Host With The Most

Dinner parties can be thrown together in a spur of the moment or they can be premeditated for weeks, even months.

If you find yourself deciding to have friends over for dinner on a whim, here’s a potential playbook: Pick up a fresh baguette from your local bakery to assemble an antipasti platter—tell your guests to bring the wine. Then, cook a big bowl of unfussy spaghetti al limone, toss together a nice green salad, and drizzle high-quality store-bought vanilla ice cream with extra-virgin olive oil and flaky sea salt to finish.

More time to plan? Perhaps start the evening off with summer rolls and a pitcher of gin gimlets. For the main event, try a whole fish grilled with herbs paired with lettuce wraps and piquant sauces, plus sides like a Vietnamese rice noodle salad, wok-fried vegetables, and plenty of rice to go around. A pandan chiffon cake would make a lovely dessert.

Regardless of your approach or menu, you’re going to want to have a handful of key items on hand in order to host seamlessly. We’ve got you!