If you're ever lucky enough to attend a summer barbecue with Jennifer Garner, you're in for a real treat. Fans of the actress' Pretend Cooking Show know she's a serious whiz in the kitchen, and has used her KitchenAid stand mixer (which is also a Good Housekeeping Institute favorite) to churn out everything from homemade ice cream to fresh loaves of bread.
"I definitely bake more because there is a beautiful mixer on my counter looking at me," Jennifer told Good Housekeeping. "I bake a lot of bread, but I am very happy to let the KitchenAid knead the dough while I'm cleaning up, or having a sip of coffee, or whatever it is — I always have something else to be doing."
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer
Just in time for summertime soirees, we caught up with Jennifer over Zoom about the inspirations behind her favorite recipes, tips and tricks for mastering the stand mixer and, most importantly, what dishes you absolutely must bring to your next get-together.
Here's a transcript of our catch-up session with Jennifer Garner:
GH: What are your tips for stand mixer newbies?
JG: The first time you use it, always start slow. You can always add speed. You don't want to be wearing your flour, or your cream. Nudge it up a little at a time.
Pick a recipe that you like — even if it's tricky — and do it several times in a row. Then you'll start to own it, and you can extrapolate from there... Just get started with something that just sounds good to you, whether it's a very simple muffin, or a very simple ice cream that doesn't have a custard element to it. Or if it's super complicated, go for it!
GH: What are your favorite attachments?
JG: For years and years, we have made homemade pasta with the KitchenAid pasta attachment. It is tried and true. I use mine to make spaghetti, and it is a winner. It can take a very simple marinara and elevate it so that your kids are just like, "What in the heck just happened at this house?"
I like, in the summer, the shave ice attachment. I like that you can do it with dairy, or juices, or anything you want and make it into some delicious ice. And then, of course, the ice cream attachment. I have two bowls in case I want to double it.
KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Maker Attachment Set
GH: What are you whipping up this season?
JG: It's summer, so it's ice cream time. Ice cream feels like a celebration. For my family, ice cream has a special significance, because [of] the little farm my mom grew up on. They did not have much, but they did have a dairy cow, and they did have chickens. By summer, the chicks were laying, so they had a ton of eggs, and they sold them on the corner, and they used that money to buy sugar and vanilla.
[My family] had a big old rock salt ice cream maker. My grandmother, Violet, would set out a blanket outside when it was really hot, and she would bring out the custard, and they would grind it, and they'd eat a gallon of ice cream and then they would do it all over again. So, ice cream is summer to me.
GH: Do you prefer classic ice cream flavors, or do you like getting experimental?
JG: If you want to learn to make ice cream, knowing how to make a basic vanilla base, with or without eggs, is so helpful and important. And then play with it from there. Try it with balsamic vinegar. Try it with some toasted coconut and almonds and chocolate chips. Try it with a swirl of something delicious, peanut butter and chocolate or whatever sounds good to you. But if you can just do basic vanilla, you're in good shape.
My favorite ice cream I've ever made is one that I did on Pretend Cooking Show — that Ina one, [Milk Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream] from Barefoot Contessa's Modern Comfort Food cookbook. If I could only have a few cookbooks in my life, that would be one of them. And if I could only make a few ice creams in my life, that would be one of them. It is a perfect ice cream because it's chocolatey and it has the crunch of the cookies, but it's not so rich, it's not cloying. It's really just perfect.
Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
GH: What was the inspiration behind Pretend Cooking Show?
JG: Ina [Garten]... all of it is an homage to Ina. And just being a fan of the old Martha Stewart, before she had talk shows. She didn't have celebrities on [The Martha Stewart Show] with her, but I just really wanted to be on that show. This was like, 25 years ago. She was ignoring everyone that would call her and say, "You know who really likes you? This young girl who's on Felicity and Alias." And she was like, "Who is this kid?"... Then I named my dog (Martha Stewart) after her, and then she let me come and cook with her. That was like heaven.
GH: You're going to a summer barbecue — what are you bringing?
JG: I get a lot of pressure to bring buttermilk fried chicken that I've marinated overnight, but my mom loves this blackberry cobbler. That would be her go-to, and she would be upset with me if I didn't say that one. But I think something unexpected, like homemade ice cream, will make the whole party feel more summery, more special. You'll be a hit.
Lauren Gruber is an associate commerce editor at Hearst Magazines, where she writes for publications like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Country Living, House Beautiful, and more. She has over four years of professional experience covering a variety of lifestyle topics from home to fashion, with an advanced background in beauty and fragrance. When she’s not researching the most worthy Prime Day deals or hands-on testing all the latest perfume launches, Lauren is probably hanging out with her cat Serafina or flexing her AMC A-List membership at the movie theater.
You can find her previous work at Entertainment Tonight, Shop TODAY, USA Today, Self Magazine, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media.
