Ina Garten's Oatmeal Hack Is Stupid Simple (But Seriously Delicious)

    Without her secret ingredient, she said oatmeal tastes like "wallpaper paste."

    Jesse Szewczyk
    by Jesse Szewczyk

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Ina Garten, the queen of effortless entertaining and cooking, is known for creating simple recipes that are pure perfection.

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    From her famous engagement roast chicken to simple-yet-chic chocolate ganache cupcakes amped-up with instant coffee, her recipes never disappoint.

    And when it comes to breakfast, Garten (of course) has a secret up her sleeves, too.

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    Brace yourselves, because this is one of those tricks that's so simple that it's both genius and stupid at the same time — you know, one of those tricks you wish you came up with yourself but didn't?

    In an interview with Bon Appetit, Garten gave away all of her secrets to making perfect oatmeal (including microwaving it) and revealed that the one trick to making it infinitely better is adding salt.

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    Yep, just plain old kosher salt.

    "Most people don’t do their oatmeal with salt, and I think that without it, it just tastes like wallpaper paste," says Garten.

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    "With salt, I think it’s delicious," she added.

    This makes sense, as salt is an important ingredient that helps flavors come through more — so Garten is definitely onto something.

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    So the next time you make your morning oatmeal, add a pinch of salt. It's just one of those small steps that makes a big difference.

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    How easy was that?

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