10 Foods and Drinks NOT to Serve at Your Outdoor Summer Bash
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Summer is on its way in and people are already throwing outdoor parties! Whether it's a picnic in the park or a barbecue at the neighbors, eating your supper in the backyard or packing up the cooler for a day at the beach, outdoor dining is a fun, relaxing way to enjoy a meal in the warm weather.
However, there are some foods and drinks that you should not serve at your outdoor summer bash. Here's a list of foods and drinks to avoid serving for various reasons.
1. Fried Chicken
First of all, even though fried chicken is delicious, it's not the best thing to serve at an outdoor party for several reasons. The first one being the most obvious: it's high in calories, fat, and sodium. Of course, you can make oven-fried chicken, which is much healthier for you, but any kind of fried chicken will attract bees because of it's strong (delicious) scent.
Ignoring the fact that fried chicken is both unhealthy and can attract insects, fried foods really don't travel well because when in an airtight container the steam builds up, which makes their crispy breaded covering soft and mushy.
Serve grilled chicken breasts instead.
2. Smoked Salmon
Okay, smoked salmon does travel quite well, but it's a very strong-smelling food that can attract all kinds of bugs like bees, mosquitoes, and ants.
If you decide to serve smoked salmon to your next outdoor summer party guests, just remember to keep it covered in an airtight container to keep the pesky bugs away.
3. Bratwurst
Typically when we think of outdoor dinner parties (AKA barbecues!) we think of hamburgers, hot dogs, and even sausages. All of these taste great when cooked on the grill, but bratwursts are among the worst for you because they are super high in fat and calories.
So, if you're looking to serve up a healthy dish, skip the sausages or find healthier alternatives.
4. Potato and Egg Salad
I know what you're thinking, don't serve potato salad? One of the staples of outdoor dining? Well, the problem with potato salad is that it's often made with mayonnaise and eggs, which shouldn't be left out of the refrigerator for longer than two hours.
If you can keep it somewhere cool, it should be fine.
5. Chocolate
Chocolate often sounds like a good idea to bring on a picnic, but all too often it's left out in the sun and turns into a gooey, melted mess.
The only way to ensure your chocolate will survive the summer heat long enough for people to enjoy is to keep it somewhere cool and out of the sun. Better yet, save it for your next campfire and make s'mores instead!
6. Soda
Soda is usually one of the first drinks people pick up when planning an outdoor party, but why not skip this sugary drink and pick up something a little healthier?
Instead of serving soda, which can have around 40 g of sugar in just one can, offer people healthier options like juice, water, and iced tea. And did you know that aspartame in diet drinks breaks down into poisonous substances when it's left out in the heat? Why risk that when you can enjoy homemade lemonade instead?
7. Sushi
I think this should go without saying, but sushi doesn't last very long once it's made. In fact, sushi should be eaten within 24 hours after it's made. Then, the rice in sushi tastes the best when it's served cold, which only lasts about five to ten minutes once you take it out of the refrigerator.
If you're worried about safety, sushi should not be left in room temperature for more than two hours. There's not a lot of time available to purchase and serve sushi before it goes bad, so if you're hoping to serve seafood at your next outdoor party consider serving something else.
8. Uncut Food
When planning your next outdoor summer bash, don't bring anything that needs to be cut up to served like breads, cheeses, or melons unless you plan to have it sliced and diced ahead of time.
9. Ice Cream
Ice cream is another one of those yummy treats we think of when we envision summer parties, but unless you can keep it in the freezer until it's time to serve it it's best left at home. Not even keeping it in the cooler will help it last until dessert time.
10. Mixed Drinks
The majority of adult outdoor parties include alcoholic drinks.
If you're planning on serving booze at your next shindig, forgo the idea of offering fancy mixed drinks and keep it simple with beer, coolers, and wine. All of these have much fewer calories and sugar than drinks like margaritas, pina coladas, and other cocktails, which take a lot more work than handing out a bottle of beer or pouring a glass of wine. Who needs the extra stress when hosting a party anyway?
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![Nicole Nemeth]()
Cole is a writer, artist, and amateur photographer. She has written multiple blog posts and articles for a variety of publications, and loves spending time with her husband and daughter, and their two pets.![Dawn Hammon]()
Dawn Hammon has thrived in freelance writing and editor roles for nearly a decade. She has lived, worked, and attended school in Oregon for many years. Dawn currently spends her days convincing her children she is still smarter than them while creating new experiences with her husband of 24 years.  Her multiple interests have led her to frequently undergo home improvement projects. She enjoys sharing the hard-earned knowledge that comes with it with the audience of DoItYourself.com. Dawn and her sister make up a power-tool loving duo that teaches classes to local women with the goal of empowering them to tackle their fears and become comfortable with power tools. Tapping into her enthusiasm for saving money and devotion to sustainable practices, Dawn has recently launched a passion project aimed at connecting eco-friendly products and socially-responsible companies with consumers interested in making conscientious purchases, better informing themselves about products on the market, and taking a stand in favor of helping to save the planet. When she is not providing stellar online content for local, national, and international businesses or trolling the internet for organic cotton clothing, you might find her backpacking nearby hills and valleys, traveling to remote parts of the globe, or expanding her vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, which these days she mostly uses to provide therapy for her kids and spouse. Most recently, I worked for a small local professional organizing and estate sale company for four years where I learned a ton about organizing and/or disposing of just about anything. She was raised in a tool-oriented, hands-on, DIY family. Her dad worked in the floor covering business and owned local floor covering businesses, so of course selling floor covering was one of her first jobs. Her brother was a contractor for about 30 years and site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity. I worked with him often, building decks, painting houses, framing in buildings, etc. With her sister, she holds power tool classes to empower women who are scared or have never used them. Not quite homesteaders, she did grow up with a farm, tractors, motorcycles, expansive gardens, hay fields, barns, and lots of repairs to do. Plus she and her family preserved foods, raised cattle and pigs, chopped and hauled firewood, and performed regular maintenance on two households, outbuildings, fencing, etc. As an adult, she has owned two houses. The first one she personally ripped out a galley kitchen and opened it up to the living area, plus updated every door, floor covering, and piece of trim in the place. In her current home, she's tackled everything from installing real hardwood flooring to revamping the landscape.
