When you’re very hungry, going to a buffet seems like an excellent idea. You can find all kinds of food you can imagine in a buffet like The Bacchanal or Golden Corral. But there are a few things you should never eat there no matter what you may be led to believe. The worst of them all is fried foods. Take a look at this list of what not to eat in a buffet.
1. Fried foods
As mentioned, this is the one thing you should never eat in a buffet. Fried foods even in an expensive restaurant buffet are packed with oil and calories, and they don’t actually taste as good as what you’d cook at home (unless you don’t know how to cook, that is!). Plus these have probably been sitting out for hours. And yes, fried vegetables are also included in this category. It’s just not worth it.
2. Caesar salad
Buffets can pose some food safety hazards including food poisoning – especially if you go to unreputable restaurants with questionable hygiene practices. And any food in a buffet with raw or lightly cooked eggs is even more risky. The dressing for Caesar salad uses raw or lightly cooked eggs and you could run the risk of ingesting harmful bacteria.
3. Rice pudding
Rice pudding is another buffet item which uses lightly cooked eggs. Improperly handled rice pudding puts you at risk of acquiring a foodborne illness.
4. Fettuccine Alfredo
Steer clear of cream-based dishes which use fatty ingredients that contain a lot of saturated fat.
5. Potato salad and pasta salad
Here are more cream-based dishes to avoid. These may not be full of saturated fat but they bring a hefty amount of starch and worse, they have mayo, eggs, and dairy products which spoil quickly.
5. Homemade ice cream
Homemade ice cream have raw eggs as an ingredient and if the buffet you’re going to does not seem to have strict sanitary and hygiene guidelines, then you should avoid this dessert. Otherwise, you could get sick.
6. Sushi
Who doesn’t love sushi? I’m personally a fan but I avoid eating sushi in buffets no matter the buffet type. Sushi that’s been on the buffet spread for half an hour can host some pretty bad bacteria which can multiply real fast. If sushi is kept on ice then maybe it’s OK otherwise, just skip it.
7. Tuna
Tuna makes a delicious entree but at a buffet, it spoils quickly, putting you at risk of food poisoning. Tuna is also susceptible to scombrotoxin, which can lead to headaches and cramps if not stored in the correct temperature.
8. Rolls, pasta, rice
In a buffet, don’t load up on starchy foods otherwise you won’t have much room left for the finer foods.
9. Sprouts
It’s good you’re trying to find healthy dishes in a buffet but sprouts host many harmful bacteria. These are grown in a wet and warm environment, which is why they are conducive to bacteria growth.
10. Soda, milkshakes and sugary drinks
Eating in a buffet means you’re already consuming a lot of calories. Don’t make it worse by going for sugary drinks. Go for water instead.
Check out this video for more buffet-eating tips: