Dolly Parton loved to cook. Here are her best tricks for fluffier eggs, better cornbread, and more.

Dolly Parton, the renowned country music star, had a deep love for cooking. In conversations with Business Insider, she shared her favorite culinary tips. Parton often prepared simple dishes like mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread for her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. She believed that using bacon grease made her cornbread exceptionally delicious.

Parton also had an unconventional mac and cheese recipe: she cooked it with fried apples dusted with cinnamon when she didn't have many supplies in the fridge. Her secret for fluffier scrambled eggs was to add a few drops of ice water to the bowl when cracking the eggs. Parton famously believed that knowing how to make good fried chicken was essential for a successful marriage, as she and her husband Carl Dean were married for over 50 years.

Her cookbook, "Good Lookin' Cookin'", published in 2024, features recipes from each month of the year, with her favorite being the Thanksgiving chapter filled with Southern staples.