The Surprising Inspiration Behind Ina Garten's Latest Cookbook

Like many other publications – magazines, newspapers, books, etc. – cookbooks are planned in advance, like very advanced into the future. Ina Garten told Insider she started mapping out the theme, recipes, and overall vibe of her most recent cookbook, Modern Comfort Food (released Oct. 2020), two years earlier back in 2018.

Originally, the idea stemmed from the idea of 2020 being an election year, and her cookbook would be released a month before voting day. "Two years ago I thought, there's going to be an election a month after this book comes out," Garten continued. "And everyone, no matter who you're voting for, is going to be stressed out." Little did she know we'd be hit with a pandemic and 2020 would go on to be one of the most stressful years in America's history. Call it a weird coincidence or an odd twist of fate, but either way, Garten is a food genius.

Queen of comfort food (and devilishly good cocktails) Ina Garten spent a lot of time gathering recipes that embodied comfort and happy times. Rather than sell a cookbook with never-before-seen recipes, Garten wanted to dedicate this new era to perfecting every type of comfort food imaginable from snacks to entrees, and of course, desserts. "I am kind of the person that always wants to make a better potato chip ... something you really love that I'm going to make so good you're never going to want it any other way," she told Food & Wine magazine.

From Boston cream pie (pictured above) to creamy tomato bisque, and chutney grilled cheese to smashed hamburgers, Modern Comfort Food has it all (via Instagram). One piece of news Garten fans may be surprised to learn is that each recipe goes through the taste kitchen up to three times (all by different cooks) prior to publication. "Every time I make a recipe, I watch someone else make it," she told Insider. "And I learn so much about how someone uses the recipe. At least one person makes it, sometimes three."