The Stand Mixer Ina Garten Swears By

What is Ina Garten if not a mood, a forever moment, and a mantra? Reporting from her home in East Hampton, the cookbook author and TV personality serves up her simple yet sophisticated food philosophy, all the while offering many meme-worthy glimpses into her relationship with husband Jeffrey and the lavish parties she throws for her fabulous friends while, conveniently, "Jeffrey is away." Everything the Barefoot Contessa does begs the question, "How easy is that?" 

Part of what makes Ina's approach to home cooking so approachable is the sharp intuition she imparts about equipping herself with the right ingredients and kitchen tools; it's all about quality over quantity. This carries through in snapshots of her kitchen, her recipes, and on the Barefoot Contessa website, where Ina shares a comprehensive index of must-have cookware, ingredients, storage containers, and equipment. For baking, the KitchenAid stand mixer has the Ina stamp of approval.

If you think about it, the KitchenAid has a lot in common with the Barefoot Contessa herself. It's simple in design, sophisticated, and wears many hats. Ten distinct speed settings are able to provide the amount of power needed to thoroughly cream together butter and sugar for cake batter and knead buttery brioche dough into a smooth, slick mass. In a move that surely brings Ina great joy, the KitchenAid stand mixer is able to mix large batches (4.5 quarts worth, to exact!) with even precision and without having to hover over it to make sure everything is being processed accordingly. Whereas store-bought is fine, hand-kneading dough and wasting time is not! Staying on subject, Ina buys good dry pasta, but don't let that discourage you from making fresh noodles using a pasta roller attachment fitted for the KitchenAid. 

The stand mixer also comes in an array of classic colors, but Ina once noted that her preferred shade is the shiny white, which blends seamlessly into her bright white kitchen design and aesthetic (via Barefoot Contessa). 

Though it certainly is an investment piece, Ina Garten recommends the KitchenAid stand mixer to any passionate home baker looking to add agility into their arsenal because for her, the appliance has truly stood the test of time on her countertop after many years and countless baking projects (and we all know she bakes a lot!). Where the Barefoot Contessa leads, we'd be smart to follow!