We Dug Up Ina Garten's Hosting Advice From the Early 2000s and It's Incredible

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned
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Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

For House Beautiful’s 125th anniversary this year, we're digging into some of our favorite spaces from our archive—including, so far, decorator Sister Parish’s New York Apartment and the West Hollywood home and studio of designer extraordinaire Tony Duquette, dubbed "the house of a magician." Here, we revisit a collection of Q&As with Ina Garten from the early 2000s.

No matter how often you cook an elaborate meal or throw a party, there are always areas you can improve. Enter: Ina Garten. In the early 2000s, House Beautiful ran a column called Ask the Barefoot Contessa in which readers submitted their burning questions about all things cooking and hosting to the one and only Ina. She responded to readers with her expert advice, tackling everything from common dinner party problems to her thoughts on nonstick cookware at the time (spoiler: She wasn’t a fan!). Ahead, we’ve pulled some of the best Q&As—all of which cover topics any cook or host might wonder about today.


Reader: How do you deal with people who are late to dinner?

Ina Garten: This is a really tough issue because you want to be respectful not only of the friends who are late, but also of the friends who are already at the party. No one wants to wait until 10 o’clock for dinner, and I certainly don’t want to serve a burnt roast! This is what I do: I wait for up to 30 minutes for the latecomers to arrive. If they’re still not there, I quietly rearrange the table setting to remove their plates, glasses, and chairs, and put them aside in case they do arrive. Then we all sit down to dinner.

If the friends arrive later, everyone can quickly rearrange themselves to make room—and then I serve them whatever course we’re eating at the time. This works for everyone. The friends who are at the party have the same good time expected, and the late guests don’t feel guilty that they’ve ruined your party.

Reader: I get so nervous when I’m having a dinner party. What can I do to make it more fun for myself?

IG: The truth is, I still get nervous when I’m having a party, and I’ve been doing it professionally for almost 30 years! There are so many things to do and never enough time. (Nevermind, I always think I should vacuum behind the refrigerator before people come over!) So, instead, I sit down and make a list of everything I can do in advance and divide it among the number of days left until the party. Three or four days in advance, I’ll decide on the menu, make the shopping list, and plan the schedule.

I’m specific: the shopping list will say 2 pints of strawberries and 12 ounces of olive oil. The schedule will read: 5:00 P.M. boil the potatoes; 5:30 P.M. turn the oven to 350 degrees; 6:00 P.M. put the lamb in the oven. Three days before, I’ll shop for all of the nonperishables such as flour, butter, sugar, and potatoes, so the day of the party I’ll just need to buy perishables like fish and strawberries. Two days before, I’ll set the table—polish silver, iron napkins, and arrange the flowers. If the flower petals are tight when they come from the florist, it gives them a few days to open and look gorgeous for the party.

I also take out all the platters and write Post-its for them that say “lamb” and “orzo.” Just when I’m ready to serve isn’t the time I want to realize that last Thanksgiving I broke my favorite platter and forgot to replace it!

Reader: Is it necessary to serve coffee at the end of the meal?

IG: Okay, I’m guilty of this too: At the end of dinner, if I ask, “Nobody wants coffee, do they?” no one will ask for it. But if you want to be really nice to your guests (and I do!), this is the best way to serve coffee after dinner: Before the party, set up the water and coffee in not one—but two—coffee makers, but don’t turn them on. (I keep an extra coffee maker in the pantry, and you’d be surprised how often I use it.) Then I put regular coffee in one or both coffeemakers, depending on the answers. If no one wants coffee, I’ll just leave the pots all set for the morning. How easy is that?

Reader: Do you use nonstick cookware?

IG: Personally, I’m not so crazy about nonstick. Although nothing works as well as nonstick pans, I’ve always avoided them. I always feel as though I have to be careful with them, and need to use some special utensil or the nonstick coating will come off in my dinner. That’s not so appetizing!


You love finding new design tricks. So do we. Let us share the best of them.


I’m not so good at doing table settings. Do you have any advice?

I tend to keep mine pretty simple. I usually base the color of the setting on the color of the flowers. Not lots of different flowers, but simply one big bowl of something dramatic_orange tulips, hot pink peonies, or white roses with lime green alchemilla. To make the flowers look their best, I’ll use a paler color tablecloth—usually white, cream, or natural Belgian linen. The plates are almost always white (it makes the food look best), and the napkins either pick up the color of the flowers or contrast with them. If I have blue hydrangeas, a white cloth and plum napkins look great. If the roses are peach and the cloth is cream, a big peach napkin is nice. Next is the silverware and glasses. Mix it up. I have a set of silver that’s half antique and half new, and I think it looks more modern than your grandmother’s silver. For glasses, I like to have an assortment of heights—low water tumblers, footed wine glasses, champagne flutes (if it’s appropriate). Light from votive candles will make the silver glasses sparkle. Don’t obsess; all the dishes and chairs don’t have to match—if they’re the same color and about the same shape, they’ll look just fine together. Remember, it’s about the friends not the table setting.

What’s the best size table for a dinner party?

I like small parties. With 6 people, you can really get a conversation going. The ideal table for 6 or 7 is a 48-inch round, because everyone is equally engaged in the conversation. If people are a little crowded it feels even more intimate. For a bigger party, I don’t love big round tables. We’ve all been seated at huge 60-inch round tables and there's probably a giant flower arrangement in the middle. It’s impossible to talk across the table, so you’re stuck talking to the two people next to you for the whole evening. For large parties, a rectangular table works best—but be sure it’s not wider than 30 to 36 inches so guests can talk across the table.

If you have a 48-inch round table anywhere in your house, think about having your dinner party there, even if it’s in the study or living room. Why does the party always have to be in the dining room? If I don’t have the right table in the house, I’ll call my party rental company and ask them to deliver a table, folding chairs, and a pretty cloth. It’s not only easier for setting up, but after the party’s over, I don’t need to wash and iron the cloth. How easy is that?

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Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned


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