beyond food and includes genius entertaining tips designed to help you avoid dinner party disasters. Garten's stain-free hosting ideas keep certain foods, like this starchy root vegetable she avoids, off the menu and your furniture.

In Garten's "Back to Basics" cookbook, her "What not to serve at a dinner party" list names red wine as an element of disaster. As an ingredient, red wine can be used in a braise for lamb shanks or as a flavorful base for a marinade, but Garten says to skip serving it when it comes to indoor dinner parties or when your guests are clustering on couches with handheld plates. Red wine stains can be a nightmare. Stubborn and often permanent, they can ruin the mood at a party quickly. Garten is a big fan of a big batch of cocktails instead. Garten's approach to entertaining is not only fuss-free but also focuses on creating moments that allow your guests to exhale and connect. Try batch cocktails like margaritas with fresh lime juice or a carafe of whiskey sours for your next soiree. Yes, batch cocktails are easier for the host, but they also bring you back to the whole point of the beloved dinner party, spending time with your guests.

While the Barefoot Contessa has built an entire brand around taking ordinary store-bought ingredients and creating something extraordinary with them, even she has her limits. According to Ina Garten, your next summer dinner party is not the time to debut a new beet salad recipe. You won't find this ruby-red root vegetable on her party menu if guests are mingling in a garden or eating off their laps around the house. Beets, especially the punchy deep red ones, can stain everything they touch. The tablecloth, the shirt you decided to wear to the party, and the living room rug. If a dish could lead to a laundry emergency, Garten says it is best to skip it.

Keep it simple and avoid this ruby-red party villain. Instead, use golden or white beets in your recipe. Try a more forgiving side dish altogether, like a crunchy carrot, feta, and dill salad or Garten's potato salad that has a surprising ingredient alongside red onion, celery, and heaps of fresh herbs. These elegant alternatives will have guests asking you for the recipe instead of the dry cleaning bill.

At the core of Garten's entertaining philosophy is creating fuss-free environments where people and delicious food are the focus. Spills, stains, and stress don't belong in the Barefoot Contessa way of entertaining. Messy disasters can be avoided by swapping out certain ingredients like red wine and red beets for delicious alternatives so you and your guests can have a memorable and mess-free evening. These clever hacks will have you saying, "How easy is that?" by the end of the evening.