Don't bring this into her kitchen!
This Is the One Ingredient Ina Garten Will Never Use in a Recipe
Published on Apr. 20, 2025
Ina Garten is truly a domestic goddess. For as long as I can remember, she’s been capturing our hearts and stomachs with one knockout recipe after another.
While we know a lot of her favorite foods to cook and eat, like this delightfully simple dessert or the side dish she says goes with everything, we don’t know a lot about the foods she dislikes.
But, if you look closely at all of the recipes that Ina has put together over the years, you’ll notice that one ingredient never makes the cut. And I have to say, it’s not altogether surprising.
What is the one ingredient Ina Garten never cooks with?
It’s a common ingredient for people to dislike. Say it with me: cilantro! Listen, as a cilantro lover, I expected more from Ina. But apparently, she isn’t alone. Her fellow domestic goddess, Julia Child, also hated the herb.
Ina’s reasoning is straightforward and will sound familiar to anyone who has ever gone out for tacos with a new group of people. “It’s such a strong flavor and it overwhelms everything else and I actually think it’s physiological,” she said on the Today show. And she definitely has a point, there is a reason why some people can’t stand the flavor.
Why is cilantro so divisive?
There is science to back up Ina’s claim that her disdain is “physiological.” You might be cursed (or blessed, who’s to say) with what is colloquially referred to as the soap gene. Some people’s DNA is wired in a way where cilantro tastes like soap or dirt or is oddly metallic.
If you are one of the soap gene-havers, it’s OK. You can still use fresh herbs in your dishes. Parsley is a great way to add depth of flavor and a hint of herby brightness to a dish. Or you can forgo it altogether—one less thing to get stuck in your teeth!
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