Foods you should never serve at a cookout

While there are tons of great dinner dishes you can make from cans, if you and your family are enjoying an outdoor barbecue in the park and you forget a can opener, you’re out of luck.

Knowing how to assemble the perfect charcuterie platter with meats and cheeses from around the world is a great skill, but save the cheese for a dinner party. Dairy and the sun are not friends. That blue cheese that was so creamy and flavorful when you bought it will be a hot, stinky mess in a matter of moments.

Chocolate melts in the sun, so its time at a cookout will be limited. Don’t waste your money picking up truffles and bonbons from the best chocolate shop in your state. Save the chocolates for the holiday season.

Stouts and porters are great, but these heavy, dark beers can be a little too much in the summer. Dark beers’ bitter tastes and chocolate notes can get stronger as they warm up. Dark beers aren’t the only issue; heavily carbonated beers tend to fill you up faster, leaving less room in your stomach for all that perfectly-grilled chicken. Read up on the different types of beers, then opt for a light lager or ale instead.

Deviled eggs are one of those retro appetizers that have stood the test of time, and they’re a great hors d’oeuvre to make or bring to most parties. But the egg yolk-and-mayonnaise-based filling inside a perfectly hard-boiled egg can spoil quickly, so save all of those amazing egg recipes for an indoor occasion.

If you left the house for a cookout in the park, at the beach or by the local pool, having beer, wine and soda in glass bottles can not only be hazardous for bare feet and pets, but it’s also not allowed in some places. Make sure you know all the rules and regulations of where you are going and keep your drinks canned or in plastic cups.

While an impressive dessert is the perfect thing for a holiday or birthday party, that baked Alaska doesn’t necessarily travel well when it’s hot out. If you’re on sweets duty, opt for grilled fruit or a simple dessert with five ingredients or fewer.

Sour cream and onion chips are popular, and barbecue chips pair wonderfully with burgers and sausages. But not everyone loves salt and vinegar chips or that funky new flavor you spotted at the grocery store. Make sure you bring a variety of chips that includes a plain option. Then, pair your chips with the best summertime salsa and dips.

Burgers and french fries are an iconic fast food duo, but that doesn’t mean a fresh batch of delicious homemade, deep-fried potatoes will work in the yard. When french fries and other fried foods sit outside on the buffet table, they can get cold and soggy.

Cakes piled with buttermilk icing and cookies with whipped cream sandwiched between them are delightful, but in the summer, those dairy-based toppings will melt in the midday sun. Consider some delicious cherry desserts or no-bake treats instead and keep them indoors until you’re ready to serve.

It’s great to get in your daily servings of vegetables, but forego the green salad at your cookout. The lettuce will wilt in the heat and the dressing may spoil before any guest can actually take a bite. Instead, serve some vegetarian-friendly dishes like grilled veggies.

An ice-cold beer or a beautiful frozen mocktail on a hot summer day is refreshing and crisp. Warm beer and soda that have been sitting in the sun are … less than great. If you’re serving drinks, be sure to keep them in a cooler and avoid hot chocolate or hot coffee.

While no summer is complete without visiting an iconic ice cream stand or getting a pint of the most popular ice cream in your state, it may not be the best thing to serve at your cookout. Just think of the facts: summer is hot and ice cream is cold. And unless you’re keeping your sundae bar indoors, chances are your sweet treat will be a soupy mess before your first guest gets to take a bite.

If your macaroni or potato salad happens to be mayonnaise-based, consider serving it in the fall at your next tailgate as it will not sit well and could even collect bacteria in warm conditions. Mayonnaise is acidic enough to keep foods from spoiling, but adding low-acid potatoes or pasta into the mix cancels that out. Consider serving a vinegar-based potato salad or pasta salad instead.

The idea of a small backyard cookout may bring on images of delicious barbecued ribs or a nice piece of grilled chicken with barbecue sauce, but these foods can get messy fast. Consider some easy grilling recipes sans sauce, like rubbed ribs or Meditteranean chicken.

If you’re cooking burgers and hot dogs, then you’ll need a bun in order to serve them properly. But serving plain buns straight from a plastic bag can downgrade even the best burger recipes. Spring for a potato roll or bakery bun with sesame seeds, then throw them on the grill to toast.

Soup is hot and hard to eat when you’re standing around talking with friends and family. Save all those scrumptious soup and stew recipes for indoor weeknight dinners instead.

Even if you’re getting it from the best sushi restaurant in your state, sushi is one of the absolute worst foods that you can bring to a barbecue because it needs to be eaten quickly, and served cold and fresh. That makes it less than optimal for summer soirees.