Everyone loves a good buffet, but not everything on the line deserves a spot on your plate. Some items sit out too long, lose their texture, or come with a higher risk of contamination. It’s easy to get caught up in the convenience and variety, but a little caution can go a long way. Paying attention to how food is stored and served helps you avoid the biggest trouble spots. Here’s the best list of what to skip.
Sushi
Sushi might be the crown jewel at a Japanese restaurant, but at a buffet, it’s usually past its prime before you even spot it. Raw fish needs to be kept at precise temperatures and served fresh to be safe. Buffets rarely meet those standards. Unless you’re confident the place specializes in sushi and knows how to handle it properly, it’s smarter to skip the roll.
Potato Dishes
Buffets love potatoes because they’re cheap and fill up your plate fast. The problem is, they don’t hold up well over time. Whether it’s fries that go limp or mashed potatoes that form a crust, most potato dishes lose all appeal after sitting under a heat lamp. You’re better off saving room for something that still tastes like it was made today.
Oysters
Raw oysters are one of the riskiest foods you can eat when freshness is in question. At a buffet, there’s no way to know how long they’ve been out or if they’ve been kept at a safe temperature. What’s meant to be a luxury treat quickly turns into a food safety risk. Oysters are best enjoyed somewhere they’re the main attraction, like at a seafood restaurant.
Bread
Freshly baked bread is hard to resist, but buffet bread rarely lives up to that expectation. After sitting out, it becomes dry, stale, and loses any texture it started with. On top of that, open bread baskets invite everyone’s hands, and not everyone uses tongs. If you want a fresh roll, you’re better off waiting for one straight from the kitchen.
Melon
Cut melon is a buffet staple, especially in fruit salads, but it’s also one of the most questionable items sitting out in the open. Once cut, melons are prone to bacterial growth if not stored properly. Add in how long they’ve likely been sitting out, and you’ve got a fruit that’s more risk than reward.
Egg Salad
Egg salad is tricky even in the best conditions. At a buffet, where items often sit at room temperature far too long, it becomes a food safety hazard. Made with mayo and soft-cooked eggs, it spoils quickly and can make people sick before they even finish dessert. Unless it’s freshly made and chilled, it’s best left untouched.
Salad Toppings
Toppings like shredded cheese, bacon bits, or croutons might seem harmless, but they’re often overlooked when it comes to sanitation. If left exposed too long, they lose their crunch, freshness, and in some cases, their safety. With so many hands reaching in, you’re getting more than just toppings on your salad.
Tuna
Whether it’s tuna salad or tuna pasta, this fish needs to be kept cold and served fresh. At buffets, the cold hold times can be unreliable, and you won’t know how long it’s been sitting there. If it smells even slightly off or looks dry around the edges, don’t take the chance.
Lemons
Lemon wedges in open containers are more about presentation than safety. These wedges are rarely replaced and often handled without gloves or tongs. Once they’re out, they’re touched by dozens of hands and exposed to the air, making them a sneaky source of bacteria.
Sprouts
Raw sprouts are notoriously difficult to clean and can carry harmful bacteria like E. coli or salmonella. They’re also highly perishable. At a buffet, where they sit exposed for long periods, sprouts can become a health risk. It’s not worth the gamble for a few crunchy bites on your salad.
Dressings
Bulk salad dressings at buffets can be a mix of questionable ingredients, mystery calories, and hygiene concerns. When the containers are open or pumps are handled repeatedly, they become hotspots for contamination. If you’re going for a salad, stick to basic oil and vinegar or bring your own dressing if possible.
Unpopular Dishes
That tray no one’s touched for the last hour? There’s probably a reason. Dishes that don’t get much attention aren’t being replaced or refreshed as often, which means they’re sitting out longer than they should. If no one else seems interested, it’s usually a red flag, not a hidden gem.
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*Select images provided by Depositphotos.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
