Katie Austin’s Entertaining Must-Haves

“I love healthifying everything,” says Austin. For game-day gatherings, she takes comfort food classics and lightens them up by replacing ingredients like sour cream and melted cheese with Greek yogurt or blended cottage cheese. Her buffalo chicken dip is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Austin loves to serve finger foods and miniature appetizers on platters and plates she inherited from her grandmother. She uses a set of colored vintage Pyrex glass bowls, but if you didn’t inherit a set of your own, this stunning three-piece set from Food52 is a close second (and you can pass it down to the next gen).

Part of Austin’s “healthifying” routine often involves her air fryer. She loves the Our Place Wonder Oven, which has the look of a chic ’50’s-era appliance but works like a modern-day air fryer with 6 cooking modes for crisping things up without tons of oil.

Austin also makes room on her counter for her trusty Crock Pot. This slow cooker is her secret to juicy pulled chicken, flavorful stews, and even enchiladas. “If you're a busy person on the go, a Crock Pot can help make sure you're getting healthy meals on the table,” says Austin.

Austin loves serving sharable dips, and she gets double duty out of her cast iron skillet by cooking and serving the gooey, cheesy goodness in it. She’s found that an 8-inch pan is the perfect size for most gatherings, as the dip stays hot until it’s gone.

Austin’s motto for avoiding a post-party mess is to clean as you go. She plans for more time than she thinks she’ll need to prepare the space and food so she can sit back and enjoy her guests’ company during the party instead of being trapped in the kitchen. She often serves meals on sustainable single-use paper plates from Repurpose to cut back on dishes. They’re sturdy enough for a generous helping and 100% compostable.

Austin always has avocados and chips on hand for an impromptu bowl of guac, and Siete makes her favorite grain-free tortilla chips. They’re lightly seasoned with sea salt and made with avocado oil.