What Should I Bring to a Dinner Party? (That Isn’t Wine)

Kendra Vaculin
·5 min read

Illustration by Maxine McCrann

Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin wants you to throw more parties. And her series Dinner With Friends will help you do just that. Each month, Kendra hosts a real-life get-together in her apartment, then passes her expert game plan along to you. Get her budget-friendly menu here and keep reading for her tip of the month.

Take it from someone who used to pride herself on refusing help: There is no honor in responding to a “So excited for tonight! What can I bring?” text with “Nothing at all!” Throwing a dinner party means planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning—even for the lowest-key hangs, it’s a lot. The least your pals can do is offer to pick something up on the way over, and the smartest thing you can do is take them up on it.

If your party is potluck-y in nature, doling out dish assignments is easy. Giving people parameters like “a vegetarian side“ or “a dessert that serves 10” is all that’s required to get everyone involved. But answering “what can I bring?” is harder when you’re in charge of the whole menu and/or have control issues about making dinner (welcome, you’re among friends). It makes sense why wine is the classic response—you’ll need a few bottles anyway, and people will be happy to drink whatever’s around.

The problem, at least for me, is that asking friends to bring wine doesn’t actually make my hosting life any easier. I always end up buying a bottle or two for backup, which means that in the best case scenario, I end up with a lot of extra wine, without the relief of someone else crossing something off my list.

After years of making dinner parties my personality, the best thing I’ve learned is to take my guests at their word and ask them to bring something specific. I know it might feel bossy or particular, but often items that cost less than a bottle of wine are even more helpful to the host, and no more of a hassle for them to pick up on the way. Take a strategic look at your menu (and your friends—they’ll each have their own shopping strengths!) to find the places where outsourcing makes the most sense.

Here are a few of my favorite things to request of pals coming over to dinner.

Bread

Good bread is a dinner party secret weapon. Everybody is happy to see it on the table, and it makes any menu immediately feel more ample and full. Your dinner could always use bread. Tell a friend to pick up a nice loaf, and be specific about what style will work best with the rest of what you’re cooking—a rustic boule, flavorful sourdough, bouncy focaccia, or crusty baguette.

Ice

Even if you don’t expect it to, every party becomes the type of party that calls for ice—it’s a law of physics. Request this of your most hapless friend, they can’t screw it up.

Sparkling water

Want your gathering to immediately feel 9%–12% more chic? Have sparkling water. I stock two varieties when I’m having people over: giant plastic two-liters to keep in my fridge for cocktails, and nice bottles to put out on the table with dinner. Ask a pal to bring the latter—and if you care about this sort of thing, specify glass, so they go with a brand like San Pellegrino or Mountain Valley.

Ice cream

I can’t yell this loud enough: OUTSOURCE THE ICE CREAM! I almost exclusively make desserts that go well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dinner parties as ice cream is the bread of dessert (people-pleasing, fills out the plate, everyone wins). It’s also a simple thing to foist onto someone else’s to-do list. Be clear that you want vanilla if that’s the case, but if there’s room for creative interpretation, set them free! When I have a chocolate tart locked and loaded, I’ll tell a trusted friend to pick up any flavor that they think goes well with chocolate—it’s fun to be surprised.

Fun bits

If your friends are good grocery shoppers and you know you like the same stuff, send them out for particular items to enhance the menu. Maybe this means two cheeses for a cheese plate, a dip that isn’t hummus (because you’re already making hummus) to go with crudités, olives and lemons for a DIY martini bar, or one specific spirit for the night’s house cocktail. Once I told some pals that I needed a ball of burrata and a jar of sliced bread-and-butter pickles, and they came through my front door holding both aloft like conquering heroes. People love to feel like they helped! And somehow, the more specific the ask, the more integral they feel to the party’s success. Let your people in on the glory.

And…wine

I know, I know, I’m sorry! If you really and truly can’t think of anything that would help you, request wine. And if you ever find yourself on the receiving end of a “No need to bring anything!” text, the best move is to still show up with wine. It won’t go to waste, and you basically guarantee you’ll be invited back.

More Dinner With Friends

How to Throw a Dinner Party With Just $60

Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin shares her dream menu and tips for hosting on a budget.

Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit

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