Jennifer Garner's Cornbread Recipe Requires A Skillet, But Not A Big One

Those who have been on Instagram over the past few years may have encountered Jennifer Garner's cooking show, "Pretend Cooking Show." The first episode of this unofficial Instagram series dropped back in 2017, and ever since then, Garner has been showing us a range of recipes from baked goods to savory dinners. Even at its beginnings, Garner's "Pretend Cooking Show" has had Instagram raining hearts. Her upbeat personality and nostalgic recipes charmed fans who never knew they needed a dose of her cooking.

In the 25th installment of "Pretend Cooking Show," Garner baked a comfort food classic for audiences using her mother's cornbread recipe. In fact, it was in this episode that Garner's mother made her very first appearance on the "Pretend Cooking Show," giving her daughter step-by-step instructions and recipe wisdom as they went along. One thing for certain is that mothers always know best. This skillet-made cornbread required the skillet to be preheated with oil in the oven before the batter was poured in. When Garner ate a slice of the finished cornbread with melted butter on top — the only way to eat it according to her mom — she declared it to be "the best thing in the world."

One of the biggest mistakes people make with cornbread is not cooking it in a cast iron skillet or cornstick pan. The hefty and thick metal is essential for trapping heat and browning the cornbread in the oven. Funny enough, while cooking Jennifer Garner unfortunately realized that she didn't own a skillet small enough to fit the cornbread. Her solution? Using a small Dutch oven as a replacement (approved by her mother). Dutch ovens are also made from cast iron, but they are enameled and have tall walls and a lid. On the other hand, a cast iron skillet is shallower, and thus ideal for cornbread.

Garner has expressed her love of cast iron skillets before. After originally being uncertain about how to properly clean them, the skillet scrubber became a kitchen tool that Garner called 'life-changing.' With an easy way to clean her skillet, Garner told Good Morning America, "Now I use my cast iron skillet for everything." The skillet is a versatile and durable piece of kitchenware that can go in the oven or on the stovetop. A smaller-sized one is perfect for breads like focaccia, pull-apart rolls, and of course, cornbread.