{"id":2133514,"date":"2025-04-20T10:01:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T15:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=2133514"},"modified":"2025-04-18T15:36:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T20:36:55","slug":"ina-garten-cilantro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/ina-garten-cilantro\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is the One Ingredient Ina Garten Will Never Use in a Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"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<\/a> after another.\r\n\r\nWhile we know a lot of her favorite foods<\/a> to cook and eat, like this delightfully simple dessert<\/a> or the side dish she says goes with everything<\/a>, we don't know a lot about the foods she\u00a0dislikes<\/em>.\r\n\r\nBut, 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.\r\n

What is the one ingredient Ina Garten never cooks with?<\/h2>\r\nIt'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,\u00a0also<\/em>\u00a0hated the herb<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIna's reasoning is straightforward and will sound familiar to anyone who has ever gone out for tacos with a new group of people. \u201cIt\u2019s such a strong flavor and it overwhelms everything else and I actually think it's physiological,\" she said on the Today show<\/a>. And she definitely has a point, there\u00a0is<\/em> a reason why some people can't stand the flavor.\r\n

Why is cilantro so divisive?<\/h2>\r\nThere 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<\/a>.\u00a0Some people's DNA is wired in a way where cilantro tastes like soap or dirt or is oddly metallic.\r\n\r\nIf 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\u2014one less thing to get stuck in your teeth!\r\n\r\nRelated:\r\n