Ina Garten's Advice On Deciding Who To Invite To Your Dinner Parties

To be honest, being polite never goes out of style, and there are plenty of situations where showing other people courtesy is simply the right thing to do — even if you have to inconvenience yourself slightly (within reason, of course!) to do so. However, when it comes to your free time and your inner circle, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being discerning — which is why Ina Garten believes that dinner parties should focus on enjoyment over duty.

"Don't invite people because you're obligated to them," the Barefoot Contessa told Esquire. "I have a rule: I never accept an invitation if I don't want to invite somebody back, because then you end up feeling like, 'I owe them an invitation.' And then you end up with a terrible dinner party."

Planning a dinner party requires a significant commitment of time and care to ensure everyone feels welcome and leaves satisfied. You want to pour that energy and those resources into people who truly matter to you, not just someone you feel you owe a favor. You know how food tastes better when it's "made with love?" Apply that same logic to your guest list and focus your attention on the people you actually love to host, too. As a bonus, this approach also frees you up to curate a guest list of people you're genuinely excited to introduce, ensuring a group that will truly hit it off.

Throwing a dinner party sounds fun — and it is! — but the reality is that it can also be quite a big undertaking, particularly if you don't have much experience feeding a crowd. Luckily, Ina Garten has plenty of tips to help you set yourself up for success.

If you know that complicated, multi-step recipes will overwhelm you and your schedule, don't bother with them. A rack of lamb with orzo sounds fancy, but it is actually Garten's favorite low-stress meal to make for a party. The secret is to choose dishes you can mostly prepare in advance — couscous salad or sweet-and-salty chicken Marbella are other great examples — and, even better, can be enjoyed at room temperature if you're still mastering your timing. Skip things like bouillabaisse and duck confit; Garten never makes them for guests because they're simply too labor-intensive (and sometimes even quite expensive).

To ensure you enjoy the experience from beginning to end — the host should have a great time too, after all — make a point of tidying as you go throughout the night. That way, once the festivities are over, you can have a hassle-free cleanup by simply organizing a dish station and sorting the remaining tasks into manageable piles. With any luck, when all is said and done, you'll already be looking forward to when you can host everyone again.