The Type Of Dish Martha Stewart Would Never Buy From The Store For A Dinner Party

It takes a fine balance of drawing the line between making everything homemade from scratch and depending on some pre-made items from the store for dinner parties. You want everything to taste fresh and authentic for your guests, but the reality is that life gets so busy, and most of us can't spend hours of prep work on one meal. If you need some guidance, consider what item Martha Stewart would never buy pre-made at the store: Dessert.

This might feel contrary to what some would think — dinner is the focus, and dessert can be more of an addition. If you've labored over the appetizers, entree, and drinks, dessert may be the last thing on your to-do list, making a store-bought treat a reasonable decision. Yet according to an interview with Stewart on The Kitchen, the ultimate hostess makes a strong statement, "I would never buy a dessert, ever, because homemade desserts are infinitely better. I don't care what it is — it's better if you make it yourself."

Fair enough — Martha Stewart certainly has an impressive track record of whipping up tasty desserts. Some grocery store bakeries are better than others, like Publix, and your guests probably wouldn't be upset with the chantilly cake from here. Yet grocers like Walmart are a no-go when it comes to desserts, ranking the lowest for Mashed. We would still certainly opt for one of Stewart's homemade dessert recipes over a grocery store bakery item.

In Stewart's home kitchen, she explained to The Kitchen that she is strict about never buying dessert, especially during holidays like Thanksgiving. It sounds a bit extreme, but she stated, "Don't have pie unless you know how to make a pie — you better learn." At the same time, she suggests not trying out complicated or new dessert recipes when guests come over. Sticking with straightforward recipes that you know ensures that they'll be ending the meal with something delicious, not an experimental disaster.

Lucky for you, there are a ton of homemade dessert recipes that can be made with a handful of ingredients, not a lot of skill, and under a half hour. It would be unfair if Stewart were only sharing complex desserts not accessible for amateur homecooks, but she even has a quick and easy dessert recipe section on her website. Consider her five-ingredient cookies that can be made in 20 minutes, or a more fruit-forward option like caramelized pears that can be done in 15 minutes with little effort. For something that is visibly impressive and appears fancier than it actually is, her recipe for Grand Raspberry Trifle only uses six ingredients and 20 minutes of prep time.

For those who fear the complexities and nuances of baking, we have a list of dessert recipes for those who believe they can't bake, which includes options like peach cobbler and chocolate crinkle cookies. If you don't want to turn on your oven at all, no-bake cheesecake or tiramisu are great options. If that isn't enough to work with and you want to take an even simpler route, check out these dessert recipes that you can memorize.