Ina Garten, who specializes in comfort food and home cooking, thinks there's one error people commonly make while preparing meals at home: not using salt correctly.
In 2018, the celebrity chef and "Food Network" star took Bon Appétit inside her Hamptons kitchen, where she shared her pantry staples. She showed the brands of olive oil, salt, and other commonly used ingredients that she always keeps on hand — and shared a few cooking tips.
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"The one ingredient that most people use wrong is salt. It's really important in every dish, both sweet and savory," Garten told Bon Appétit.
Ina Garten explained that you have to use 'the right [salt] for the right occasion'
For cooking, Garten told Bon Appétit that she uses Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, which she called "always perfect."
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Garten said that while Kosher salt is best when actually cooking, garnishing your meal with flaky salt can add even more flavor and texture.
"When I'm brushing the top of a pot pie with egg wash, a little sprinkle of that flaky salt gives it a little crunch," she said. "It's absolutely delicious."
"When I want to finish with salt, I use Fleur de Sel, which is a French sea salt," she continued. "It's just the right kind of briny, or Maldon English flake salt."
Garten added that people often don't use enough salt or pepper while cooking
"Most people make the biggest mistake in seasoning with salt and pepper," Garten told The Kitchn in 2019. "They don't use it enough."
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"Every recipe says season to taste. But you don't know what it's supposed to taste like, so how are you supposed to season it to taste?" she continued. "If you have chicken stock that isn't seasoned well, it tastes like dirty dishwater!"
"If you add salt to it, you'll taste the chicken, vegetables, and herbs," Garten continued.
