Potlucks are a surefire way that your job as a host will be easier than making all of the food yourself. Providing food and drinks is something I prefer doing. However at the rate I host parties, potlucks are a blessing at times. Continue reading to hear about my hacks for hosting a potluck.
Potlucks can be a great time to taste other’s food and try their cooking style. You can sample everyone’s food and discover something that you’d like to add to your own menu rotation. When you are hosting a get-together there is usually planning that occurs on your end. If people can bring some food to share, then that will alleviate a bit of planning for you. Before you go out and spread the word about your gathering to everyone, read below to learn a couple of hacks.
3 Hacks for Hosting a Potluck
- CREATE AN ASSIGNMENT SHEET. Before you announce your potluck, make sure you come up with categories such as proteins, vegetable sides, appetizers, desserts, fruit, etc., and write them down. The sheet is for yourself and does not need to be fancy. You just want to make sure there is a well-rounded menu to offer to guests. I’ve been to potlucks and you know what they had a lot of? Bread, bread, and bready-type dishes. It is awfully nice for people to come up with something to bring, just make sure that you offer a little guidance before they commit to a dish to bring. When announcing your potluck just mention that, ‘we would like an appetizer, side dish, and dessert, and if someone is bringing the same thing as you I will let you know so we avoid duplicates!’
- PROVIDE SERVING DISHES & UTENSILS. I have been to several potlucks and lost my special glass dish. How sad it was. Should I have waited until the last bit of food was taken, or stayed until the very end to grab my dish away? Make it easy for your guests and provide take-out containers if they want to take the rest of their food or serving tray home. Also, be prepared with your own serving dish to transfer when they arrive. I am not fond of how aluminum pans look on an arranged table. Sometimes I will transfer guest’s food right away if it doesn’t disturb the presentation of the food. Often times people do not bring serving utensils, nor should they. Make sure to have enough on hand such as tongs, scoops, and serving forks and spoons when hosting a potluck. I love Crate & Barrel, and Amazon has a bunch of their products. Take a look if you want some serveware inspiration.
- OFFER THE MAIN DISH. Don’t expect your guests to bring the Thanksgiving turkey or BBQ chicken and hamburgers. Typically guests should be bringing some type of side to your gathering. Unless you are doing a themed potluck such as ‘All you Can Eat Meat,’ then settling for a side dish should suffice. If people share what they plan to bring, ensure that all of your categories are fulfilled. If not, make another dish to accommodate your party needs.
And that’s a wrap!
Well there you have it–short and sweet advice for hosting a potluck. I hope that your gathering is an effortless success so you can spend most of your time with family and friends.
If you’re looking for something to make for your potluck, take a look at my spicy lime taco seasoning that can literally be added to ANYTHING!
