A dinner where each guest brings a plate is a very popular casual event for a party or celebration. It is an opportunity to meet new people, be together or see old friends again. All participants are told to bring a plate and the number of people present at the dinner is also communicated. The best thing to do is bring a dish you like; in case nothing else is to your liking, at least you can eat your own food.
Steps
Step 1. Find out if it is a dinner for a few close friends (some people or families), ask “What do I bring?
”And then fulfills the promise. Do not announce that you will take care of a Cesar Salad and then be lazy at the last moment and show up with a box of cookies.
Step 2. Find out if this is a very large party that involves the whole community
“Bring a plate to share” means that it must be enough for at least 20 people. This translates into a pyrex pan with a minimum size of 20x30 cm, in a salad of at least two heads of lettuce or 4 French baguettes.
Step 3. Bring the appropriate utensils to serve the dishes:
it's not very nice to see the only ladle available go from chili con carne to fruit salad and vice versa. Buy cheap cutlery in the "All for one Euro" shops. At the bottom of your tray / plate put a strip of duct tape with your name and phone number. Don't bring any prized services or family heirlooms and spend the whole evening worrying about where they are.
Step 4. If necessary, also bring pot holders and trivets
Do not assume that they are there and that they are sufficient.
Step 5. Take the dishes to a real plate to serve; in order to understand each other:
ceramic. Do not use plastic containers or disposable aluminum pans (for those who will not prepare their own lasagna). This is a casual dinner or picnic and not a refugee camp.
Step 6. Remember that presentation is also important
A little parsley, a sprinkle of paprika or chilli pepper on spicy eggs or on a pasta salad make it pretty and delicate. Why else meet up with friends? Do not overdo it by bringing something that requires too much work, for example a dish that must be immediately placed in the fridge or a soup that involves the use of bowls and spoons, also avoid those desserts that require a last-minute touch such as whipped cream.
Step 7. Stick to something typical that you can prepare quickly and well
A dish that has preparation and storage times that suit your schedule and budget. For example, a dish whose key ingredient is a fish sauce that you find only 50 km from home requires too much stress and work on your part and would be just a show of presumption that nobody cares about.
Step 8. Bring something recognizable
Avoid having diners guess if it's chicken or tuna.
Step 9. Remember that you don't have to leave dinner taking away other people's leftovers unless they are offered to you
When cooking for strangers you have to be very careful: if you add peanuts or something that may contain traces of them, put a small note next to the plate so that the diners know. The same goes for other common allergens like shellfish. Also remember that people of different ethnicities and traditions may be present - clearly identify pork or beef. If a dish is vegetarian, say so. If you know the difference between vegan and vegetarian, you should be specific in listing the ingredients. Shared dinners are social events for neighborhoods and for making friends: the important thing is to show that you are interested in the well-being of others.
Advice
- If you are a competitive person, remember: Italian food always wins. It doesn't matter whether it was prepared by Korean, Mexican or Nebraska people, Nigerian children or Norwegian nuns: whoever prepared an Italian dish wins. Pizza is the universal manna, followed by lasagna (better if vegetarian) and spaghetti, unless the sauce is inedible. Small pizzas and English scones, vegetables and some typical Italian dishes are not only delicious (and you may even be forgiven for using a ready-made sauce), but allow you to empty the fridge of leftovers and become the king of dinner.
- Dishes based on "good" vegetables (freshly cooked green leafy vegetables, fresh and without strange concoctions) are quite rare at these "shared" dinners. You could become the hero of the party if you bring something good that falls into this category (raw vegetables in dips are boring but better than nothing; a nice broccoli salad on a bed of bacon could be a lifesaver from weird jellies and pies. hard as stone.
- Even if you always cook oriental, Mexican or vegan dishes, try something even more universal. You can find inspiration in cookbooks. Among the food horrors of fried onions and green beans, you will find some surprising tips, such as the lemon cream pie, which is tough enough to withstand an outdoor dinner on the beach and will beat any meringue.
Warnings
- Be very careful in preparing any timbale that contains fish, chicken or pork with bones. Be even more careful when you eat it.
- Tell allergic people about the ingredients of a dish. You never know if anyone has food allergies!
- Be very careful with chicken and eggs, regardless of who was born first.
- Never make a negative comment or even "grimaces" about the food that others offer you.
- Never put alcohol in any desserts you bring. It doesn't matter if it's not a real Zuppa Inglese without Alchermes and that your grandmother turns in her grave if you alter her recipe, there may be children at the dinner, parents who have to drive and / or people who have problems with it. alcohol by tasting your food. It's not up to them to tell you their preferences. If the dessert you want to prepare is not achievable without Grand Marnier or raisins rehydrated in rum, prepare something else.
- You can rest assured that the person who brought the marshmallow-crusted baked beans sits right in front of you, is about to cry, and you will later find out that he has an incurable disease.
- Unless you know for sure (because you brought them) that paper saucers are available, don't bring a berry tart.
