Pot Luck Dinner proportions

[len19070]

Somebody out there has to have a better answer to this question than I do.

How many portions does an individual make for a Potluck Dinner?

Every time my Chapter has an event we always have a Saturday night Pot Luck Dinner.
And there is always Way To Much Food, not that that's a bad thing.

But Somewhere somebody has a Book on planning how much food you cook for "X" amount of people.

My formula has always been; Number of people in your personal party X 5= how much you cook. That's as close as I can come (and its never perfect) to the right amount of food.

Does anyone else have a "rule of thumb" they use?

Happy Trails

Len

[Mike C.]

Len,

No good answer. At Minden this year, it seemed like there was 10 times as much food as there were people. And the main courses seemed to go on forever, because everyone made enough for themselves, plus 10-12 other people. The food was all soooooo good that everyone eats until they are sick and that doesn't include the desserts, which were delicious.

So, I think as a rule of thumb, if everyone would make enough for each member of their party, plus 5 or 6 more, there would still be too much to eat.

Another thing is people don't want to run out of food, so they take a smaller portion than they normally would, to save some for others.

After much thought, probably is no solution. Just cook what you like, as much as you normally do and then eat leftovers on the way home. That's what Miriam and I did on the way back from Minden.

I am sure one of the women will come on with a formula, but when you ask if they follow it, the answer is probably no. Just look at any Thanksgiving get together and see how many leftovers ther are.

[Bill Fernandez]

left Overs The best part of all One year my family wet out for thanksgiving dinner what a mistake ,we got home that nite no snak no food what a Mistake Never again

Bill

[oklahomajewel]

No offense to any good cooks out there, but I am usually camping alone and make one dish, not a humungous one , but maybe 10 small ears of corn or a dish of something.

I've noticed at our South Central gatherings it's great that we have several dutch oven cooks and they like to make 2 or 3 pots of stuff. Then we have a couple or two that do a whole turkey or a whole brisket.

My last campout , I suggest to a couple of folks that I just buy their charcoal or give them $5 towards their meat or something. I think that will work out next trip.

It 's not that I don't wanna cook or can''t do a good dish, but I've made food before and then it go to waste because there's so much.

South Central Tears do WONDERFUL potlucks !!!!

OH -- the other idea, for me and any other single folks is to combine our efforts for one dish. Usually any salad dish or casserole will feed four servings at least, so maybe for instance , one person cooks it and another pays for it , i.e. 2 or 4 single campers join efforts.

Julie

[halfdome, Danny]

At most of our pot lucks it seems like there is too much food but not always the case. I've watch people pile up their plates with enough food to feed a family and then the last table has little or nothing to eat or it's all deserts that are left. One gathering this summer this was so bad (complaints) that the organizer said there won't be a pot luck next year. It would be nice if everyone contributed something and took a conservative amount of food until everyone has had a chance to eat. Also for those who have diet restrictions it would be appreciated if each casserole was labeled with the ingredients to make people aware for those who won't eat meat or certain kinds of meat or nuts. Danny

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Len,
Just make lots!!!
Sending folks home with food, or even taking some leftovers yourself is a good thing...
I've discovered that if you make "just enough"...
The mind feels short changed of sorts... Wants more.
On the other hand... The mind feels satisfied when the body is full, knowing there is more to be had.
Have you ever experienced a Thanksgiving without leftovers???
This might not be the type of answer you're looking for...

[Ma3tt]

Dean I think that needs qualification make "lots" if it is "good", EXAMPLE if you are making an asparagus/spam dish with a gefilte fish sauce you don't need to make much. Any dump cake, tri tip, garlic or chipotle based dish requires a triple batch!

[len19070]

Thanks for all your input.

Let me qualify something. At some Pot Lucks we have had enough food left over to have 2 more.

Julie, I'm with you. I always go by myself and I'll check with other folks to see what they are making. And accordingly I'll chip in on there's, supply Charcoal etc, or make my own.

We always try to get people to post what they are making and plan accordingly.

Gage gave a good suggestion when I met him last Summer. Nobody brings side dishes.

I almost hit it right at our TearJerkers Keystone Kampout. I made Dutch oven Stuffed Peppers and only had 1 left over..which made a great lunch for me on Monday.

I'll keep on guessin'

Happy Trails

Len

[len19070]

At most of our pot lucks it seems like there is too much food but not always the case. I've watch people pile up their plates with enough food to feed a family and then the last table has little or nothing to eat or it's all deserts that are left. Danny

And then throw 3/4's of it away.

The 2 worst examples of this I've ever seen has been where people will take a lot of food and a lot of leftovers, then tell everyone there taking it home for there DOG!

Then there was the woman who spent a lot of time at home making homemade Italian bread. Only to see somebody else hoard an excess of it (and nobody I talked to remembers getting any) to Feed the Ducks.

I don't mind left-overs but I hate to see food squandered.

Happy Trails

Len

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Master Matt,
How right you are!!!
I tend to play it safe at potucks...
I try to offer stuff that I like and hopefully others like as well...

Uhh... No offense, but I'll pass on the asparagus/spam gefilte fish sauce dish.
(Sounds like stuff my grandmother made me eat a a kid)

I like what Danny had to say...
Joanie and I witnessed something disgusting at a potluck once...
A family had their kids at the front of the line and we watched them pile on four servings of prime rib each.
Latter observations, we noticed that their dog was served whole cuts of prime rib!!!

[Miriam C.]

Len I am not genetically capable of making for 2 or 3 people. Left overs is in the dna of our family. I also hate to see waste. I take the rule of 1/4 pound per number of people served (how do you know that number). I just figured that everyone might want venison roast and had enough left for lunch the next day. Tons of potatoes and carrots left though.

I really think some kind of organized effort might help control the waste.

Oh and a serving is a 1/2 cup unless it is pie or cake.

[Gaelen]

Len, teardroppers aren't the only ones who can't always guesstimate how much food to bring to a pot luck...people who show dogs nearly always pot luck, and we nearly always could feed ourselves AND the whole town.

In my family growing up, there was always an extra place at the dinner table no matter who showed up. That's sort of my pot luck philosophy. I try to bring something low carb with plenty of protein and a minimum of processed stuff, which is what I want to eat--and make sure that it's enough to serve 8-10. Sometimes when we plan, I'm asked to bring one of my vegetarian or 'special diet' dishes...I've got a lot of ethnic dishes in my repertoire that fit pretty much any eating plan.

Wednesday I leave for a show circuit that is five days of continuous pot lucks. On Sunday we host The Great Cooler Clean-Out for a reason...if we didn't all have a camp open house that starts with Sunday breakfast, I think some people would be taking more home than they came with. I consider it a triumph of food planning if I manage to bring home less food than I went camping with. So far, the only things I usually have to cart home are the canned staples I always toss in 'just in case' the guest list overwhelms us.

I bring breakfasts, lunches and a couple of exotic snacks like melon and prosciutto or brie and cranberry walnut sauce. I make things that are easy to prep ahead, can feed at least a dozen people, and taste great left over or reheated. ..stuff like breakfast casserole in the crockpot or muffins that I can warm up in the morning; plan at least two soups, or one soup and a stew or chili for lunches. And if needed, I bring a couple of staples with me that let me create on the fly an extra entree or side dish when our hospitality overextends our menu.

[pauld3]

While I'm no expert, I have been cooking since I was knee-high to a grasshopper...and I have been involved in MANY MANY church, family, friends, and office potlucks. My rule of thumb is to make a dish that would feed about 6 to 8 people...when it's a casserole or vegetable. A whole cake (9 x 10 pan or double layer 8" rounds) or a whole pie. Or equivalent size cobbler. When everybody makes a dish or two to these portion sizes, there is ALWAYS more than enough...which is what you want! You DON"T EVER WANT TOO Little. But then again, I've NEVER been to a potluck where there was too little. And another thing that just amazes me, but is always true. You don't have to tell people to bring a meat or a vegetable or a dessert because it ALWAYS just works out on it's own. Miracle I guess!
Lynn

[Jiminsav]

I just make 5 pounds of potato salad and call it a day

[doug hodder]

I think that something that has a bearing on it, is that as everyone gets involved in doing DO cooking, it seems that most of the recipes are designed around a 12" oven. That's lots of eats...At Minden in 05 we were one of the last tables to be called....just some desserts...This year was much better and there were plenty of main course dishes to go around. As a side bar...anyone with kids ought to teach them etiquette at a pot luck...taking 2 slabs of prime rib, then not touching them, or cupcakes to eat the icing off the top and pitch them out bugs me. But then, I'm the one that didn't get the meat or the cakes. Doug