There’s no shame in eating frozen, ready-made meals. And while it’s true that my appetite is as broad and all-encompassing as a trash troll’s, I’d go so far as to say that there’s no shame in serving other people frozen, ready-made meals, either. The frozen food section may be the home cook’s best resource for catering parties large and small, but that doesn’t mean your food has to look like it just rolled out of the box.

The benefits of catering your party with frozen boxed meals are that the quality of such boxed meals is always improving, there is a great variety available, and the hardest part is often done for you. Plus, we are in the glory days of air frying right now and honestly, there is nothing better for that little box of fish sticks or falafel balls. It’s like they were all born to be air fried.

When I host gatherings, I tend to overdo it with homemade items and I’m short on time. For me, the best time saver is to add a few air fried frozen bites like the ones below, but you could make your entire spread this way. The idea is to make the average frozen bite look perfect for a party by adding a few well-planned components.

My equation for success is: base item + sauce + contrasting texture. You can always jazz it up with a pinch of flaked salt here or chopped peanuts there, but always include your must-haves. Think of the sauce as an opportunity to bring out balancing flavors like acidity, salinity, or spice. The ingredients you use for contrasting textures can be anything from crunchy raw vegetables to chalky cheeses or juicy, soft olives. Just try to find something that contrasts with the main texture.