Every Ina Garten Cookbook, Ranked From Worst To Best

We wouldn't say that Ina Garten has put out any bad cookbooks, but some rank better than others. After all, her cookbooks all rank above four stars on book rating sites. Unless you're a superfan, there's a big chance that not every one of her cookbooks are going to fit your cooking style or needs. Some lend themselves more to parties, some have more classic recipes, while others have fancier fare. Still others promise to bring comfort to your table or help make cooking dinner easier.

You'll want to note that Garten owned a gourmet food shop called "The Barefoot Contessa" for nearly 20 years before writing cookbooks and becoming a TV cooking celebrity. So, you should expect high-quality gourmet ingredients to show up in her recipes. She's also not a trained chef. So, her style often appeals to home cooks for their simplicity.

If you're trying to decide which of her cookbooks is a better bet for you, we've perused all of Ina Garten's 13 cookbooks and parsed the ratings for you. Plus, we've tried to explain what makes each cookbook unique so you know which ones might work best for your needs.

Ina Garten's first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," came out in 1999. It's the worst one, but only relatively speaking. This is the cookbook that helped launch Garten's fame. In fact, it came out three years before the "Barefoot Contessa" TV show. Since it was her first cookbook, it's no wonder it has the absolute lowest percentage of four- and five-star ratings and is the most popular to own.

In "The Barefoot Contessa", Garten set out to make a cookbook with "fresh ingredients for simple food." The beauty of this cookbook is how ordinary most of the ingredients are, like Fresh Corn Salad made simply with corn, red onions, cider vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and fresh basil. Plus, they're easy to make.

This cookbook has a significant number of one- and two-star ratings. Those who are unimpressed with the book, often wish for more recipe pictures and find the recipes to be more dated or classic than modern and inspiring. So, it's not for everyone.

In 2012, Ina Garten put out "Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust" It lives up to its title and, thus, has thousands of four- and five-star ratings. Garten provides advice in each recipe to help make them "foolproof."

Her approach to writing these recipes is to provide notes on things to avoid or look for, like intense bubbling in the Sticky Toffee Date Cake recipe. However, she also gives other tips for foolproofing your shopping. She even gives an example of how she makes a timed schedule of what to do while cooking a meal. She also explains how to make many of the recipes ahead to serve later, like Caramelized Bacon. Reviewers like that all the recipes are tasty and use lots of fresh ingredients. Plus, there are pictures of all the recipes, which is always helpful.

Unfortunately, this cookbook has the second lowest percentage of four- and five-star ratings and a significant percentage of one- and two-star reviews. Once again, there are some complaints about the recipes being basic, but at least they're more modern. Recipes like Chicken With Wild Mushrooms and Sweet Potato Purée aren't all that groundbreaking. So, even though the recipes might turn out great, there might not be a lot that piques your interest.

Ina Garten's third cookbook came out in 2002, which was the year she began her television show. The idea behind "Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family" is to showcase recipes she likes to serve to friends and family when they come over to eat.

Since the items in this cookbook are made for get-togethers, they're cozy crowd pleasers like Chicken Noodle Soup, Lobster Cobb Salad, Parmesan Chicken, and Herb-Roasted Lamb. Once again, Garten explains using a timetable to get everything done on time. She also includes sample menus, like serving a Sunday breakfast of Challah French Toast with butter, maple syrup, sausage, orange slices, and coffee. The menu ideas alone make this book attractive.

Garten's "Family Style" cookbook is her fourth most popular cookbook. However, it has the third lowest percentage of four- and five-star reviews and a significant number of one- and two-star reviews. Unfortunately, there aren't photos of every recipe. Plus, some reviewers mention the recipes being too simple and bland. While it's not for everyone, it's still great for feeding a crowd.

"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients" hit the shelves in 2008, the same year Ina Garten's TV show by the same name came out. The idea behind this cookbook is to use good ingredients and specific processes for better results. For example, a Caprese Salad tastes better with freshly sliced summer tomatoes from your garden or the farmer's market and with freshly-grated Parmesan.

It's a cookbook for true foodies, as the quality of the recipes rely on using gourmet-level ingredients, like Marcona almonds, fresh figs, fresh herbs, fancy cheeses, good meats, and homemade stocks. The recipes in this cookbook tend to have a lot more ingredients than some of the lower-rated cookbooks, and there are photos for every recipe.

"Back to Basics" is the third most likely cookbook for Garten fans to own. However, it has several one- and two-star reviews from readers who aren't impressed with a cookbook that tells you how to make common foods like a BLT taste better by buying more expensive ingredients.

Drawing upon her love for cooking for people in her home, Ina Garten wrote "Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again" in 2006. It's her most popular cookbook based on the number of reviews.

Not only does it contain recipes, but it also has helpful sections for planning parties and dinners. Many recipes are simple but there are some that are more involved. Reviewers find recipes to impress guests and picky family members alike. Plus, the instructions are easy to follow even if you don't cook a lot.

While it ranked ninth for four- and five-star ratings, it has the absolute lowest number of five-star ratings of any of her cookbooks. However, we still decided to rate it ninth because not every recipe relies on using gourmet ingredients like "Back to Basics" does — just some, like her duck recipe. That said, the negative reviewers often complain about there not being enough budget-friendly recipes or ones that fit what their family likes to eat.

If you find Julia Child's complicated French recipes overwhelming because of the time and effort they take, you'll probably find Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook far more accessible. Garten's simplistic cooking style really shines in this cookbook full of delicious yet simple French recipes. It came out in 2004, making it only her second cookbook since starting her cooking show. It's also the sixth most popular one to own.

This is the type of French cookbook that empowers rather than intimidates. We love how simple some of the recipes are (relatively speaking), like the Cheese Straws that start with pre-made puff pastry, the Blue Cheese Soufflé with ridiculously easy instructions, and the easy-to-make Brioche Loaves with dough you refrigerate overnight. Granted, there are some more complex recipes, like the Boeuf Bourguignon, which spans two pages.

Reviewers find the recipes to be simple, practical, and delicious. Plus, there are plenty of mouth-watering photos. Overall, there aren't many negative reviews. So, you can make her French food with confidence.

Ina Garten's second cookbook from 2001 is called "Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties." It hit the shelves the year before she became a television food celebrity, and its overnight success further solidified her fame. The recipes are separated first into seasons and then into separate parties for each season, with a few recipes for each party. So, it basically is a cookbook full of party menus. Plus, she gives good advice for party management, like how to plan like a caterer for a canoe party.

For each type of party, the cookbook tells you exactly what to make for a stress-free dinner. So, it's kind of brilliant. For example, the menu from her summer Outdoor Grill dinner for six includes Real Margaritas, two salads (Endive and Avocado Salad and Tomato Fennel Salad), Grilled Herb Shrimp With Mango Salsa, Spaghettoni al Pesto, and a Peach Raspberry Shortcakes for dessert.

Reviewers find the recipes to be tasty and like the use of simple ingredients combined in interesting ways. It doesn't have a lot of negative reviews except from people who don't find the book to match their lifestyle or ones that find the recipes bland or too time-consuming.

In 2014, Ina Garten got the brilliant idea to publish "Make it Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook." As the name suggests, it's a cookbook full of recipes that you can make ahead for home or parties, inspired by the foods her early Barefoot Contessa gourmet shop made ahead for customers.

The beauty of this cookbook is that it's not full of casseroles to reheat, but it's instead full of beautiful recipes made with fresh ingredients. As such, it's more of an upscale make-ahead book with a wide range of ideas. Some of the options are no-cook ones like hummus, salads, and sandwiches. Others are made to be warmed up just before eating, such as soup or meats that you can eat cold or warmed. Still others should be assembled beforehand but need cooking or baking before serving, like Spanish Tapas Peppers and French Chicken Pot Pies. And, of course, there are cookies and other fancier desserts you can simply make ahead and serve. Instructions in the margins explain how to warm and serve each item later.

Reviewers like how easy the recipes are to make as well as the tips for making the recipes ahead of time if they'd like. Plus, there are photos for every recipe. This cookbook has the sixth-highest number of four- and five-star reviews among Garten's cookbooks and very few low ratings. Although, there are a few complaints about how pretentious or complicated some of the recipes are, needing to bake after making ahead, and the profusion of obscure ingredients.

In 2010, Ina Garten created a cookbook called "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?," which is full of interesting and flavorful recipes without a lot of complicated prep or cooking processes. So, you're not going to spend the night chopping veggies to get fancy results. The book has the fifth highest percentage of five and four- and five-star ratings, which is a testament to how easy, appealing, and tasty these recipes really are. Another bonus is that the ebook version has clickable content to give further information about ingredients and processes.

Some examples of easy recipes include French Toast Bread Pudding that simply requires soaking bread in liquid and flavorings for 10 minutes and then baking. Although, you may have to do a little work like slicing 20 figs in half before wrapping them in prosciutto for Roasted Figs & Prosciutto. And there are shortcuts like roasting and eggplant for easy peeling in Roasted Eggplant Caponata before using a food processor to combine it with jarred ingredients like capers and red peppers.

This book is tied for having the second lowest percentage of one- and two-star ratings. As usual, there are a few complaints from reviewers about unusual ingredients like sauternes or white truffle butter, or about the recipes just not suiting their fancy. However, it's solid as a whole.

In 2020, the world was plunged into stress and uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic raged around us, but Ina Garten was there to make us feel better with "Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook." It's the fifth most popular of Garten's cookbooks and has the most five-star reviews of any of her cookbooks. However, it only comes in fourth place when you consider both four-star and five-star reviews.

Garten says in her introduction, "You can be miserable before eating a cookie and you can be miserable after eating a cookie, but you can never be miserable while you're eating a cookie." So, when looking for comfort, food works wonders. The cookbook includes plenty of cozy recipes, starting with recipes like Hot Spiced Apple Cider, Fig & Cheese Toasts, Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip, and Spicy Pimento Cheese Spread. Then, she comforts her readers even more with other relaxing recipes like Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Ultimate Beef Stew, and Roasted Sausages, Peppers, & Onions.

Reviewers not only love the cookbook's concept, but find the recipes produce great, easy-to-make food. In contrast with all those high reviews, it also had the highest percentage of one- and two-star reviews. Those who don't like it often fault complicated recipes and too many expensive, obscure ingredients. Overall, it's been well-received.

Ina met Jeffrey Garten when she was 16 and began cooking everything she could for him when they got married. So, "Cooking With Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" is Ina's 2016 ode to all her cooking adventures for him, including many recipes she's made on repeat over the years and anecdotes. While it's the least popular one to own, it gets really high ratings. In fact, it has the third highest percentage of four- and five-star ratings of any of her cookbooks. So, it's worth a look if it hasn't been on your radar.

This cookbook showcases some of the fancier and more unique recipes we've seen from Ina. She includes recipes for menu items like Lentil & Kielbasa Salad, Spicy Sweet Potato Empanadas, and a Zucchini & Leek Frittata. Although, there are some more familiar ones like Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken and Filet Mignon With Mustard & Mushrooms. Plus, she includes a Challah With Saffron recipe, which mentions that challah bread was among the first of many things she cooked for Jeffrey after they married.

Of those who have tried this book, a smaller percentage of reviewers have given it one- and two-star reviews of any of her other cookbooks. Reviewers tend to find the recipes both delicious and easy to make. Naysayers mainly seem disinterested in the fancy dishes this cookbook offers.

"Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks" is Ina Garten's 2018 cookbook, which is full of plenty of pro tips to help you bake better and cook better. While it's Garten's second least popular cookbook, it boasts the second highest percentage of four- and five-star ratings.

If you flip through this cookbook, you'll find so many interesting recipes to bookmark and make. The pictures are gorgeous and there are plenty of pro-tip sections to make your food turn out better. Reviewers like all the cooking shortcuts and easy dishes. You'll find recipes like Chicken and Spinach and Waldorf Salad, Tuscan Tomato & Bread Salad, Chicken Thighs With Creamy Mustard Sauce, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Potato Galette, and Chocolate Chevron Cake.

With so many appealing recipes that turn out so well, it's easy to understand why it has very few one- and two-star ratings. For the ones who didn't like it, it mainly just didn't seem to suit their food interests.

The very best cookbook Ina Garten has put out thus far is the one that came out most recently in 2022, "Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook." As the title suggests, it's full of tried-and-true go-to dinner recipes. Since it hasn't been out as long, it doesn't have nearly as many ratings yet, making it the third least popular so far. However, it's already managed to obtain the highest percentage of four- and five-star reviews of any of her cookbooks.

Garten showcases many easy dinner types here. There are comforting classic dinners like Roast Chicken With Spring Vegetables and Overnight Mac & Cheese, lighter fare like Warm Vegetable & Grain Bowls, brunch for dinner options, one-pot meals, make-ahead and assemble-ahead dinners, and no-cook boards. She also lists which recipes use leftover chicken to make several meals in a row. Reviewers like how easy the recipes are to follow, the variety of recipes, and how accessible the ingredients are.

"Go-To Dinners" tied for having the second lowest percentage of one- and two-star reviews. Those who weren't impressed found the recipes too simplistic or didn't like repeats from other cookbooks. Overall, it makes planning and making dinner less stressful, which is what we all need after a long day.

We were able to obtain copies of the majority of Ina Garten's cookbooks. For those we didn't have in hand or as an ebook, there were enough pages available to read online to get a good overview. Since Garten's cookbooks are all fabulous, we decided to rely on the cookbook reviews on Amazon and Goodreads to gauge what makes home cooks particularly happy with these cookbooks and what left them less than thrilled. Our ranking is based on the percentage of four- and five-star reviews. However, when the exact ranking was questionable, we looked at other factors like what reviewers were saying made the cookbook particularly good or bad in comparison to similarly-ranked ones. In the end, all the percentage rankings seemed true.