A Dinner Party Menu to Help You Host Like a Pro

Throwing an impressive dinner party is one of the most satisfying things a die-hard cook and entertainer can do — but it’s not easy. A successful dinner party means that you’re straddling the line between chef and host, seemingly effortlessly floating from living room to dining room refilling drinks while also making sure your red wine-braised brisket is still on track. And you pull it off every time. But the thing that will put your parties over the top is a kitchen upgrade. With professional-grade appliances from the Kenmore PRO suite, you’ll be putting out restaurant-menu-worthy food in a seemingly effortless fashion.

The first restaurant trick? Make your ingredients speak for themselves. Get organic, sustainably raised meats for the best flavor, and find fresh produce and dairy from your farmers market or gourmet grocery store. When you’re figuring out how much food to make, always get enough for 1.5 times the guests you’re expecting. That way, nobody will be shy about getting up for seconds, and you can refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for another dinner or even lunch later in the week.

An advantage to being a restaurant chef is that they have sous chefs and line cooks to assist with dishes. Be your own sous chef: The night before your party, wash and chop your produce and put each ingredient into labeled containers. Don’t worry about your veggies wilting: the Kenmore PRO airtight crisper uses state-of-the-art cooling technology to keep the moisture in your produce. When you use them, it will be like you chopped them minutes ago.

What if your friends are in a deep conversation or a heated game when dinner’s served? Easy: tent your chicken thighs, and use a water bath to keep your sauces warm without risking the chance of scorching them on direct heat.

The most impressive-yet-simple dessert? Fresh, hot-out-of-the-oven popovers. You may have heard that popovers are fussy, but they aren’t: ovens are often the fussy part of the equation. Their temperature might be inconsistent, or the door might not seal tightly. But the Kenmore PRO oven utilizes state-of-the-art technology for even temperature that assures a fluffy baked dessert — just don’t peek at them until the full cooking time is up. Serve with a variety of compound butters for your guests to choose from, like chili-honey, bourbon, or cinnamon-sugar butter. Your guests will wonder how you whipped up fresh, fluffy popovers without even breaking a sweat.

Shop the Kenmore PRO suite of appliances to release your inner chef.

Image Credit: Sarah Anne Ward