The Basics for Beginners
Hosting a dinner party can be a daunting task for novice entertainers like myself. Cooking for oneself is much more forgiving than cooking for a group of people with varying tastes and opinions. Although hesitant, I recently took on this arduous endeavor. I invited about 10 of my closest friends and family to indulge in the event. The menu for my dinner consisted of fettuccine alfredo, panko-breaded chicken, homemade pizza, and garlic bread. After much planning, lots of dirty dishes, and a carb-induced food coma, I am happy to say I have conquered my first dinner party.
Today, I am writing to share the insights I gained through my experience.
Planning
You may have already guessed that planning is the most essential ingredient for a successful dinner party. Many factors must be considered beforehand, including your guests' palettes, the event start time, and the menu. Below, I have outlined what I have found to be the most important considerations.
Know Your Audience
When planning your dinner party, it is crucial to consider your guest's tastes and preferences. Picky eaters and those with food restrictions may influence your menu. (Although my lactose intolerance did not stop me from cooking and enjoying one of the most dairy-filled meals of my life.) If you host a relatively small dinner party and know your guests well, you may already have a good idea of their likes and dislikes. If not, asking guests about their preferences or food restrictions never hurts. This will avoid a potentially dangerous situation with those who have food allergies and ensure you have composed a menu your guests will enjoy.
In my case, I am friends with a particularly picky eater who sustains herself on only fettuccine alfredo and chicken nuggets. Hence, I decided to join both cuisines with a twist on classic chicken fettuccine alfredo by pan-frying the chicken. The end result was a more texturally diverse and, in my opinion, more elevated dish. (I also appreciate the effect dunking food in hot oil has on making everything 10x's more delicious.)
Along with understanding your guests' palette, knowing your guests can also help determine what time to start your dinner and when to start preparing the food. Not all people operate on the same time. For some, an invitation to dinner at 5:00 p.m. means you arrive at 5:00 p.m. or soon after. For others, that same 5:00 p.m. invitation means you arrive at 6-6:30 p.m. If your guests fall in the latter group as mine did, there are several ways to address this issue to ensure the meal you prepared is still hot and fresh upon your guests' arrival. One method to combat notoriously late friends and family is to tell the offenders a time 30-minutes to 1 hour earlier than the actual start time. Additionally, you can begin preparing the food later to accommodate their tardiness.
Menu
Now that you have considered your guests' habits and tastes, you can begin creating your menu!
It is important to pick foods that will accommodate your guests' preferences and won't be too labor-intensive to make in large amounts. I recommend dishes like pasta, casseroles, pot roast, chili, or jambalaya. Additionally, one-pot or slow cooker dishes make for quick clean-up.
Once you are set on a menu, I recommend making a list of the needed ingredients and their respective quantities. This step is critical if you don't want to end up sending your significant other on a wild goose chase for more cream and panko an hour before your party, as I learned the hard way. After gathering your ingredients, it is helpful to prep them. Any food prep you can do before the event (cutting vegetables, shredding cheese, etc.) will significantly lessen your stress on the day of the party.
Enjoy Yourself
Lastly and most importantly, don't forget to enjoy yourself. It's not a party if you're not having fun.
Planning a dinner party, big or small, can be stressful. It's easy to get caught up in minor details or places you may have fallen short. Still, it's important to remember the main aim of hosting a dinner party: to enjoy the company of friends and family over good food.
In my opinion, a couple of burnt chicken pieces only add character and enhance a dish's rustic aesthetic. So take pride in your accomplishments, and I wish you the best of luck!
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