Ingrid Hoffmann: Celebrity Chef (and Trained Pilot!)

Ingrid Hoffmann never set out to rock the kitchen. The recognizable chef from popular television shows on The Food Network, The Cooking Channel, and Univision has even confessed to actively avoiding a culinary career, desperate to grow past the skills that she learned in her childhood. But her love of food, evident from the time she used a stool to reach the stove and assist her mother Yolanda, a Cordon Bleu chef, in preparing meals for the family in their native Colombia, won out.

“I like cooking for people, I like sharing the table, and I think that’s a very Latin thing,” explains Ingrid.  “To me, it’s like giving somebody love. It’s also a great way for us Latinos to continue our traditions. That,” she stresses, “is key.”

When choosing featured recipes for her shows, Ingrid keeps her viewers in mind. “I like my recipes to be something that anyone can do,” she explains. So whether you’re Hispanic and know what you’re doing with sazón or you’re a non-Hispanic looking to experiment in the kitchen, you can feel at ease trying out one of her recipes.

Whether Ingrid is creating a meal for audiences or for friends at home, most of Ingrid’s recipes feature natural ingredients since she shies away from using any kind of processed food. She suggests herbs, vinegars, and zests as ingredients that flavor food naturally. Though fresh herbs can spoil quickly Hoffmann offers some insight. “I wrap up my herbs in a moist Bounty paper towel, and then place them inside a zipper storage bag, without sealing it, then put it in the fridge.” The extra shelf life can be priceless in a pinch!

For Hoffmann, tool selection is also important.  Ingrid teamed up with T-Fal to create the “Simply Delicioso” collection, Hoffmann’s own line of pots and pans that can help cut down cooking time.

“A pressure cooker is a must,” says Ingrid, when asked about tools she can’t live without. “Who has time to soak their beans overnight? I don’t. Plus the pressure cooker you can purchase today is not the same type that was owned by your abuela!”  

As if to prove her point, Hoffmann released a pressure cooker with T-Fal last year.

“She’s sexy, she’s red, and I named her Betty. I make everything with Betty, from Arroz Con Leche to risotto to varied desserts; even a bouillabaisse in six minutes with ingredients that were in the freezer! Betty,” she laughs, “is my best friend.”

Other tools Hoffmann can’t live without? A lemon/lime squeezer, and a zester, which she uses on fruit rinds and hard cheese.

A twenty-year Miami resident, there are foods she misses from Colombia that she wishes was more readily available in the states. First on the list?  Guasca.  “Guascas is a spice herb commonly used when making a native potato soup called ajiaco santafereño.  Distinctive in flavor, it would go well with so many dishes in America.”

Though Hoffmann’s mother nurtured her love of cooking, her father Billy, a former pilot, gave her a sense of adventure. Familial pride shines through when Hoffmann talks about her family and their influences.

“I fly a lot, too,” Ingrid explains. “But it’s worth mentioning that my dad was also an amazing cook. He wasn’t classically trained like mom but he can cook like the gods.”

A workhorse to her core, Ingrid manages her own Twitter and Facebook fan pages, and is known in the social media universe as a chef that will assist a fan in finishing a dessert from her cookbook.

“I am a total social media junkie! I like responding to people. I enjoy engaging with my audience, and hearing what people want.” You can reach Ingrid via her Twitter account or on Facebook.