10 Dishes Not Worth Your Money at Restaurants

It’s also rare to find quality scallops — meaning restaurants are often using ones that are just so-so — he says. Good scallops are so hard to find that Collins doesn’t even make himself very often. “I can’t remember the last time I cooked them at home because I haven’t loved the look of them in the market for that special meal.”

And scallops are pricey, often about $25 to $45 a pound, says Collins, who has also authored four cookbooks. When he does find quality ones, he likes to sear them at home. His tip to sear them to perfection is to add a thin coating of high-heat oil, such as grape-seed, avocado or canola, to a hot skillet. “Sear the scallops on one side for up to two minutes, or until they are browned. Turn them over and cook for another minute, then remove them from the pan,” he says. “They’ll be juicy and flavorful!”

Cheese platter

It’s fun to share a cheese platter at a restaurant, but it’s very often overpriced for what you get, says LaMarita. He prefers to make one at home because it is simple to prepare and more cost-effective.

“Slice up a few apples, slice up a little bread, throw some nuts or dried fruits on it,” he says. You can choose the cheeses you like and get more for your money, plus you’ll have cheese for three to four platters for a similar price.

Quesadilla

Quesadillas are a common breakfast food in Mexico, but in the States, they are often served as an entrée for lunch or dinner. The ingredients are simple — a tortilla with melted cheese. Raul Luis, chef and owner of Birrieria Chalio in California and Texas, compares them to grilled cheese.

Save yourself some money and make them at home, says Luis —they’re easy to prepare and economical. You can buy cheese for $3 to $12 a pound, and a pack of eight to 12 tortillas can cost $2 to $6, while the cost of a quesadilla at a restaurant can range from $10 to $16. The only caveat is if a Mexican restaurant makes their own tortillas and use specialty cheeses, like queso fresco, which make a huge difference in texture and flavor, he adds.

Steak

A steak dinner has a nice ring to it; it’s a popular go-to for a nice dinner out. But not for chefs, who often avoid ordering a steak because it’s frequently not cooked to their liking and can be expensive. Collins prefers preparing steak at home, where he can guarantee it will be cooked medium-rare.

When you order at restaurants, he says, how it’s cooked depends on the expertise of the line cook or chef who is preparing your steak. If it’s not cooked how you like it, you’ve just spent a lot of money on a simple meal that you could make at home.

“If you go to a steakhouse, a lot of times, they’re charbroiling it, they’re grilling it, they’re pan searing it,” says Mooney, . Those are easy techniques you can do at home. He adds that restaurants typically have a 60 to 70 percent markup on the steak price. That means for the same price or less than you’d spend at a restaurant, you can buy a quality cut and make it at home.

Entrée salads

Mooney is always shocked at the salad prices when he looks at a menu, which can run $15 to $20 and up.

“A lot of these places, all they are doing is taking some lettuce and already prepared items and throwing them in the bowl and mixing them up with the dressing,” he says. And most dressings aren’t house-made, either.

Mooney prefers to make salads at home with either a store-bought dressing or his own. LaMarita agrees that salads are cheap to make and that many restaurants don’t put much thought into how they prepare them.

Salmon

Ordering salmon may be a special dish if you don’t typically eat fish at home, but, Collins says, like scallops, salmon is often overcooked at restaurants. Plus, it’s easy to make at home, says Mooney.

If you want to always cook your fish properly, Collins offers a tip: “The rule of thumb for cooking any kind of fish is 10 minutes for every inch of thickness of the fish, [whether] you poach it, you pan sear, roast it.”

Collins shares one of his favorite ways to prepare salmon at home. "Salmon, olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted in the oven at 450 [degrees Fahrenheit] for about 12 to 14 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is,” he says. Want a more accurate way to know when the fish is cooked? Place an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the fish, and when it reads 135 to 140 degrees, it’s done, he says.  

Cakes and pies

Most chefs say they wouldn’t order pies or cakes at a restaurant, unless they know they’re made in-house. Chefs recommend going to a bakery for quality baked goods instead since they take time and skill to make from scratch.

“I would go to a dedicated bakery or a farmers market [where they] are freshly made,” says LaMarita, adding that they’re likely less expensive or around the same price at a bakery compared with a restaurant.

An added tip: Skip cakes and pies in the supermarket too, he says.