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How to be the best guest at any potluck dinner party

Bringing a dish or two makes life easier for the host of a Thanksgiving, Christmas or other gathering, but there are also some rules

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Potluck dinners make life easier for the host - if you follow these rules!

If you’ve ever invited a bunch of friends to your dorm or home for a meal, you’ll know that it can be hard work preparing everything on your own. A potluck party means guests share the load.

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“During the holidays especially, a potluck takes some of the pressure off a host and makes it easier for them to celebrate with the people they want to hang out with,” says Shira Bocar, editor at large, food and entertaining at Martha Stewart Living.

But when a potluck goes wrong, it can lead to a frazzled host, angry guests and a mess in the kitchen.

Although these gatherings are by nature casual affairs, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an unwritten code of proper behaviour.

We asked food and entertaining insiders for their do’s and don’ts.

Do arrive with your dish ready to serve

Walk in with your chilled shrimp or hot chili ready to put on the table, without having to be heated or chilled. Hosts are usually busy, and squeezing another item into the oven may be annoying or even impossible.

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