The 3-Flavor Rule Ina Garten Swears By For Cooking Any Dish

Over the course of her decades-long career in the food world, Ina Garten has developed tried-and-true rules for salting dishes, cooking perfect steaks, and entertaining guests, among countless other arenas in the home and kitchen. Now, the Barefoot Contessa has let fans in on another one of her pearls of wisdom, and it speaks to the chef's broader dogmatic approach to cooking at large.

The tip comes from Garten's new memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," published in October 2024. According to Garten, there should never be more than three prominent flavors in a recipe. "My brain just can't process more than that without becoming overloaded," she writes. "And those flavors must play nicely with each other and be perfectly balanced." 

Garten has this rule down to a science. "Roasted carrots, for example, are savory, but they're also sweet, so I cook them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, which is both sweet and acidic," she explains in her memoir. "Roasting brings out the sugars in the carrots, and the acid in the vinegar gives them an edge and makes the flavors pop." Even the best intentions cannot rescue an over-seasoned or overly complicated dish. (You should probably crack your own black pepper and toss out any stale, expired spices, too).

As another example, our sweet and spicy apricot-glazed pork chops combine three flavors: savory (pork chops), sweet (apricot preserves), and spicy (crushed red pepper). While complementary accessory flavors are present in the dish, from ingredients like garlic and lime juice, the three dominant flavors in this recipe are sweet, spicy, and savory. To add the garlic or lime juice too heavy-handedly would be overkill, and would cheapen rather than enhance the dish's overall taste.

Less can truly be more in the kitchen. There's a reason why "Best Supporting Actor" is an Oscar-worthy category. As you assess your recipes through Garten's tripartite lens, keep the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami) in mind to troubleshoot your dishes and avoid overdoing them. These tastes interact to elevate dishes with a system of checks and balances. Saltiness, for instance, can temper sweetness and bitterness, while sweetness can soften excessive saltiness and spiciness. 

As a general rule, if a dish is adequately salted but still tastes "blah," it's likely missing an acid component. A squirt of lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar can make a world of difference — and that salt and acidity already fulfill two flavors per Garten's three-flavor rule. The actual food you're seasoning, whether steak or vegetables, will provide the missing third aspect of savory, sweet, or pungent. Taste as you go to help you determine what flavor your dish needs to shine.