Ina Garten Reveals the 2 Holiday Staples She Refuses to Make from Scratch

There are certain recipes that I’m not afraid to tackle, like Taylor Swift’s chai cookies and Antoni Porowski’s cauliflower steak. But when it comes to complicated TikTok recipes, I don’t want to put that burden on my guests (who will inevitably have to eat it). Luckily, Ina Garten just shared some useful tips ahead of the holidays, including a hot-take on frozen mashed potatoes. 

Earlier this month, the Barefoot Contessa star, 76, debunked the theory that homemade holiday staples are better than store-bought ones. Garten explained that certain items—like pumpkin purée and mashed potatoes—aren’t worth the hassle, especially if you’re cooking for a large group.

In a video posted to Instagram, Garten reveals that store-bought pumpkin purée is better than anything you can make at home. “Pumpkin purée is not only fine, it’s actually better,” she says. “People think they should cook the pumpkin but it never comes out right because the pumpkin purée is a certain kind of pumpkin that’s different than what we buy, like for jack-o'-lanterns.”

This next one may surprise you. Garten admits that mashed potatoes are *a lot* of work, so she often fools guests by using—wait for it—frozen potatoes with her own mix-ins. She adds, “You can buy really good mashed potatoes in the grocery store in the freezer section.” 

Garten continues, “And then what I do is I add things to it. I add sour cream, I add garlic to it—smashed garlic or cooked garlic—and it’s absolutely delicious. Nobody will know that they’re not freshly smashed potatoes.”

If there’s one thing that Garten suggests making yourself, it’s whipped cream. “Whipped cream is so easy to make yourself. Don’t buy it store-bought in a can. I have no idea what’s in there,” she said. “It’s just heavy cream. You whip it until it has soft peaks. Add some sugar, vanilla. It’s so much better.”