15 Foods You Should Never Get Delivered, According To A Pro

Although food delivery services have been around in the U.S. since the 1800s, they've exploded in scale and popularity over the last decade or so. Technological advancements have given us a plethora of mobile apps that allow us to place instant orders with our favorite restaurants. Many workers have been pushed into a gig economy, taking on roles as freelance delivery drivers to increase their income. Then, of course, we had the COVID-19 pandemic. With restaurants struggling to survive, many began offering delivery services to stay afloat. There are no signs of things slowing down either, with driverless UberEats cars and automated DoorDash drones on the horizon. Once, food delivery was usually limited to things like pizza or Chinese takeout. Now, it's hard to think of a food that you can't order straight to your doorstep. However, just because you can get a dish delivered doesn't mean you should.

Aside from being a heavy user of food delivery apps during the pandemic, I also have first-hand experience from the restaurants' perspective. I've worked at many places that offered typical takeaway fare and managed a venue that had to transform its business model to offer food delivery during lockdowns. So, trust me — there are some things that aren't worth getting delivered. It doesn't matter how they're packaged, how fast they arrive, or how careful your driver is — you should never order these food items for delivery. You're better off dining out or making them at home.

Picture the perfect french fries: piping hot, crispy outside, fluffy in the middle. Now, think about the last time you had them delivered. I'm going to safely assume that there's a fairly significant disparity between the two.

Despite being a staple of fast food cuisine, french fries almost never travel well. The fastest way for heat to escape from your fries is through the air, so a closed container is the best way to prevent them from getting cold. However, the drawback is that most food contains water, which, when heated, turns to steam. When that steam is trapped in the container, there will be excess moisture. In turn, this moisture turns fries limp and lifeless. The only way to avoid soggy takeout french fries is to leave the container open, so the choice seems to be between hot and soggy or cold and crispy. The good news is that if you have an air fryer, you can revive soggy fries in about five minutes. It's also worth knowing that thicker fries tend to hold up much better than thin ones, as their size makes them better at retaining heat and texture.

Although there are plenty of different ways to cook eggs, none of them fare particularly well during delivery. The problem with transporting fried or poached eggs with soft yolks is probably the most obvious. It's easy enough to break yolks in your kitchen, so the chances of them making it across town in one piece are slim to none.

We also have the same issue that french fries face: Steam trapped in a sealed container can turn eggs soggy. Even if the packaging retains heat but has a way for steam to escape, that excess heat can overcook the eggs. Additionally, while some foods generally retain their flavor and texture when they cool down, others suffer greatly from the loss of heat and moisture. Eggs fall into the latter category. By the time they reach your doorstep, there's a good chance that scrambled eggs and omelets will taste dry and rubbery, while fried eggs will be soft and greasy. Even egg-based sauces, like Hollandaise, should be avoided because temperature changes can break their delicate emulsion.

Despite its incredible popularity, achieving perfectly cooked bacon is trickier than many people realize. Anybody can throw some strips in a pan, but the secret is being able to produce the optimum crispy texture without over or undercooking the meat. Unfortunately, regardless of how masterfully prepared that bacon may be, it's not going to be at its best by the time it reaches its destination.

Once again, we have that condensation issue. Trapped moisture turns thinner cuts of bacon limp and unappealing and makes thicker cuts too chewy and greasy. It's also worth remembering that bacon has a relatively high fat content. That fat tastes delicious when it's still hot but will start to congeal as it cools. Not only will this affect the crunchiness of the bacon, but it can also affect the rest of the dish it's being served with. As the grease solidifies, it can cause the dish's ingredients to stick together, affecting the overall taste and presentation of your meal.

There are few foods better for sharing than rows of hot, crispy corn chips covered in gooey cheese and sandwiched between layers of your favorite Tex-Mex accoutrements. However, if you're set on tucking into some tasty nachos at home, you're better off making them yourself.

One of the best things about nachos is that they delicately balance the texture of the crunchy corn chips with the softness of the other ingredients. Plus, the whole point of the dish is that you can eat it with your fingers, using the hard chips to scoop up the other tasty components. When you box nachos up for delivery, those toppings — cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, beef, and refried beans — are going to seep into the chips and make them soft. The condensation won't help things either. Plus, that delicately layered structure will more than likely shift during transit. By the time you receive your order, it's likely to be a messy clump of sloppy ingredients stuck together with congealed cheese.

I'm no snob when it comes to ordering fancy food for delivery. However, the problem with steak is that no matter the quality of the cut or the skill of the chef, it'll never reach your door without a significant drop in quality.

The first issue is that steaks are cooked to the diner's preference. The temperatures and timings required to produce a perfect medium-rare steak differ from those needed to make it well done. When you box up a steak, the residual heat means it's going to arrive more "done" than when it left the kitchen. Although it's best practice to let a steak rest before serving so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat, there's usually enough airflow to prevent it from overcooking. If you try to create that airflow in a takeaway box, the steak is going to get cold. The delivery time is also likely to be longer than the recommended resting time, so the steak will end up sitting in its juices for too long, and that perfectly caramelized crust will become saturated and soggy.

When it comes to fish, there are some that are much better suited to food delivery than others. For example, a fish and chips meal is hugely popular for takeaway in places like the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. However, it typically features cod, which manages to retain its firm, flaky texture during transit. Salmon, on the other hand, doesn't fare so well.

Salmon is similar to steak in that it's extremely sensitive to overcooking, something that's likely to happen when it's sealed inside an airtight container. That juicy, flaky texture will almost certainly have dried out by the time you receive your meal, and reheating the salmon will only make things worse. Salmon is also relatively high in unsaturated fat, which oxidizes during cooking and gives the fish its iconic flavor. When salmon is cooked properly, this flavor is delicious and well-balanced. However, the fishy taste intensifies the longer the salmon is cooked, so overcooking means you're more likely to end up with an unappealing, pungent dish that smells off. There's also a food safety risk. Although cooked salmon should be safe for up to two hours at room temperature, a warm environment — like a delivery container — will reduce that timeframe considerably.

Although soup isn't the easiest food to transport, it can be done. I've spent a number of years living in Southeast Asia, where soups and curries are extremely popular, and it hasn't deterred restaurants from offering delivery. That said, noodle-based broths usually suffer the most.

The issue with noodle soup is that the noodles continue to absorb liquid. The longer they sit in the broth, the mushier they become. Some noodle soups, like Vietnamese pho, are also garnished with fresh herbs and vegetables, and these will also turn limp and soggy pretty quickly. There is an effective solution to this problem, but not without its drawbacks. It's possible to package the soup separately from the noodles and toppings, but this exponentially increases the amount of disposable plastic used. In my experience, some restaurants secure the broth in a plastic bag. Although it's rare to have one leak, decanting the scalding broth from a bag into a bowl is a fiddly task at best, so I strongly suggest ordering another noodle dish for delivery instead.

As foods go, salads can actually be one of the safest bets when it comes to delivery. If it doesn't include any hot ingredients that might produce steam and wilt the greens, it should arrive without issues. However, I'd argue that no salad is truly complete without a good dressing, and that tends to be the part that causes trouble.

Some restaurants have realized that dressing a salad before sending it out is a bad idea because it turns the greens into mush. Instead, they'll supply the dressing separately in its own container. Unfortunately, it seems that many haven't figured this out yet. If you're ordering from a new spot and not sure how they package their salads, your best option is to leave a delivery note requesting the dressing on the side. You can run into similar issues if you order a hot dish that comes with a side salad and the restaurant bundles everything together. Again, it's worth asking specifically for the items to be split up to avoid disappointment.

Whether it's from your favorite fast food joint or your local mom-and-pop eatery, it's hard to deny that fried chicken is one of the all-time comfort foods. It doesn't matter whether you like it plain or saucy, mild or scorching hot, as long as the meat is tender and juicy and the skin has the perfect level of crunch. Unfortunately, that's unlikely to be the case when you order fried chicken to-go.

We run into the same issue we encountered with other foods that have a crispy element. A sealed container will trap any escaping steam. It's unlikely that the meat of the chicken will lose much texture or flavor, but that crunchy batter and skin is going to soften fairly rapidly. It gets even worse with fried chicken smothered in sauce because the batter will also start to absorb the liquid, and there's a chance the coating will detach from the meat. Although I've highlighted fried chicken here, the truth is that most deep fried foods don't travel well for these reasons.

The first large-scale meal delivery service arose in India in 1890, taking advantage of an increasingly industrialized workforce unable to leave their posts for a midday meal. Today, not much has changed, and weekday lunch deliveries are becoming increasingly popular. Nothing beats a good sandwich because they're typically quick to make and they usually travel well, but that's not always the case.

If you do order a sandwich, you're generally going to be better off picking one with fresh, untoasted bread. The bread of a perfect toasted sandwich should be hot and crispy on the outside and slightly soft in the middle. Unfortunately, toasted bread dries out extremely quickly, so the texture is likely going to be dry and stale by the time your sandwich arrives. The sandwich filling can also suffer. A melted cheese filling will sweat and congeal, often becoming greasy. Sauces, like mayonnaise, will lose their consistency, while leafy greens will wilt. There's also the risk that hot or moist ingredients will make the bread soggy, which defeats the entire point of a toasted sandwich.

Burgers have long been a staple of delivery foods. However, there's a stark difference between a no-fuss fast food burger and a gourmet burger. The definition of a gourmet burger might differ depending on who you ask, but they're pretty easy to identify. Though they may be bigger than standard burgers, the key difference is the patties tend to be thick and juicy, made with high-quality meat. The rest of the ingredients can vary massively but are typically more premium and complex than what you'd find at your local fast-food restaurant. 

I managed a large brewpub renowned for its gourmet burgers that offered delivery, and it was a miracle when customers received them in one piece. Even with custom-made, foil-lined, perforated packaging, the complexity of gourmet burgers means the ingredients usually get mushed together and fall apart. Sauces soak into the buns, making them soft and soggy, even when they're toasted. Plus, gourmet burger patties are similar to steaks, so they can become overcooked and dry out before they reach their destination.

Although pizza is arguably one of the best foods for delivery, the same can't be said about all Italian cuisine. Nowadays, many Italian restaurants offer pasta on their delivery menus, but it's never the same standard as it is in-house.

Pasta is another food that continues to cook from residual heat, which is why we often remove it from the water when it's still a little firm. By sealing pasta in a container, that residual heat can't escape, making it far too soft to be enjoyable. That's assuming it arrives hot. Pasta becomes chewy and sticky when it cools, so if the delivery takes too long, your food will be hard and clumpy. There's really no winning scenario. We've also got the sauce to think about — not only will imperfect pasta fail to interact with the sauce properly, but the sauce itself may dry out or separate. It's worth noting that there is one exception. Lasagna is actually ideal for delivery due to its layered structure keeping the ingredients together and holding the heat and moisture where they're supposed to be.

While sushi used to be considered something of a niche food, it's now easier than ever to get on-the-go. This is by no means a bad thing, but there are multiple reasons why you're always going to be better off eating it at a restaurant.

For starters, most sushi consists of raw fish, so you want it as fresh as possible to reduce the risk of getting sick. It's why you should always be wary of a sushi buffet. If the sushi is traveling for too long, there's a higher risk of harmful microorganisms developing, a risk that increases if the sushi is being transported next to hot items. It's also common to order multiple different types of sushi, so delivering it either means using lots of extra packaging or lumping everything together. Sushi is a type of food that's known for its delicate assembly and immaculate presentation, so the chances of it arriving in the same state it left the restaurant aren't high.

Sometimes, regular soda or plain old water just don't cut it when you're after a drink that's flavorsome and thirst-quenching. Whether you prefer a healthy, nutrient-packed smoothie or a slightly more decadent concoction, it's worth considering if it'll stand up to delivery.

Ice cream-based smoothies and shakes are almost never going to travel well because they melt too quickly. They lose their rich, creamy mouthfeel and are nowhere near as refreshing when they've warmed up. Dairy can also curdle if it gets warm — a strong possibility if your smoothie is packaged with hot food items, creating a disgusting texture. Fruit-based smoothies can also suffer, especially if they're made with fresh ingredients. Fresh fruit juice typically separates over time, leaving you with layers that need to be recombined before drinking. Depending on the fruit, there's also the risk that it'll oxidize once it's been juiced or blended and exposed to air. While it might not pose a health risk or taste too bad, there's a chance your smoothie will turn an unappealing shade of brown.

Once upon a time, most of us would laugh at the idea of ordering oysters for delivery, but the pandemic changed that. Even high-end restaurants started resorting to delivery, offering luxury foods, like oysters, to stay afloat while their customers were stuck at home. Again, I'm not snobby about what foods should or should not be delivered, but oysters are a terrible choice.

First, there's already a slight risk of getting ill from raw oysters, so you should always be picky about where you get them. Oysters need to be carefully temperature-controlled, especially when served fresh, which is why they're usually served on a bed of crushed ice. If they get too warm, there's a higher chance you'll get sick. Oysters also taste better chilled to retain the clean, briny flavor while preventing it from becoming too intense. The lower temperature also helps keep the oysters firm and plump. Another reason you don't want your oysters being jostled about in transit is that you'll lose the shell liquor — the delicious combo of oyster juices and saltwater that sits in the base of the shell and enhances the overall taste. Restaurants are careful to preserve this flavorsome liquid when serving oysters, but it's unlikely to remain in the shell after some time on the road.