An eagle-eyed Ina Garten fan recently noticed that the born-and-raised New York City Food Network star cuts bagels a little differently than most people, sparking the latest viral cooking sensation dispute.
In a clip from an old “Barefoot Contessa” episode on the Food Network website, Garten can be seen using her serrated knife to cut a thick sesame bagel twice, instead of the typical single slice down the middle. Slice to form three equal bagel rounds – top, middle and bottom.
Her reasoning is similar to what one sees in a club sandwich, where an extra piece of bread is placed in the middle of the sandwich to help with the overall structure.
“Instead of eating a big, thick bagel, I like to cut it into three pieces,” she said.
She continues her demonstration by spreading herbed cream cheese on the bottom of the bagel, adding a layer of smoked salmon, then stacking a second bagel layer on top and repeating the process.
When the original video was shared on X and racked up over 3.5 million views, the internet was divided.
While some commenters dismissed Garten’s technique, others defended her.
“Two layers of slander, she is a visionary,” one user replied.
Garten has yet to comment on the now-hot breakfast food debate.