32 Ina Garten Quotes That Are Perfect In and Outside of the Kitchen

Ina Garten in a white shirt, smiling with her hands up wearing a red scarf
via Instagram @inagarten

She can do no wrong.

Sophie Matthews

I Feel Like the Best Version of Myself After Reading 32 Ina Garten Quotes

Whether you love to cook or fear the kitchen, it's safe to say that Ina Garten is universally loved. She's sweet, she's funny, and her culinary skills are abundant.

She's a best selling author and a highly regarded chef. Her cookbooks are delightful and her TV, charming. She is a saint walking among us. Of course her words of wisdom will make you a better person, they will brighten your day, and you will catch yourself whispering Ina Garten quotes to yourself. So snuggle up with one of her many amazing books, watch The Barefoot Contesa, and send these Ina Garten quotes to someone who needs to be put into a better mood.

Want more of Ina? Check out her cookbooks on Amazon, here.

We'd like you to know that there are affiliate links in this post. This means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the following links. Prices are accurate and items are in stock as of time of publication.

Ina Garten Quotes

  • "My extravagance is my garden - it's the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up. It gives me so much pleasure."

  • "I absolutely adore Thanksgiving. It's the only holiday I insist on making myself."

  • "I try to greet my friends with a drink in my hand, a warm smile on my face, and great music in the background, because that's what get s a dinner party off to a fun start."

  • "One of the great gifts that you can give people is to cook for them."

  • "Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love."

  • "The thing about all my food is that everything is a remembered flavor. Maybe it's something I had as a child or maybe it's something I had in Milan, but I want it to taste better than you ever thought

  • "I’d like to think that when I invite friends to my house, they know what I’m really saying is, “I love you; come for dinner."

  • "I time everything. I'm a scientist at heart."

  • "There's something really wonderful about a party where you help yourself. Of course, first you get what you really want. But 'family style' service also really encourages people to connect with one another."

Ina Garten Funny Quotes

  • "Hi, neighbor! I'm Ina Garten. My husband Jeffrey is away, and I've got some bruschetta, and a white wine open-- why don't you come over?" [From 30 Rock]

  • "Jeffrey is so amazing."

  • "The most overrated tool: a pasta maker. Why make it when you can buy it? It's a lot of work."

  • "Fun is the most important. If you do stuff for money, it never works out."

  • "I worry that if I don’t challenge myself professionally I’ll lie on the sofa and watch old episodes of Law & Order all day."

  • "Instead of going out to dinner, buy good food. Cooking at home shows such affection. In a bad economy, it's more important to make yourself feel good."

  • "You don't have to do everything from scratch. Nobody wants to make puff pastry!"

  • "You can be miserable before you have a cookie, and you can be miserable after you eat a cookie, but you can't be miserable while you are eating a cookie."

  • "Anyone who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested."

  • "You can teach people about cheese, but you can't teach them to be happy."

  • "Creme Brulee is the ultimate 'guy' dessert. Make it and he'll follow you anywhere."

  • "I get up every day, do the best that I can do, and go home and have a good time."

The Best Ina Garten Quotes

  • "A good home should gather you up in its arms like a warm cashmere blanket, soothe your hurt feelings, and prepare you to go back out into that big bad world tomorrow all ready to fight the dragons."

  • "Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable."

  • "Never let 'em see you sweat. Guests feel guilty if they think you've worked too hard to make dinner for them -- which of course you have!"

  • "The dirty little secret is that I grew up in a household where there were no carbohydrates allowed, ever. No cookies, no bread, no potatoes, no rice. My mother was very extreme in terms of what she served. Since I left home more than 40 years ago, I've been making it right for myself."

  • "I don't like sitting at a table that's too large, where everyone is too far apart. That's a party killer."

  • "Every family has traditions."

  • "People have more fun if they don't eat so much they have to be taken home in an ambulance."

  • "The most important thing for having a party is that the hostess is having fun. I'm very organized. I make a plan for absolutely everything. I never have anything that has to be cooked while the guests are there. The only thing I might have to do is take something out of the oven and carve it."

  • "My extravagance is my garden - it's the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up. It gives me so much pleasure."

  • "Grilled cheese and tomato soup is the ultimate comfort meal."

  • "I use other cookbooks for inspiration. I must say I tend to cook from my own cookbooks for parties."

Let's Keep the Conversation Going...

What's your favorite Ina Garten quote? We want to know!

Tweet us @womendotcom or follow us on Facebook and Instagram!