Ina Garten is kitchen royalty, and over the years we’ve come to expect every ingredient she uses to be of the highest gourmet caliber, fit for a queen. Like the $15 French butter she eats every single day. But sometimes even the Barefoot Contessa is just like the rest of us, and relies on tried-and-true pantry staples that most of us keep on hand. One such item: good old-fashioned Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
Now, we know what you’re thinking. Couldn’t the Barefoot Contessa make ketchup from scratch? Absolutely. But, will she? Absolutely not. “It’s very complicated to make yourself, and store-bought is just fine,” she told TODAY in 2019. It’s comforting to know that even the best cooks don’t mind taking short cuts when they don’t compromise the integrity of a dish.
Of course, Garten uses ketchup for a lot more than as a dipping sauce for french fries. It’s one of the key ingredients in recipes like her traditional meatloaf. “I like Heinz,” she wrote as a sidenote in the margin of the turkey meatloaf recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. She spreads the ketchup over the top of the meatloaf before baking it in the oven, adding both flavor and moisture. Garten also uses Heinz Tomato Ketchup in her roasted shrimp cocktail recipe, in which ketchup is a main ingredient, mixing it with Heinz chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.
We don’t imagine most people are making their own ketchup (though we do have a recipe!). But Ina is known for having super high standards. So knowing that Heinz counts as “good-quality” ketchup is pretty satisfying.
What’s your favorite brand of ketchup? Let us know in the comments below!
Buy: Heinz Ketchup, 20 Ounces, $1.98