5 Things We Learned from Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro

Plus, get a sneak peek at the new season!

Ina returns for a third season of Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro on Sunday, October 21 at 12:30|11:30c. This season, Ina shares brand-new recipes along with a collection of tips and tricks that will help viewers cook with confidence no matter their level of experience.

"Why is it worth learning to cook the ways pros do? Because when you can really cook with confidence, you will find cooking and entertaining so much less stressful. Throughout the show you will find tips and tricks that will help you prepare recipes exactly the way I do," said Garten. "You will make totally delicious, professional looking dishes every time!"

Here are five things we learned from last season:

"I think my favorite flavor of all is vanilla," Ina reveals. "Not just any vanilla, good vanilla." She uses three kinds in her baking: whole beans, a good-quality store bought extract and a jar of homemade extract that she started 30 years ago. Read more.

"After all these years of cooking, even I find it daunting," Ina confesses. Her solution is to make an all-in-one dish like her Lamb Shanks and Orzo. To serve she recommends keeping it super casual. "Place a folded kitchen towel in the middle of the table, put the pot of lamb shanks and orzo right on the towel," she advises. "Everyone helps themselves and dinner is served! Read more.

Yes, she makes them! She loves to entertain for breakfast but doesn’t want to wake up at 5 a.m. to do it. Ina recalls, "The first time I ever made eggs for a crowd, I did a party when I was really young, Jeffrey and I were first married. I made omelets for each person. Trust me, that was a bad idea. That's why frittatas are great." Read more.

4: You never know who’s going to show up!

Last season, Ina had Wolfgang Puck, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud and Bobby Flay on the show. This season she welcomes several special guests, including Jennifer Garner and Nigella Lawson for a Thanksgiving celebration in primetime on Saturday, November 17 at 8|7c, as well as Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rob Marshall, and John DeLuca for a British-style lunch on Sunday, December 9 at 12:30|11:30c. Plus, follow Ina's Instagram page to see who's stopping by for dinner.

When Ina adopts a recipe from someone else, you know it has to be good. Last season she shared a recipe for what she calls "the best fried chicken anyone has ever had," but it doesn’t come from a Michelin-starred chef; it comes from The Shake Shack. Read more.

Plus:

Next Up

Ina’s Favorite Flavor of All Time: The Good Vanilla

And why you really don’t want to know what the imitation stuff is made of.