Ina Garten's Husband Gave A Hard Pass To Just One Of Her Dishes

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Ina Garten's fans are very familiar with her adoring husband, Jeffrey, who the entertainment maven freely gushes about on her television shows and during interviews. He has even made several appearances on "The Barefoot Contessa" where he is inevitably filmed tasting his wife's finished dishes, always praising them and Ina, as well. In 2009, Garten confirmed that Jeffrey's responses to her cooking are really no act, telling the Yale Daily News, "Jeffrey is an easy audience. He likes everything I make." However, she quickly admitted that she once made a fish stew that didn't turn out right — and wasn't Jeffrey's favorite. Garten offered no further details, but we can assume that she honed her fish stew skills over time, because she includes a dish similar to bouillabaisse in her cookbook, "Barefoot in Paris." But, even so, fish stew is the one dish Ina Garten won't make for dinner parties.

In 2018, Garten also told "The Chew" host Michael Symon that she made a ground beef and corn dish early in the couple's marriage, which she described as, "Just awful." Jeffrey's playful response was, "Mmm, this is delicious ... don't ever make it again." Ina and Jeffrey have been married since 1968, so just a couple of culinary misfires in that timeframe is one heck of a record. Garten, of course, has an arsenal of recipes that Jeffrey loves. In fact, she even wrote a cookbook called, "Cooking for Jeffrey," packed with his most-requested recipes over their almost 60-year union.

In her very first book, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," Ina Garten described her recipe for perfect roast chicken as Jeffrey's favorite Friday night dinner. This simple roast chicken became the dish Ina is best known for. Later, when she wrote, "How Easy Is That?," she included a roast chicken recipe again, but this time named it "Jeffrey's Roast Chicken." And, as Garten confirmed to the Yale Daily News, Jeffrey also loved her turkey meatloaf (particularly the leftovers) and roast filet of beef with gorgonzola sauce.

After the release of Garten's cookbook, "Cook Like A Pro," she dedicated one of her television episodes to some of her husband's favorite dishes, which included salmon cured with dill and Pernod, fried chicken sandwiches, and coffee chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. You likely won't find anything with cilantro on Jeffrey's list of favorite dishes since Ina can't stand this divisive herb — and won't put it in a single recipe. As for Jeffrey's contribution to kitchen duties, Ina shared on Instagram that "he makes really good coffee." Mr. Garten can then be seen in a chef's hat and Barefoot Contessa apron as he proceeds to fill their coffee pot with water and "good" coffee grounds. You really can't help but to adore these two.