8 Best And 8 Worst Foods To Eat At A Breakfast Buffet

Swimming and bacon and eggs is a dream for most people, but is the powdered protein and soggy meat actually worth it? If you want to make the most of your breakfast buffet experience, here are the best and the worst things to go for. Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food? Home fries may seem like a brunch staple, but if they're on the buffet, you may want to steer clear when they're good. Home fries have an excellent crispy on the outside, tender on the inside texture. But more often than not, they're disappointing at best. Home fries are frequently under season to begin with, and they may also be greasy if poorly prepared. It's perhaps no surprise that Anthony Bourdain thought so low of them, and he should know. Before Bourdain became a beloved kitchen genius, he frequently manned the brunch or breakfast station where, he claims most home fries were made in massive batches, only to be reheated as a result, he told Thrillist. Most of the home fries I have in diners are not good. They're not cooked all the way through. They're not crisp, but to add insult to injury, home fries quickly deteriorate the longer they sit out with the potatoes, natural moisture turning, the once crispy exterior soggy. Even if they were delicious to begin with, they're only going to get worse with time. Fresh fruit is an appealing offer at mini a breakfast buffet, and especially if you're on vacation and eating loads of heavy food, a fruit salad might seem like the perfect way to start the day, but there are good reasons to be wary of what might seem like such an innocent offering. Fresh fruit is easily contaminated with pathogens like salmonella, E coli, or even hepatitis A, and this holds especially true for common fruit salad ingredients like melon and berries, according to Texas Cooperative Extension. Cantaloupe is particularly problematic seeing as it's grown on the ground, where it can easily pick up bacteria which are difficult to remove given the netted texture of the rind. This bacteria spreads from the rind to the flesh when cut and propagates the longer the fruit salad sits out on the buffet tables. Even if your fruit salad isn't contaminated, it may contain hidden sugars in the form of syrups or juices, turning what feels like a healthy choice into a thinly veiled dessert for breakfast. This all sounds bad, but if you're confident the fruit has been kept chilled, fresh, local fruit may well be one of the healthiest and most economical choices you can make at the breakfast buffet. Fresh berries, for example, are loaded with antioxidants and rich in fiber, which helps you stay fuller longer. Basically, if you want to take a chance with fresh fruit, just be cautious. Pancake, pancake, pancake. Eat little Bunny, eat, eat, eat Ralph. You might want to try feeding the Kitty for a little while. There's nothing that says breakfast more than pancakes, right? But when it comes to the buffet, your attention may be better placed elsewhere. Pancakes are relatively inexpensive to make, which is why chains like IHOP can afford to offer all you can eat deals. Some foods are still tasty when left out, but pancakes, much like home fries, are yet another breakfast item that's best fresh out of the pan or off the griddle. As pancakes cool, they can become rubbery and unappetizing, losing the crispy on the outside and soft on the inside texture. That makes a good pancake so great. If you're lucky enough to be frequenting a buffet with a fry cook making pancakes to order, go ahead and snag one. But if they're in a steamer tray, best steer clear. With the average price of cereal being only a few bucks a box at the supermarket, it hardly seems worth eating at what might be a pricey buffet. But even at home, cereal is far from the best option, especially first thing in the morning. Most breakfast cereal is jam packed with added sugars and refined carbs, all the while containing minimal amounts of both protein and fiber. The resulting treats are more like dessert than breakfast, spiking your blood sugar only to render you lethargic and hungry again mere hours later. Your wallet will hate you for spending a ton of money on a breakfast buffet just to buy a pricey lunch Soon after. Perhaps the only cereal that's actually worth it at the breakfast buffet is granola, preferably varieties loaded with nuts and seeds. These cereals are more expensive, especially the organic varieties, rendering them more worthwhile given the buffet's hefty price tag. Additionally, nuts and seeds contain both protein and fiber, which will keep you feeling fuller longer than the refined, sugar loaded stuff. If you've ever had buffet scrambled eggs that were rubbery, watery, or just plain off, you know how they earned their spot on this list. The reality is that breakfast buffet scrambled eggs are often made from powders or solutions that may be cheaper and easier to use, but ultimately cook up way less appetizing than actual eggs. And even if your buffet has splurged for the real thing, once scrambled eggs go out of the pan and into the warming tray, they quickly degrade from rich and creamy to flabby and unappetizing or even Gray. The best scrambled eggs are a labor of love and should be enjoyed in a timely manner, whether you're slow scrambling them like Gordon Ramsay or adding seltzer for extra fluffiness. Either way, it's best to keep scrambled eggs a special home breakfast and skip them on the buffet line. Bacon. Bacon Bacon is yet another delicious breakfast staple that suffers significantly the longer it sits out. What was once the ideal combination of crispy and chewy tends to become sodden with fat and floppy. Precooked sausage, meanwhile, can tend towards Gray and unappetizing once it spends some time in a steamer tray, at least according to one former hotel worker who counseled her TikTok followers to leave that lid closed. Steer clear of the meat at most places, Sausage is not supposed to be Gray. Stop eating Gray sausage. But the time under the the heat lamp is just one reason you might want to avoid these classic breakfast meats. High in calories, sodium, and saturated fat, processed meat is definitely in the category of a sometimes food. Research has found that the chemicals used in processed meat can lead to increased risk of disease and cancer. This includes cured, smoked and salted meats and holds double for anything that's grilled or charred, including extra crispy bacon. Smoked salmon is yet another cost effective choice at the buffet given its price. It ranges between $30 and $75 per pound, but in addition to making the buffet price well worth it, smoked salmon is likely one of the healthier choices on offer. Rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids that help promote improved brain, heart and eye health, smoked salmon is also rich in protein and B vitamins, which help you stay fuller longer and give you energy. A double barrelled bonus for vacationers looking to make the most of their day once the buffet is over. Since smoking started as a method of preservation, it should come as no surprise that smoked salmon can keep at room temperature for longer than raw seafood. And this holds even more true for hot smoked salmon, which has a flakier texture more similar to cooked salmon than cold smoked salmon, which retains a raw appearance. That said, this isn't an invitation to hold it indefinitely. Smoked salmon, whether hot or cold smoked, should be kept chilled on the buffet and consumed within two hours of being removed from refrigeration to reduce the risk of contamination and foodborne illness. If you get the sense the salmon has been lingering, keep on swimming. Unlike many other egg based dishes, quiche is actually designed to be kept and enjoyed chilled or at room temperature. Quiche offers loads of variety, whether studded with meat in the case of a classic quiche, Lorraine or filled with broccoli and cheddar for a tasty, cheesy, vegetarian recipe. And given the work they require, especially if they're made with homemade crust, they're a great choice in a buffet. Quiche is made with a set custard and can be kept for several days in the fridge, meaning it's not the most worrisome of offerings from a food safety perspective. That said, much like smoked salmon, it's best kept in a chilled case on a buffet. However, if you suspect it's been out for longer than two hours, it's best to avoid this treat in favor of other baked goods with a lower moisture content, making them less likely contenders for contamination. When I get back, remind me to tell you all about the omelet bar station. We will. You bet. Spoiler alert, two kinds of bell pepper. If your buffet has an omelet station, by all means make a beeline for it. Well, there may be nothing less appealing than scrambled eggs held in a chafing dish until they're rubbery. There's perhaps nothing more luxurious than watching a chef prepare an omelet for you to order. Omelet stations are great in more ways than one. Not only does each diner get the chance to be the boss of their own breakfast, customizing the fillings by preference and allergies, but there is perhaps no experience of dining out that gets the dish from pan to plate faster. And an omelet is really add its best piping hot when the interior is still a bit creamy. If you want to get an even better bang for your buck. At the omelet station, people lookout for top notch mixins like cheese, truffles, specialty meats, or even caviar. It's not for nothing that millennials get so much Flack about their addiction to avocado toast. Avocados are expensive, and while avocado habits are likely not what's causing the low rate of home ownership at around a dollar apiece, avocados are definitely a worthwhile prize on the breakfast buffet line. Avocados aren't just a financially sound choice, they're also a nutritious one. Loaded with fiber and healthy fats, avocados may contribute to lower cholesterol and better heart health, according to experts. Some research indicates avocados can help proved digestive health and even reduce the risk of cancer according to Health. In the shorter term, avocados also keep you fuller for longer, meaning that you're raring to go once you've left the buffet behind. And since avocados are perfectly happy at room temperature, particularly before being sliced, they're the ideal option on a buffet. Good quality cheese is pricey, which makes it a strategic choice on a buffet, and it's perfectly happy at room temperature, which makes it a delicious and fairly safe one. Most buffets have some sort of cheese, but look beyond to the bog, standard cheddar and Swiss to see if there are some imported delicacies like French Brie or Spanish manchego to sample and you'll be getting an even better bang for your buck. Moreover, bear in mind that European cheeses are just the beginning. Artisan American cheeses are becoming more and more available throughout the country and are even gaining international renown with Oregon's Rogue River Blue earning the distinction of the world's best at the 2019 World Cheese Awards. A good quality buffet may serve up some ultra local delicacies you wouldn't have a chance to sample back home. And since the whole point of a buffet is to sample a bit of everything, you can afford to be a bit more adventurous knowing there's no need to invest in a big block of cheese. You're not sure you'll love to give it a try. Nuts, I mean, and nuts. If your breakfast buffet boasts nuts, jump on them. Nuts can be phenomenally expensive, particularly pine nuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, and macadamia nuts, which are generally believed to be the world's most expensive nuts. The reason for this is linked to many factors, including the labor intensive harvest of nuts like almonds or cashews, and the strict climate conditions required for pecans or pine nuts. Suffice it to say that at around $23 a pound for pine nuts or $25 a pound for macadamia nuts and all you can eat, buffet is a good place to dig in. But nuts aren't just a good choice from a cost analysis standpoint. Rich in healthy fats and fiber, not to mention minerals like potassium and magnesium, nuts are a great choice first thing in the morning if you want to be full and nourished for the day ahead. Plus, you can always sneak any extras into your pocket for the perfect snack later on in the day. But we didn't say that.