Ina Garten's Strict Appetizer Rule For Dinner Parties

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Hosting a dinner party can be as casual or detail-oriented as you want it to be. It could be a relaxed, potluck-style function, or possibly a multi-course event where rules and formalities matter. There's a time and place for both, but if you want to up your hosting skills for forms of dinner parties, consider turning to superhost Ina Garten. The celebrity chef and TV host has a strict rule for appetizers that you may implement at your next event: Avoid serving appetizers that require two hands.

This appetizer rule appears in Garten's 2008 cookbook, "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics," which centers around easy entertaining and simple ingredients. At first glance, the rule seems trivial, but it's actually quite practical. At a dinner party, appetizers aren't the focus. They're served during the time of the party when guests are greeting each other, conversations are started, and introductions are happening amongst new faces. Serving intricate foods with complicated handling at this point in the night can be rather distracting.

At the beginning of the dinner party, guests are likely standing up and mingling, so it becomes inconvenient if the appetizers being passed around require people to sit down and eat with utensils. It makes more sense to have something on a table that they can stop by, quickly snag with one hand, and return back to the conversations taking place — and it's even more convenient if guests can enjoy it in one bite. Plus, you probably don't want to dirty more utensils than you have to. It's also likely that party goers will also have a drink in one hand, so having to find a place to set it down to eat is not ideal.

While following Ina Garten's rule of serving only one-hand appetizers may eliminate a few appetizer ideas, there are still many beloved options to choose from. A cheeseboard or snack tray is a great choice, alongside party classics like chips, or vegetables and dip that have been conveniently placed in a small cup for easy handling. Even a simple aperitif-style spread of bowls filled with olives, nuts, and pretzels fits the bill. 

Plenty of tasty party snacks don't require utensils – think jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks, and vegetable spring rolls. Also consider foods that come served up on a stick: Roasted vegetable skewers, gildas (a Spanish tapas of olives, peppers, and anchovies), single meatballs, fresh fruit and cheese, or wrap pinwheels. For the minimalist, turn to two-ingredient appetizers, like prosciutto and melon.

Looking for more elevated option? Of course, Garten has plenty of appetizer ideas. Parmesan crisps can be made quickly but still feel more involved than just plain cheese. On her website, the appetizer recipe section includes fig and goat cheese toast, smoked salmon deviled eggs, and pan-fried onion dip. Once you have your one-hand appetizers figured out, you can move on to planning out the gourmet dinner party entree.