Here are 40+ fun potluck recipes that are always a crowd favourite. So try to put your best effort into making a dish that tastes good and shows off your cooking skills. Overall, potlucks are a time to come together and share good food. have too much synthetic flavour, colour, and preservatives.too spicy for everyone’s palate, especially kids.contains a bizarre variety of meat or seafood.You should never take to a potluck the dishes that:

From pasta salads to meaty casseroles, these kicked-up recipes are sure to secure a guest-of-honor invite to any upcoming soiree.

Will my dish survive a few minutes/hours of travel time? Bringing a tired dish to a potluck is no way to get the party started.

Reuben hand pies, taco casserole, and BLT pasta salad are just the beginning.

Is this a dish that requires additional cutlery to be eaten with? Is additional cutlery available at the venue? (if it isn’t, are you prepared to carry/purchase it?) Bring the winning dish to your office with the best potluck ideas for work.

carrying a homemade ice cream to a potluck and ending up serving a milkshake.

Will I have access to a microwave or a refrigerator? (storage depending on whether your dish needs to be served hot or cold).

Will my dish taste good if served after a couple of hours?.

Don’t be stumped by what to take to the picnic: Here are the recipes the staff of the Food section and NYT Cooking turn to again and again. An easy trick is to make individual servings of desserts like these cute trifles below (recipe in the gallery) or even agar agar – they’re easy to transport in disposable plastic cups. 20 Summer Potluck Ideas Our Food Staff Swears By. If the party is at someone else’s home, think about how you’ll get your dish there in good shape. It's always one of the first dishes emptied at potlucks, and it can easily be adapted to personal tastes. If you’re no fan of disposable plastic cloths, be inspired by the chalkboard look in cafes: Use plain mahjong paper on the table and write instructions or the names of dishes on the paper. A friend from church gave me the recipe for this satisfying slow-cooked casserole. Potluck parties are best when they’re informal, so you don’t even need to use tablecloths. No one will notice dust under the sofa, anyway. Spray the surfaces with all-purpose cleaner so they shine, and that’s enough.

Just clear every counter and tabletop of clutter and hide the mess away in a cupboard somewhere to deal with later. The festive season is a busy one – especially if you have kids – so if you’re the potluck host, don’t bother making your home spotless before guests arrive.

Pot luck lunch ideas