{"id":2865,"date":"2026-04-16T00:08:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2865"},"modified":"2026-04-16T00:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:08:20","slug":"ina-garten-reveals-the-store-bought-staples-that-are-just-fine-one-you-should-never-buy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2865","title":{"rendered":"Ina Garten Reveals The Store-Bought Staples That Are \u2018Just Fine\u2019 &#038; One You Should NEVER Buy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-journey-body=\"standard-article\">\n<div class=\"css-hl6xtf e1wzc3k51\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.4ddebeb.svg\" alt=\"Estimated read time\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span class=\"css-1rzbsk9 e1wzc3k50\">2 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1jx1kps etlajd3\">\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section\" class=\"css-p1fz9n e1q3dcg6\">\n<h3 data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header\" class=\"css-1fv4nwp e1q3dcg5\"><button aria-label=\"Hide Key Points section\" aria-expanded=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header-button\" class=\"css-ec8vqf e1q3dcg4\"><\/p>\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-wrapper\" data-collapsible-open=\"true\" class=\"css-lhm19 e1q3dcg0\"><span data-testid=\"iconRight\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-right\" class=\"css-1ep4808 e1q3dcg1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/caret-right-regular.a6ec664.svg\" alt=\"Caret Right\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/h3>\n<div aria-hidden=\"false\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section-text\" class=\"css-nzvxqj e1q3dcg3\">\n<div class=\"css-ex91la etlajd2\">\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Ina Garten says items like marinara sauce and sourdough bread are totally fine to buy, as long as they\u2019re high quality.<\/li>\n<li>She draws a hard line at bottled lime juice, insisting fresh is the only way to go.<\/li>\n<li>She also shared a surprising hack using boxed stuffing to make a savory bread pudding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Aside from her fabulous Hamptons home and signature blue button-downs, Ina Garten is known for one of her iconic catchphrases: \u201cstore-bought is fine.\u201d And during a recent appearance on <em data-node-id=\"0.5\">The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em>, she doubled down on that idea with a rapid-fire round of what\u2019s actually okay to buy pre-made, and what absolutely is not.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"tiktok\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-22\" data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The segment played out like a lightning round, with Stephen Colbert throwing out pantry staples and Garten giving quick, decisive answers. Some were predictable, others&#8230;less so.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Take marinara sauce. Garten gave it a pass, with one caveat: it can\u2019t be low quality. \u201cStore-bought is just fine, as long as it\u2019s good,\u201d she said, which feels like the most Ina answer possible. And if she shares the same opinion as professional chefs and <em data-node-id=\"3.3\">Delish<\/em> editors, her idea of good marinara sauce is definitely Rao\u2019s.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"watch-next\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-23\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"5\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Sourdough bread? Also fine. No need to suddenly become a fermentation expert just to serve a decent loaf.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-24\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-1fm2v8u e94w1mj13\">\n<h2 class=\"css-1xumt3f e94w1mj11\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-before\" class=\"css-0 e68yk9k0\"\/><span class=\"css-0 e94w1mj10\">Related Story<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-after\" class=\"css-0 e68yk9k1\"\/><\/h2>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"7\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Chicken stock is where she draws a line, but not entirely. While she prefers making her own, she admits there\u2019s a workaround if you need it. Store-bought bonebroth with lots of collagen can work in a pinch, even if her ideal is still homemade.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"8\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Lime juice, however, is non-negotiable. According to Garten, the bottled stuff just doesn\u2019t cut it. \u201cFresh lime juice only,\u201d she said, making it clear this is one shortcut you shouldn\u2019t take.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Then there\u2019s stuffing, which ended up being the most surprising moment of the entire segment. Instead of using it traditionally, Garten revealed she actually uses boxed stuffing as a shortcut for a savory bread pudding. Because it\u2019s already cubed, seasoned, and toasted, it basically does half the work for you. Add a custard, mushrooms, and Gruy\u00e8re, and suddenly no one knows it started from a bag.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-25\" data-node-id=\"10\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-1fm2v8u e94w1mj13\">\n<h2 class=\"css-1xumt3f e94w1mj11\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-before\" class=\"css-0 e68yk9k0\"\/><span class=\"css-0 e94w1mj10\">Related Story<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"title-design-element-after\" class=\"css-0 e68yk9k1\"\/><\/h2>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"11\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">And when it comes to dessert, Garten stays practical, but with standards. A store-bought birthday cake isn\u2019t off the table, but she\u2019s not grabbing one from just anywhere. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t get one at 7-Eleven,\u201d she joked, recommending a good bakery instead. From there, she suggests elevating it yourself, like adding a fresh raspberry sauce to a pre-made cheesecake to make it look homemade.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"12\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The truth is that Garten isn\u2019t anti\u2013store-bought\u2014she\u2019s anti\u2013<em data-node-id=\"12.1\">bad<\/em> store-bought. If something saves time and still tastes great, she\u2019s all for it. But if it compromises flavor, she\u2019s out.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">So yes, \u201cstore-bought is fine,\u201d just maybe not for your lime juice.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-26\" data-node-id=\"14\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-u95ltk e94w1mj3\"\/><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 min read Ina Garten says items like marinara sauce and sourdough bread are totally fine to buy, as long as they\u2019re high quality. She draws a hard line at bottled lime juice, insisting fresh is the only way to go. She also shared a surprising hack using boxed stuffing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}