Re: How do you judge how much food to take to a po... - Page 3

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

Rule of thumb is to bring a dish/salad/dessert to serve 8. However, there are extenuating circumstances to take into consideration: how many folks are actually going to contribute food; is the group small or large; and, it would be nice to make a gluten-free dish for those who have that intolerance or those on a GF diet.

Britbrit13 · ‎07-12-2011

I usually I see people go to the grocery store and bring cookies or cakes , just any dessert I always bring my corn salad and a pistachio salad or ill bring my corn salad and the grape jelly meatballs, people just love them!!! I always 2-3 dishes..if there is over 20 people!! I never bring home any food!!

Brittany

Flo08 · ‎03-29-2014

It depends on the potluck but in most cases I try to take at least a double recipe of what I am taking. I would rather take too much than not enough. It always amazes me at work pot lucks the ones that bring the least are the ones at the front of the line with the heaping plates.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

On 5/25/2014 missyw1 said: I bring only pre-packaged items ( unless it's my parents house). Whatever I feel like bringing, no set amount. Not into eating homemade items from strangers at potlucks, but will attend.

I'm not crazy about eating at potlucks either. I usually attend and bring something (a large tray of brownies or whatever), but unless it's my family or close friends, I tend not to eat at potlucks. In my area, we don't have a lot of them, but I have attended a few over the years at work and other places, and always had a good time with the people (more than the food.)

For holidays, my family often contributes by having everyone bring something. That's completely different. I contribute AND I eat at those! Kiss

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

I thought about this yesterday after I read your question. Some of my cookbooks for church gatherings or "get-togethers" usually show 24 servings. Trouble is a serving and a portion a person chooses are usually 2 different things. If in the past you felt you took too much, use that as a guide if it's the same type of group. Remember you aren't responsible to feed them all so don't overdue it. Or.. take 2 dishes if you'd feel better. JMHO

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

Just an update. I brought a ginormous apple pie and enough potato salad for at least 20 people. My husband managed to snag a piece of pie, but we missed the potato salad altogether.

Lesson learned here - when you go to a potluck, don't assume you're going to eat.

~ house cat ~

PINKdogWOOD · ‎05-13-2010

We have a potluck cousins family reunion in 2 weeks and this is my dilemma too. I'll need to make a couple of calls to find out head count along with who's bringing what. I invariably bring too much too. We have card club this Saturday too with a group of 8. Tired of making too much of whatever and then end up bringing a bunch of it back home. Then what do you do with it? Do we really want to continue eating it after everybody has been into it, picking at it? We probably all end up just throwing the leftovers out.

What a waste of time, effort & food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

I don't worry about it. I bring a bowl of something, whether it's some kind of a potato salad, pasta salad, or a 9 x 13-inch casserole or whatever. Since I'm the baker in the family, I'll also bring along a batch or two of various homemade cookies, too. Or a cake. And when the dish is empty, it's empty. When the cookies are all, they're all. There's usually plenty of food to go around regardless.

Something that happened to us one time.....our son and his bride-to-be had a huge "getting to know the families" picnic at a local park and everybody brought something. We all chipped in money for burgers and hotdogs, things like that and we grilled. I brought potato salad, a vegetable salad, a large crock pot of beans, some cookies and a Texas sheet cake. Brought a couple cases of soda. Plenty of paper plates, napkins, and the like.

Well, after the event was over, we were all packing up to go home. I didn't think anything (I guess I wasn't thinking clearly at all) and I packed our food up, stuck it all in the ice chest, and put the chest in the car. And we went home.

A couple days later, our DS came to the house and yelled at me. He said that her family was very upset that we didn't offer them any leftovers because the best food came from our side of the family! And that we were very rude because we took the food home. Honestly, I didn't even think about it. There wasn't much food leftover as it was and I just packed my stuff. Everybody was packing their food up, putting it all away, and my MIL didn't think about it either. But I really caught a lot of flak from DS about it. I even said that nobody offered us anything either. But truth be told, I simply didn't think. I was so upset with DS that I walked out of the house and I know that DH was furious with DS; even he didn't think about offering anything. I guess it wasn't a good way to meet the fiancee's family, that's for sure.

Ever since that time, whenever we go to DS's house for any kind of meal, whether it be a picnic or a sit-down formal affair, and I bring food, I always leave it at their house. I'll put the food in one of their containers, rinse the bowl or pan out and bring it home empty. I never come home with anything. I learned my lesson. I guess that's the way they do it in her family. (And to this day, 12 years later, nobody from her side of the family has ever offered us any leftovers from any of the dinners we've had there.)

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

On 5/28/2014 pink dogwood said:
We have a potluck cousins family reunion in 2 weeks and this is my dilemma too. I'll need to make a couple of calls to find out head count along with who's bringing what. I invariably bring too much too. We have card club this Saturday too with a group of 8. Tired of making too much of whatever and then end up bringing a bunch of it back home. Then what do you do with it? Do we really want to continue eating it after everybody has been into it, picking at it? We probably all end up just throwing the leftovers out.

What a waste of time, effort & food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a dilemma that I face when bringing home leftovers from a "community" pot luck. We often have them at church, school or with one of the sports teams that my kid participated with, and I don't want to eat what is left after everyone has handled it and picked at it.

If it is family, then I'm ok with using it up. I usually don't have any leftovers, so I don't have to deal with it, but once in awhile, I do have to carry some food home, and unfortunately it gets dumped most of the time.