This Food Blogger Is Cooking His Way Through All Of Ina Garten's Recipes

Ina Garten has crafted a very recognizable brand for herself over the years. When fans of the cookbook author and television star hear her name, they instantly imagine her East Hampton home's kitchen and the utterance of the phrase "store-bought is fine." The Washington Post reports Garten's relatable-but-upscale aesthetic has garnered her countless memes and a somewhat cult following, especially when it comes to her relationship with her Yale professor husband Jeffery.

One devoted fan of Garten's was so inspired he even began to entirely rethink how he approached cooking. So in 2015, Barefoot Contessa superfan Trent Pheifer set out to cook every single one of Garten's deliciously enticing recipes, chronicling the experiment on his Store Bought Is Fine blog and Instagram page. Pheifer states on his blog that he set out to do his own "Julie & Julia" style experiment using Garten's recipes. The blogger explained that the dish that prompted him down this path was a failed attempt at creating a healthier version of chicken Alfredo, made with a creamy cauliflower sauce recipe he got off of the internet. Pheifer writes that he knew Garten's recipes would not epically fail him like so many online recipes he had made before.

In an article Pheifer wrote for Today, he explains that the five year journey he embarked on with Garten has taught him so much about cooking, baking, and entertaining. Many of the skills he picked up along the way have helped him out during the pandemic, in that he didn't experience the same fear as many did when they realized they would have to cook at home more often.

Pheifer also admits that Garten's recipes showed him that the kitchen can be a place of happiness and not frustration. After a while, he began to adopt habits that allowed for him to really feel comfortable in the kitchen, ones that increased his level of confidence when it came to experimenting with new flavors. Through his "Julie & Julia"-like experience he also adopted the art of Garten's two-fer meals — meals that could easily be repurposed the following day. Pheifer's biggest takeaway? He realized that cooking is a way to show those who you love that you care for them, admitting that he experiences no greater joy than when he is cooking for his family and friends.