The Store-Bought Items Martha Stewart Refuses To Allow At Dinner Parties

More than being an excellent homemaker, Martha Stewart is also an exceptional party planner. She knows simple ways to elevate any party, like choosing the right decor to go with the season and not serving snacks to her guests. Instead, she would rather offer a meal over wine to really satisfy everyone's palates and bellies. And as part of her full-course meal, the television personality refuses to allow store-bought desserts on the dinner table. "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," she told The Kitchn.

Stewart doubled down on her take about serving only homemade desserts to party guests, saying, "And don't have pie if you don't make it yourself. I'm very strict about things like that. Don't have pie unless you know how to make a pie — you better learn." Additionally, she warned against serving experimental desserts — ones party hosts make for the first time just to impress their guests. " ... Don't experiment on your guests. Practice ahead of time. If you're serious about treating your friends nicely, don't leave it up to chance. You don't want to mess everything up," she said. Unless it's for an April Fools' Day prank or just for laughs, you don't want to surprise or overwhelm your guests with a dessert that you haven't even tried making before, as this can go downhill and ruin the mood for everyone in a snap.

Now, since everyone's circumstances are different, and it's inevitable to be in a crunch for time while preparing for a party, Martha Stewart gives some leeway for party hosts to bring one store-bought item to the table. She would allow this because, personally, she has also thought of doing the same when she's running late and hasn't finished preparing all of the food for the visitors. "I might buy the brioche for my stuffing, my dressing," she admitted to The Kitchn.

However, this too has a caveat, since Stewart is more than willing to bake her own brioche if she could insert the task amid the preparations. " ... If I have time, I'll bake my own brioche," she said. This further proves that for the celebrity lifestyle expert, putting in the effort is more important than simply showing up with commercially available food at a party. As such, we won't be surprised if, aside from desserts and pies, Stewart makes her highly recommended party food, a grilled cheese sandwich, from scratch. After all, brioche is one of the best breads to use when making smoky pulled pork grilled cheese and other grilled cheese recipes.