12 Foods You Should Avoid Bringing to a Dinner Party

There are numerous rules to consider when it comes to dinner parties, including what not to bring. For instance, beyond any etiquette or ingredient considerations, you want to remember that it’s not your house or your dinner party when preparing a dish. After all, even if you’re among friends, certain dishes simply aren’t acceptable to bring to a dinner party at another person’s home.

No one wants to offend their fellow diners, make anyone sick, or be the person that everyone talks about behind their back concerning what they brought. Additionally, people will likely notice if you bring a half-hearted effort, while some dishes may be viewed as less thoughtful than others.

Simply put, you want to respect your host, their house, and any other guests when it comes to the food you bring to a dinner party. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the worst types of foods that you can bring to a dinner party, which will help ensure you’re invited back to future gatherings.

You know how dinner parties go. Even if you get started eating on time, the food is likely to sit out for hours as you talk and mingle. With that in mind, you probably want to avoid showing up with raw sushi or steak tartare, as dishes with certain raw ingredients are one of the worst types of food to bring to a dinner party.

The main concern here is food safety. After all, when a food item sits out at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, any bacteria present can begin to multiply, thus increasing the risk for foodborne illness. Furthermore, pathogens have a greater chance of multiplying the longer a dish sits out. Since foods often stay at room temperature for long periods during dinner parties, anything that hasn’t been cooked or pasteurized to remove bacteria should be skipped.

Additionally, while anyone can get sick from foodborne pathogens, it’s even more dangerous for older adults or those who are immunocompromised. The FDA advises extra caution with any foods containing raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish. Any uncooked foods made with unpasteurized dairy products, raw or undercooked eggs, or raw flour are also risky. Raw sprouts and unwashed fruits and vegetables are also potentially problematic, as is any unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juice.

If you’re throwing your own dinner party, feel free to smell up the house however you’d like. Of course, if you’re going to someone else’s house for the occasion, it’s best to leave the stronger-scented foods at home. Even if the dish in question tastes amazing, people tend to be sensitive to stronger scents. Certain foods are apt to send your fellow guests outside to mingle, in fact — whether or not the weather is well-suited for patio mingling.

There are several categories of strong-smelling foods you should consider leaving at home. One is seafood, as some varieties have a more intense smell than others. You might be able to get away with certain types of seafood, such as catfish, but more pungent fish can be a bad idea for dinner parties. Similarly, while everyone tends to love cheese, certain varieties, like Limburger, might send people running from the funky smell.

Cruciferous vegetables that develop an intense odor after cooking — think Brussels sprouts and cabbage — are best left off the menu, as well. And you’ll want to avoid any dishes with more intense ingredients or spices, including items with asafoetida (which is known as devil’s dung for a reason). Even some more fairly mainstream spices like curry can be pervasive and off-putting to some, so proceed with caution. Other foods to avoid include strong-smelling aged or fermented ingredients, foods made with digestive linings, and notoriously stinky fruits, like durian.

When invited to a dinner party, it’s usually in your best interest to avoid bringing any type of controversial food. Whether it’s something guests may turn their noses up at because it’s out of the ordinary or an item that’s culturally or religiously insensitive, you’ll want to think twice before stirring up controversy. We’re all for trying out-of-the-ordinary foods and dishes, but someone else’s dinner party isn’t the best place to introduce them.

Some foods will instantly cause negative reactions, especially if they come from an unfamiliar animal or body part. On that note, save unusual foods like Rocky Mountain oysters (which are actually bull testicles) or fruit bat soup for your own gathering — and maybe warn your friends just what kind of party you’re having in that case.

Be sure to skip any foods that are banned by law in the U.S., and avoid bringing anything that’s potentially forbidden by your host’s — or any other party-goer’s — religion or culture; it may be useful to check this ahead of time. For example, don’t bring pork or alcohol to your Muslim friend’s home, shellfish to a Jewish friend’s house, or — if it’s Lent – meat to a Friday night dinner party hosted by a practicing Catholic person. Your friend will appreciate your discretion.

When you bring food to a dinner party, you should avoid any type of unlabeled food – particularly if a dish may contain common allergens. After all, while there are over 160 foods that cause allergic reactions, just eight are responsible for 90% of reactions: Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. Consequently, labeling foods makes it safer for people with allergies, allowing them to feel more confident in trying whatever dish you bring to a dinner party.

Since the FDA requires clear labeling of any of these aforementioned allergens on official product labels, consider it common courtesy to label anything you’re bringing to a dinner party. Even if you bring something where specific allergens appear obvious, it’s still better to err on the side of caution and label it anyway.

There are several places online that have allergen cards that you can print out for your dish, although a hand-written card is fine, too. An even better option is to print out the entire recipe, removing any doubt regarding what’s in it (though be sure to note any substitutions you make before printing).

There’s nothing wrong with bringing soup to a dinner party. However, given soup transportation can be a little tricky, it may not be an ideal option. Simply put, we’ve heard far too many horror stories of people spilling soup in their car on the way to a dinner party to recommend bringing soup. Now, there may be some tricks for transporting food in the car. But at the same time, there are also a number of what-ifs.

What if you need to slam on the brakes or make a sharp turn? What if the lid comes loose? What if a container slides or tips over in your car? It’s no easy task to clean up soup that’s spilled in your car, either, especially if the mess extends under the seat (and out of your reach). All of the bacteria in the spilled soup just continues to grow and stink until you can find the right combination of steam cleaning and cleaners to remove the scent. Some people even end up resorting to pet urine remover to try to get rid of the smell.

The process may involve having to remove the entire seat for cleaning in extreme cases. So unless you relish the idea of a never ending quest to clean soup and its stench from the far-reaching crevices of your car, it’s better to find another dish to bring to a dinner party. Don’t say we didn’t warn you if you ignore our advice and spill your soup.

People often love messy foods. But they don’t necessarily enjoy embarrassing themselves by eating those types of foods at dinner parties — whether their fellow guests are people they’ve known for years or mostly strangers. Since messier foods have a greater chance of dripping on clothing, covering your fingers and face with a sauce of some sort, or requiring more napkins than your host anticipated needing, messier dishes are among the worst options for a dinner party.

Now, there are several categories of messy foods to keep in mind and avoid. Exceptionally saucy or juicy foods — the type that require extra work like ribs, wings, and crab legs — are often extremely messy and best left at home. Foods that tend to leave too many crumbs or residue behind (no matter how carefully you consume them) should be skipped, too, like flaky pastries or desserts with powdered sugar.

Additionally, dishes that may be too difficult to eat in a dignified manner, such as foods that tend to fall apart as you eat them (like tacos or sloppy Joes), should be skipped. Fruits that tend to be messy if they aren’t cut into bite-sized pieces aren’t ideal for dinner parties, either. Your fellow guests may end up choosing to avoid messier foods altogether, so it’s best to avoid bringing those dishes.

More than anything, a person might bring a food that needs to be refrigerated or frozen before serving to a dinner party because of assumptions. Specifically, someone might assume dinner will start quickly enough to avoid negatively impacting their dish, or that there will be enough room in the host’s fridge or freezer for the food. However, given the chance of limited fridge or freezer space, or dinners starting later than planned, it’s clear why foods that need to stay ice cold are one of the worst options for a dinner party.

Because of the potential problems with cooling logistics at dinner parties, several foods are best left at home. One is cold soups from around the world, such as gazpacho or vichyssoise. While you could eat these dishes at room temperature, they’re just not going to be as satisfying, so skip them entirely if you can.

Cold and frozen desserts can also be tricky, especially if they taste better when served cold. Dishes containing ice cream won’t fare well for long outside the freezer without melting and becoming something they’re not, of course, so doublecheck with your host (or bring a cooler) if you must bring such an item.

Just like it’s not a good idea to bring food that needs refrigeration or freezing to a dinner party, it’s not a good idea to bring unassembled, uncooked, or unheated food. You can’t assume that your host will have the available equipment or prep space required to prepare a dish once you’ve arrived at a dinner party. After all, everything may already be in use for the host’s last minute preparations, or they may not have the equipment you assumed they would (like a microwave or a whisk).

Now, if you’re traveling a long distance to a party, or just stopping home quickly to pick up the food without doing any actual cooking right beforehand, it’s best to choose something that doesn’t need to be heated (or reheated). Instead, consider recipes that are good served cold or at room temperature, though be sure to skip any food items that have to be chilled first (as we previously mentioned). Many cold pastas, salads, sandwiches, and dips can be prepared ahead of time, without the need to be reheated before eating.

There’s no denying some people just can’t tolerate spice. Given this, even if you love spicy foods — and even if you know a dinner party host enjoys spicier foods, too — that doesn’t mean every other guest at the party will be a fan. Your version of mild may not be everyone’s version of mild, after all, so don’t bring unlabeled spicy dishes to a dinner party.

Now, while some people have built up a tolerance to spiciness over time, and others appear to be genetically predisposed to tolerate it better, other individuals simply can’t handle the heat. Some folks may even have a medical reasons for being unable to tolerate spicier foods. So unless you want to offend or accidentally harm one of your fellow diners via spiciness, be sure to provide a heads-up beforehand.

You could add a Scoville Scale rating to the label if you used a particular type of pepper and are feeling benevolent, as this provides a precise spice level for any concerned guests. Whereas bell peppers may not be problematic, milder hot peppers like jalapeños might be a bit much for some people, so be sure to avoid bringing surprisingly spicy dishes to a dinner party.

The last thing anyone wants from a dinner party is to come home with stained skin or clothing. With that in mind, consider the odds a food has for causing stains before you decide to bring it to a dinner party.

There are several foods that are notorious for stains, starting with beets. Beets tend to leave a bright pink stain behind on everything they touch. While it’s sometimes possible to get these stains out of clothes, there’s no guarantee the vegetable won’t end up ruining someone’s clothing item forever. Similar problems can occur with various brightly colored foods, as well, including berries, pomegranates, purple cabbage, spinach, and kale. Turmeric is also notorious for leaving behind stains, which can be embarrassing if it ends up staining the skin around someone’s mouth (which is a legitimate possibility).

In short, the brighter and more vibrant a food appears, the more likely it is to leave stains behind. With so many foods carrying the capacity for stains, then, you might want to rethink brining certain dishes to a dinner party, like chicken saag (which is made with spinach).

If you arrive to a dinner party with an unprepared food item, be prepared for other guests to remember you lack of effort — and potentially regale their other friends with stories of your meager offering for years to come. In other words, just as you shouldn’t come to a dinner party empty-handed, don’t bring a dish that still needs to be cooked or made after you’ve arrived.

Quite frankly, you should put at least some effort into what you bring to a dinner party. Yet social media is filled with stories of folks who  brought no-effort items to dinner parties. There was the person who brought an unopened can of creamed corn to a dinner party, one who arrived with an unpeeled pomegranate, while others mentioned a guest who brought a bag of raw, unpeeled onions.

Even unprepared items that are enjoyed by most people aren’t necessarily a good idea, like a package of uncooked package of bacon. Sure: Nearly everyone loves bacon, but nobody wants to cook it for you at their home. Grabbing a whole rotisserie chicken from the store isn’t the best idea, either, given it’s unlikely that anyone will want to dive in and carve it (and you don’t want anyone going in hands-first to pull off a chicken leg). Of course, there’s no shame in buying a rotisserie chicken to use as an ingredient for a dish you’re making, but be sure to prepare it before you head out.

Quite frankly, rummaging through your fridge and scrounging up leftovers to take to a dinner party is something you just shouldn’t do. Not only is it uncouth, but it can be unsanitary, as well. Nobody wants you to bring half a leftover pizza, after all, whether cold or reheated, since it’s just not the same as fresh. Bringing part of a leftover casserole or even a part of a leftover dessert is inadvisable, as well. When people see that numerous spoonfuls are already missing before a dish is even served, they’ll likely approach it with suspicion.

Now, if you don’t have time to cook something fresh from scratch, plenty of grocery stores have ready-made foods and desserts that only need a little prep. For example, Walmart has prepared ready-to-eat meals, which may only require you to put them in a nice dish and heat them up.

Additionally, many leftovers are generally only good for three to four days in the fridge, not counting any time a dish spends at room temperature before it’s packed and put away. Since the time spent in and out of the refrigerator can allow bacteria in food to multiply, food safety is also a problem for leftovers as a dinner party option.