potluck supper ratio?



Elaine Parrish wrote:
> On 23 Jan 2006, aem wrote:
>>
>> PickyJaz wrote:
>>> [email protected] wrote:
>>>> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other
>>>> ppl, what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
>>>> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides
>>>> etc...
>>
>>> I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
>>> dishes.
>
>
>>
>> That's ridiculous. If all 20 followed that advice you'd have food
>> for 400. Bring an ordinary family quantity, something that will
>> serve 4 to
>> 6. -aem
>>
>>
>
> I don't agree with this at all. I can just see you coming to a
> covered dish with 20 in attendance and bringing two eggs, deviled; or
> 1 two-litre coke; or six cookies. I've seen it done - and usually by a
> husband and wife towing 3 or 4 kids.
>
(snippage)
> Elaine, too

This is why there should be a sign-up sheet. Who brings what? And in what
quantity?

Jill
 
On Tue, 24 Jan 2006, jmcquown wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
> > On 23 Jan 2006, aem wrote:
> >>
> >> PickyJaz wrote:
> >>> [email protected] wrote:
> >>>> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other
> >>>> ppl, what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
> >>>> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides
> >>>> etc...
> >>
> >>> I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
> >>> dishes.
> >
> >
> >>
> >> That's ridiculous. If all 20 followed that advice you'd have food
> >> for 400. Bring an ordinary family quantity, something that will
> >> serve 4 to
> >> 6. -aem
> >>
> >>
> >
> > I don't agree with this at all. I can just see you coming to a
> > covered dish with 20 in attendance and bringing two eggs, deviled; or
> > 1 two-litre coke; or six cookies. I've seen it done - and usually by a
> > husband and wife towing 3 or 4 kids.
> >
> (snippage)
> > Elaine, too
>
> This is why there should be a sign-up sheet. Who brings what? And in what
> quantity?
>
> Jill
>>

I totally agree. Even in a social group that will only be communicating by
phone, someone should be the keeper of the list. Even a covered dish
event has to be initiated by someone.

Elaine, too
 
"Elaine Parrish" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> On 23 Jan 2006, aem wrote:
> I don't agree with this at all. I can just see you coming to a
> covered dish with 20 in attendance and bringing two eggs, deviled; or 1
> two-litre coke; or six cookies. I've seen it done - and usually by a
> husband and wife towing 3 or 4 kids.
>
> There are a lot of things to be considered.
>
> Of the 20 in attendance, how many households are represented?
>
> If 20 (like an office gathering), you'll have 20 contributors.
> If 5 (like 5 families of 4), you'll only have 5 comtributors.

<snipped rest of post>

My family reunions have always been potluck, and the rules are "Bring enough
to feed *your* family - and that includes meat, sides and desserts." We
were also responsible for our own cups and drinks. The theory was (and it
worked) if everyone brought enough for their family, and everything was put
out on the common table, there should be enough food for everyone. It
usually worked, and there were some of us who had "signature" dishes (Mom's
killer brownies, Uncle's home-made baked beans) that everyone wanted, so
they'd bring double or triple. Sure, we seemed to end up with a lot of KFC
at times...but at least they were bringing the big buckets, and not the
little snack-paks!

The office potlucks I've participated in always involved sign-up sheets.
Regardless, we still ended up for a lot of desserts, but not nearly as many
as we might have without the signup sheets! (The sign-ups also included who
was bringing cups, utensils, etc.)

In the absence of an "understanding" or sign-up sheets, Elaine's right -
talk to the others to see who is doing what.

Lisa Ann
 
I've read the whole thread and think I have the optimal answer. It was
done this way at a quilt group I belonged to. Two meetings before the
pot luck, a sign-up sheet was passed around. The organizer put on a
sheet of lined paper the categories for you to put your name next to.
It looked something like this:

1 plates and cups
2 silverware
3 napkins and non-alcoholic drinks
4 appetizers
5 appetizers
6 appetizers
7 soup
8 soup
9 casserole main dish
10 casserole main dish
11 casserole main dish
12 vegetable side dish
13 vegetable side dish
14 vegetable side dish
15 salad
16 salad
17 salad
18 cookies, cake, or baked dessert
19 cookies, cake or baked dessert
20 fruit or non-baked dessert
21 fruit or non-baked dessert
22 wine


The organizer took the list to each person in turn trying to hit the
non-foodies first. That way they had the chance to sign up for bringing
the napkins or soft drinks. If it came to a foodie last, she could sign
up for something that others found difficult to make. Some people, in
addition to putting their name, put the exact item they were planning to
bring. That way the person who sees carrot bisque next soup can know to
bring minestrone. As I said earlier, I like to sign up last so I can
fill in what look like holes in the menu.


--Lia
 
In article
<[email protected]>,
Elaine Parrish <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 23 Jan 2006, aem wrote:
> >
> > PickyJaz wrote:
> > > [email protected] wrote:
> > > > If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
> > > > what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
> > > > And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
> >
> > > I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
> > > dishes.
>
>
> >
> > That's ridiculous. If all 20 followed that advice you'd have food for
> > 400. Bring an ordinary family quantity, something that will serve 4 to
> > 6. -aem
> >
> >
>
> I don't agree with this at all. I can just see you coming to a
> covered dish with 20 in attendance and bringing two eggs, deviled; or 1
> two-litre coke; or six cookies. I've seen it done - and usually by a
> husband and wife towing 3 or 4 kids.


I snipped most of what Elaine posted, which were some very good points
about potluck planning, and all the variables. I waver, myself, between
just wanting a potluck where you eat whatever shows up, and planning so
you don't get 20 boxes of cookies from the supermarket. I personally
think that those who would bring two eggs or one bottle of soda will
live their own personal hell on earth, but sometimes they don't seem to
notice. Still, they can expect that many folks will be talking about
them for years to come. We had one guy who was the second-highest paid
employee in the office, and he brought a box of plastic forks! They
were the kind that weren't usable for real eating because they were too
weak and puny. And there weren't enough for everybody. I was planning
this thing, and I knew that we had enough plastic utensils from previous
potlucks to cover us.

--
Dan Abel
[email protected]
Petaluma, California, USA
 
Picky wrote:

>> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
>> what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
>> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
>
> I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
> dishes. Such as a side of seasoned, buttered Brussels sprouts as well
> as a different vegetable; a chicken dish, as well as a roasted red
> meat dish. As to categories, most comon are main, side, salad and
> desert.

Doing the math...if twenty people each bring enough food to serve twenty
people, then you've got enough food for FOUR HUNDRED people.


Bob
 
Julia wrote:

> I've read the whole thread and think I have the optimal answer. It was
> done this way at a quilt group I belonged to. Two meetings before the pot
> luck, a sign-up sheet was passed around. The organizer put on a sheet of
> lined paper the categories for you to put your name next to. It looked
> something like this:
>
> 1 plates and cups
> 2 silverware
> 3 napkins and non-alcoholic drinks
> 4 appetizers
> 5 appetizers
> 6 appetizers
> 7 soup
> 8 soup
> 9 casserole main dish
> 10 casserole main dish
> 11 casserole main dish
> 12 vegetable side dish
> 13 vegetable side dish
> 14 vegetable side dish
> 15 salad
> 16 salad
> 17 salad
> 18 cookies, cake, or baked dessert
> 19 cookies, cake or baked dessert
> 20 fruit or non-baked dessert
> 21 fruit or non-baked dessert
> 22 wine

Hate to be the person who has to bring 22 bottles of wine! ;-^) Personally,
I think "small plates" foods (e.g., tapas) are well-suited for potlucks.
I'm never really interested in the "casserole main dish" items that show up.

Bob
 
Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Julia wrote:
>
>> I've read the whole thread and think I have the optimal answer. It
>> was done this way at a quilt group I belonged to. Two meetings
>> before the pot luck, a sign-up sheet was passed around. The
>> organizer put on a sheet of lined paper the categories for you to
>> put your name next to. It looked something like this:
>>
>> 1 plates and cups
>> 2 silverware
>> 3 napkins and non-alcoholic drinks
>> 4 appetizers
>> 5 appetizers
>> 6 appetizers
>> 7 soup
>> 8 soup
>> 9 casserole main dish
>> 10 casserole main dish
>> 11 casserole main dish
>> 12 vegetable side dish
>> 13 vegetable side dish
>> 14 vegetable side dish
>> 15 salad
>> 16 salad
>> 17 salad
>> 18 cookies, cake, or baked dessert
>> 19 cookies, cake or baked dessert
>> 20 fruit or non-baked dessert
>> 21 fruit or non-baked dessert
>> 22 wine
>
> Hate to be the person who has to bring 22 bottles of wine! ;-^)
> Personally, I think "small plates" foods (e.g., tapas) are
> well-suited for potlucks. I'm never really interested in the
> "casserole main dish" items that show up.
>
> Bob

The problem with no main dishes is you wind up with 20 boxes of cookies or
supermarket baked cakes or pies. I don't know about you but I want
something like a main dish item to eat for lunch. I don't overload on
sugar, that's just me. Some folks would be perfectly happy to eat 3 slices
of pie, 6 sugar cookies and a slice of cake. I'm looking for something
(cooked, hot). I also don't want to eat a rotisseried chicken from a
grocery store; I can do that on my own (never have). What that tells me is
woo! you spent $6 and got someone else to cook it and picked it up when you
ran out for 20 minutes.

Jill
 
On 23 Jan 2006 13:11:17 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

>If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
>what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?

I've always heard six. That way, if each person averages six portions
of something on their plate, it works out well.

serene
 
On 23 Jan 2006 13:17:31 -0800, "PickyJaz" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>[email protected] wrote:
>> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
>> what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
>> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
>I would bring enough to serve 20,

Wow, that's a lot. That would mean there are 20 servings of something
for each person. I would go with a much smaller number.

serene
 
jmcquown wrote:

> The problem with no main dishes is you wind up with 20 boxes of cookies or
> supermarket baked cakes or pies. I don't know about you but I want
> something like a main dish item to eat for lunch. I don't overload on
> sugar, that's just me. Some folks would be perfectly happy to eat 3 slices
> of pie, 6 sugar cookies and a slice of cake. I'm looking for something
> (cooked, hot). I also don't want to eat a rotisseried chicken from a
> grocery store; I can do that on my own (never have). What that tells me is
> woo! you spent $6 and got someone else to cook it and picked it up when you
> ran out for 20 minutes.


A real main dish is hard to do in a pot luck situation. No one is
prepared to grill steaks at an office party. Given the alternatives
(cold hamburgers?), the bucket of chicken or the casserole main dish
(lasagne, spanakopita, quiche) sound pretty good.


The bottom line is that unless you've organized a gourmet club, there
will always be people who don't cook or who cook badly coming to these
things. They could be lazy, cheap, or have different ideas of what
constitutes good food. (Believe it or not, there are people who prefer
those store-bought cookies over my home made pound cake.) When
organizing a potluck, the best you can do is put the non-foodies in a
position where they can do the least damage i.e. let them bring the soft
drinks or the wine or the plates and silverware. I'm aware that's not a
perfect solution since they can still bring white zinfandel and plastic
knives, but other than not inviting them, what can you do?


I don't consider NOT bringing good food to be an option to get them
back. If I'm in a group of non-foodies, I love being the only one to
bring something good and home made. I get a kick out of the compliments
and thanks I get. If I'm in a group of similarly minded foodies, I love
going all out and impressing the pros (harder to do but still
satisfactory). If that means bringing the main course, I'll do it. I
won't cater a meal for 20 deadbeats, but I will bring enough to get
something good to eat for myself and impress several others.


--Lia
 
: Picky wrote:

: >> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
: >> what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
: >> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
: >
: > I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
: > dishes. Such as a side of seasoned, buttered Brussels sprouts as well
: > as a different vegetable; a chicken dish, as well as a roasted red
: > meat dish. As to categories, most comon are main, side, salad and
: > desert.

: Doing the math...if twenty people each bring enough food to serve twenty
: people, then you've got enough food for FOUR HUNDRED people.


Your math isn't correct. You are calculating _servings_, not _meals_.
A single meal consists of single servings of multiple items. You don't
eat only a single item at a pot luck, do you? Of course not.

If twenty people each bring twenty _servings_, then you've got 20 servings
per person which is indeed too much. Each of twenty people need to only
bring enough servings for 5-6 people.
 
On 23 Jan 2006 13:11:17 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

>If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
>what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
>And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
>thanks

We have a potluck lunch at church after service once a month... there
tends to be a lot of starch represented, ie. pasta and potato salads,
presumably because they're cheap. I usually bring a big salad or
vegetable dish... The number of warm bodies varies between 20 and 50
depending on the month, and there might be anywhere between 6 and 20
different dishes depending on how many families show up. I split the
difference and try to bring enough for a dozen to have a full serve,
or everyone to have a taste, and most of it disappears.

If the potluck is for 20 people, I'd probably bring a dish that would
serve 8-12 full portions... of course it's different if it's 20 people
bringing a dish each, or five families of 4. In the former case you'll
be up to your eyebrows in food so a dish for 6 is plenty, and in the
latter people will be eating more of each dish because there won't be
so much variety so you need to bring more.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit
 
On 25 Jan 2006 14:36:04 -0600, "Bob Terwilliger"
<virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:

>Picky wrote:
>
>>> If you're participating in a potluck affair with, say, 20 other ppl,
>>> what amount do you bring? Enough to serve 6, 8 ...?
>>> And how would you divide the categories - main, dessert, sides etc...
>>
>> I would bring enough to serve 20, though possibly as two seperate
>> dishes. Such as a side of seasoned, buttered Brussels sprouts as well
>> as a different vegetable; a chicken dish, as well as a roasted red
>> meat dish. As to categories, most comon are main, side, salad and
>> desert.
>
>Doing the math...if twenty people each bring enough food to serve twenty
>people, then you've got enough food for FOUR HUNDRED people.

Of course that depends a bit on what size portions they are... ideally
there is enough for everyone to have a nibble of everything if they so
choose - it's always better to have leftovers than to run out!


--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit
 
Julia Altshuler wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> The problem with no main dishes is you wind up with 20 boxes of
>> cookies or supermarket baked cakes or pies. I don't know about you
>> but I want something like a main dish item to eat for lunch. I
>> don't overload on sugar, that's just me. Some folks would be
>> perfectly happy to eat 3 slices of pie, 6 sugar cookies and a slice
>> of cake. I'm looking for something (cooked, hot).
>
> A real main dish is hard to do in a pot luck situation. No one is
> prepared to grill steaks at an office party.

I should have said "entree". You'd be surprised what good things you can
bring in a crock pot and plug in at your desk at the office when you get to
work... it's done by lunch time. People always begged me for the recipe for
teriyaki chicken thighs. I browned them the night before then stuck them in
the crock pot with the sauce and plugged it in when I got to work. It's
cooked completely done by lunch time and a huge hit. Same thing with
crockpot potato-cheese casserole. You can do a lot in a crock pot, not just
soups.

Given the alternatives
> (cold hamburgers?), the bucket of chicken or the casserole main dish
> (lasagne, spanakopita, quiche) sound pretty good.
>
I am assuming there are reheating facilities (at least a microwave) wherever
the pot luck is being served.

> The bottom line is that unless you've organized a gourmet club, there
> will always be people who don't cook or who cook badly coming to these
> things. They could be lazy, cheap, or have different ideas of what
> constitutes good food. (Believe it or not, there are people who
> prefer those store-bought cookies over my home made pound cake.) When
> organizing a potluck, the best you can do is put the non-foodies in a
> position where they can do the least damage i.e. let them bring the
> soft drinks or the wine or the plates and silverware. I'm aware
> that's not a perfect solution since they can still bring white
> zinfandel and plastic knives, but other than not inviting them, what
> can you do?
>
>
> I don't consider NOT bringing good food to be an option to get them
> back. If I'm in a group of non-foodies, I love being the only one to
> bring something good and home made. I get a kick out of the
> compliments
> and thanks I get. If I'm in a group of similarly minded foodies, I
> love going all out and impressing the pros (harder to do but still
> satisfactory). If that means bringing the main course, I'll do it. I
> won't cater a meal for 20 deadbeats, but I will bring enough to get
> something good to eat for myself and impress several others.
>
> --Lia
 
On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:06:37 -0600, "jmcquown"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> People always begged me for the recipe for teriyaki chicken thighs. I browned them the night before then stuck them in
>the crock pot with the sauce and plugged it in when I got to work. It's
>cooked completely done by lunch time and a huge hit.

Okay, so now I'm begging. Care to share? Thanks.

Tara
 
Tara replied to Jill:

>> People always begged me for the recipe for teriyaki chicken thighs. I
>> browned them the night before then stuck them in the crock pot with the
>> sauce and plugged it in when I got to work. It's cooked completely done
>> by lunch time and a huge hit.
>
> Okay, so now I'm begging. Care to share? Thanks.

Er...I thought that what you quoted *was* a recipe of sorts:

1. Brown chicken thighs and (optionally) refrigerate overnight.
2. Put chicken thighs into crockpot with teriyaki sauce and cook on "Low"
for 4-5 hours.

Are you asking for a recipe for teriyaki sauce? I'm guessing that Jill uses
a commercial sauce for her office potluck, but here's one that I like:

Hot Teriyaki Sauce
(from _Some Like It Hotter_)

1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup smoky Oriental sesame oil
1/4 cup cream sherry
1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
6 finely minced garlic cloves
1/2 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried hot chiles
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake
well. Refrigerate overnight. Every time you go into the refrigerator for
something, give the jar a shake. The next day, strain through a fine mesh
sieve. It is now ready for use as a marinade for fish, flesh, or fowl.

Makes about 1-3/4 cups.

Bob
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Julia Altshuler <[email protected]> wrote:
(snip)
> A real main dish is hard to do in a pot luck situation. No one is
> prepared to grill steaks at an office party.

Fine, I had the time (not to mention the inclination for it), but one of
the most popular things I used to bring to potlucks was holubky --
stuffed cabbage rolls. They were always snarfed up.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-15-2006, RIP Connie Drew
 
Tara wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:06:37 -0600, "jmcquown"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>People always begged me for the recipe for teriyaki chicken thighs. I browned them the night before then stuck them in
>>the crock pot with the sauce and plugged it in when I got to work. It's
>>cooked completely done by lunch time and a huge hit.
>
>
> Okay, so now I'm begging. Care to share? Thanks.
>
> Tara

Teriyaki is good (especially with marinated onion and green pepper
chunks) but i have recently become enamoured of "tamari' for seasoning,
marinade or glaze.
---
JL
 
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