Ree Drummond Follows This Store-Bought Rule When Making Meals

The debate surrounding whether to buy things from the store or make all your food from scratch will likely never subside, but a middle ground can sometimes be found among many proficient cooks surrounding the subject. While Ina Garten believes that store-bought is fine for many things (including ice cream), Ree Drummond has expressed a slightly more nuanced take, saying that she only uses store-bought foods and ingredients when they can complement other aspects of a recipe without stealing the spotlight. Drummond explained this method in a 2023 interview with Tasting Table, saying, "The key to using store-bought items or shortcuts is limiting them to one or two per recipe and letting the whole or from-scratch ingredients lead."

This isn't particularly surprising for Drummond, who prides herself on recipes like her homemade peach ice cream and other dishes made from simple, fresh ingredients. "The point of a store-bought shortcut is to save time," she continued, "but you never want to use it at the expense of the flavor of the dish."

While she won't be using several store-bought ingredients to make one of her many go-to recipes, Ree Drummond has a handful of reliable items she looks for at the store. "My favorites are good jarred marinara — it can be a dipping sauce for calzones or incorporated into a rich Bolognese — and frozen bread dough," Drummond revealed, adding, "It makes the most incredible pizza crust, not to mention cinnamon rolls." The latter is particularly useful for Drummond, who famously dislikes making bread at home and avoids it whenever she can.

Beyond those key store-bought items, there are a handful of other ingredients that Drummond likes to get from the store so she can focus on more vital aspects of her recipes. With baking in mind, Drummond likes buying pie crust from the store, especially for savory dishes like quiches and pot pies. Furthermore, "The Pioneer Woman" isn't afraid to buy store-bought dumplings or gnocchi to give her soups some more substance without needing to put in the time and effort it takes to make them from scratch.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and The Takeout.