Ina Garten Says It’s OK to Order Pizza for a Dinner Party
TL;DR:
- Ina Garten said on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? it’s OK to order pizza for a dinner party because “the thing that makes a great party is that the host is having fun.”
- The Barefoot Contessa previously shared her trick for elevating delivery pizza.
- Ina Garten is a fan of other ready-made/store-bought foods besides pizza.
Get ready to invite people over because ordering pizza for entertaining just got Ina Garten’s stamp of approval. What the Be My Guest host said about how delivery pizza can be part of a “great party.” Plus, what she does to take it up a notch.
Ina Garten says ‘having fun’ makes for a ‘great party’ so ‘order a pizza’
Delivery pizza is OK by the Barefoot Contessa. Yes, really. During a Jan. 2023 appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Garten explained the key to hosting a party has nothing to do with the food.
“You say the most important thing is keep it simple. And when you’re entertaining, particularly, keep it relaxed,” host Chris Wallace said while discussing Garten’s approach to food.
“Because at the end of the day, the thing that makes a great party is that the host is having fun,” she replied. “And if the host, the host or hostess, is, like, crying and sweating and going crazy, nobody’s gonna have fun.”
“So, you know what,” Garten continued. “Order a pizza, make a fabulous Caesar salad, order an apple tart for dessert, and have a really good time.”
Previously, she’s admitted that even she gets stressed before dinner parties and nervous cooking for people. Ultimately, it comes down to what she told Wallace, that the host is having a good time.
Ina Garten doesn’t like to serve pizza in the box it came in
Now for the Barefoot Contessa way to spruce up delivery pizza. It’s not adding “good” Parmesan cheese. Although she probably wouldn’t object. Or even adding more toppings. Again, she probably wouldn’t be against it. Garten’s tip for elevating pizza is even easier.
When she invited friends over for a socially-distanced meal in 2020, she simply took the pizzas out of the box. “The pizzas didn’t go in cardboard, they went on platters,” she said.
The trick is similar to what Garten’s known to do with store-bought appetizers such as potato chips and nuts. She uses silver bowls for a special touch.
Ina Garten is a fan of all sorts of store-bought foods
Getting pizza delivered isn’t the only thing in Garten’s arsenal to make entertaining easier. She also likes store-bought foods, from Tate’s Bake Shop cookies to apple tarts.
While co-hosting Today in Dec. 2022, Garten shared she likes to get apple tarts from Trader Joe’s. “The other day, I had some friends over, and I got an apple tart from Trader Joe’s,” she said. “I put it in the oven — it was absolutely delicious.”
Other items she’d rather buy than make from scratch include vanilla ice cream (Garten is a fan of Häagen-Dazs), baguettes, and tomato sauce.
