Step into the world of Ina Garten, where everything is perfectly in its place. The table is perfectly set – with linen napkins, of course, and white wine glasses – and the primrose centrepiece is perfectly cut. The roast is in the oven, the potatoes are on the stove. Perfection.

But Ina Garten’s number one rule about entertaining is to never wear yourself out to achieve perfection. And that is why her cooking show, Barefoot Contessa, which has aired for 28 seasons on Food Network, has the vast following that it does.

When you cook with Ina, you have a feeling that she’s got your back. She won’t let you figure things out on your own, like how much salt is “to taste” or when the edges are “just brown.” She will coach you in a soft, smooth timbre, with all the love of a TV grandmother.

Ina Garten gives us fantasy and reality. She gives us the clean, calm world of her home in East Hampton, where tomatoes always come from the garden. But she also gives us a cooking style suited for real people in not-so-fantastical worlds: before becoming a celebrity chef, she wrote policies for the nuclear energy budget in the White House, and that kind of practicality comes through in the down-to-earth Barefoot Contessa. Simple ingredients become tasty, elegant dishes. Her catchphrase: “How easy is that!”

Nothing much changes in this cosy world. My first memories of watching Ina Garten were from when I was 10 or 11 years old, on weekends with my mom. She was always my mom’s favourite – the only cook she thought wasn’t pompous or insincere. Hear it from her: “For me, Ina brings it all together. She uses fresh ingredients, keeps her recipes simple, boasts a beautiful house and garden, and exudes a loving lifestyle that is atypical for most cooking hosts.”