The Only Fast Food Chain Ina Garten Can Get Behind

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Ina Garten is our best-friend guide to classic flavors and quality ingredients, sharing recipes and inspiration on her comfort-watch TV show. When she's making hamburgers at home, the Barefoot Contessa elevates them beyond the same-old, same-old (Ina Garten's secret to a great burger involves egg yolks and butter), but she also has a surprising soft spot for In-N-Out.

As Garten shared with "Today," she doesn't eat fast food except for In-N-Out while she's on book tours in California. She revealed, "It's so good and I know it was Julia Child's favorite too, so it's okay." She's also in good company with other celebrity chefs: Anthony Bourdain loved In-N-Out and Gordon Ramsey prefers In-N-Out over Shake Shack in the debate between the two. Garten made it Instagram official when she posted a photo of herself and actress Jennifer Garner having burgers at In-N-Out, assuring one commenter that she gets hers "animal style."

The California-based regional chain has earned devotion for its classic menu of burgers, fries, and shakes, featuring beef chuck patties that get delivered fresh to its stores, daily. A big part of the love is the "Not So Secret Menu" that famously includes Garten's go-to "animal style" burger; An all-beef patty grilled with mustard, topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions, and extra "spread," AKA, the chain's signature Thousand Island-style sauce.

In-N-Out may be Ina Garten's biggest fast food fave, but she's also raved about Shake Shack's Chick'n Shack; Its crispy fried chicken sandwich with pickles, lettuce, and savory buttermilk herb mayo on a toasted potato bun. Garten likes it so much that she even created her own version with buttermilk-marinated chicken that's dipped twice in the marinade for a super crunchy crust. 

In reality, Shake Shack isn't exactly standard fast food. It was started by Danny Meyer, whose Union Square Hospitality Group owns several high-end New York City restaurants. His goal was to give everyday foods like burgers and hot dogs an upgrade with top-notch ingredients, which lands it more in Garten's wheelhouse. 

Still, Garten brushed In-N-Out, Shake Shack, and all the delicious meals she's tasted and created aside, when she told "Today" that for her last meal, she'd go with a hot dog. Of course, this is Ina Garten, so we're not talking about a street dog or ballpark frank. Instead, her pick would be a gourmet frankfurter from a Paris eatery called Frenchie to Go, which she once posted to Instagram. The all-beef hot dog is house-made and sits on a bun from a famous Paris bakery. It's topped with homemade sauerkraut, relish, and a French condiment called Savora; a Dijon mustard-based spread with a blend of 11 spices and seasonings. Care to spruce up your hot dog like Garten does in France? Grab your own jar of Amora brand Savora on Amazon.