For being almost 25 years old, this cookbook holds up pretty well. Beautiful pictures, and doable recipes (despite the long running Ina Garten joke of "if you can't make it homemade, store-bought is fine.")

So many delicious recipes in a simple book like this, without a doubt the author is a magnificent cook. Congratulations.

Some delicious recipes, but they do take forever to make. 2-3 hours each. Simple ingredients and steps though!

Gotta love the Contessa! Simple, accessible ingredients, delicious food -- full of the love of feeding loved people.

Here’s my verdict on The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.

To Read: Yes. It’s well-written with some stories about Garten’s personal life and great cooking tips. There is also a foreward by Martha Stewart that you won’t want to skip over.

To Look At: Yes. There are beautiful photos of each recipe, which I think is standard for all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks.

To Cook From: Yes. I haven’t made a lot of recipes from this cookbook, but I have made plenty of Barefoot Contessa recipes. They are always easy to understand and come out well.

Ina Garten has written a lot of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. I have looked through a few others, and I’m not sure The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is the one I would pick if I had to choose just one. I’m not sure why, but there weren’t that many recipes I was super excited about (although it might be worth it just for the brownies!). I have heard that Barefoot Contessa Foolproof is one of her best. Her Make It Ahead cookbook also has a lot of recipes I want to try, including a recipe for dog treats!

Amazing! I love the little tidbits of advice and the whys of how it is. Good solid pictures with all the recipes and easy to follow instructions. Might be for cooks that have a reasonable know how around the kitchen already.

Loved the pictures and the stories that went along with them.

During a particularly challenging time in my life, I found and fell in love with Ina. Many of her recipes are staples in my cooking repertoire, and I have yet to find a Barefoot Contessa cookbook that I don't thoroughly enjoy. Great for ANY kitchen and cook!!!

One of my all time fav cookbooks!

It is an adventure cooking from this book- forced me out of my comfort zone.
Make me grateful for taking the 'risk.'

The two pages for the chocolate cake and homemade icing are worth the work and one of the best tasting cakes I've ever made!

I’d long wanted my own copy of this well-known and much-lauded cookbook. Reading it cover to cover did not disappoint one bit. I am already eager to try several of the recipes, with a few adjustments and clever twists from Ina’s more recent cooking shows. I don’t collect cookbooks as a rule, but this was one I’d heard was fun to read and had beautiful pictures. All true, and will be a resource I keep close at-hand in my kitchen for every season.

I had plans to see Ina Garten speak in Wilmington but had none of her books! I requested and received this for Christmas. It's a lovely cookbook; the recipes are all enticing, simple, and straightforward. Most of all, her personality shines through--she's gracious and down to earth. In all of her recipes, she is very aware of her audience--the home cook and entertainer, not the chef or caterer. I was pleased to see how her philosophy echoes mine--the first time you try a recipe, you follow it EXACTLY. Otherwise, how can you judge the author's work? After that, tweak it to your desire. That is very much how I operate. I also was pleased to see that she always uses recipes. I had felt that maybe I wasn't really much of a cook because I can't just throw things together on my own and have it turn out well. I also have her newest book, Foolproof, and think I'll get more. Another of her comments is that just one good recipe makes a book worthwhile. After hearing about the blue cheese souffle, I may get the Barefoot in Paris just to get that recipe. It sounds wonderful!

Love Ina!