More people are returning to entertaining at home with the waning (we hope) of the pandemic. Buffet meals, at any time of day, are a wonderful way to do this, but do you have everything it takes for a stress-free occasion? Time to inventory the china cupboard and silver pantry! Let’s imagine a buffet dinner for 12 people, preceded by a cocktail hour, that involves stationary hors d’oeuvres, two hosts, and no staff. What will you need on hand, outside of the kitchen? The dressier your function is, the more important that all your plates and glasses match; for more casual functions, mixing and matching styles and patterns can be fun.
For the cocktail hour:
Stacks of cocktail napkins, either cloth or paper. (Others may judge you, but paper napkins are Perfectly Proper. Etiquetteer has written about this before.)
14 cocktail glasses (someone is sure to mislay or break one).
12 coasters.
At least one ice bucket.
One or more water pitchers.
Bar equipment: cocktail shaker, muddler, bar spoon, small bowls for garnishes like lemon peel or cherries.
Three or four nut dishes for side tables.
One tray or platter per hors d’oeuvres. Cheese trays are sometimes presented on cutting boards with small knives. Shrimp cocktail may be served on a platter, but is more impressive nested in a bowl of ice.
Sauce bowls for dips or cocktail sauces.
One or two small waste bowls for shrimp tails, toothpicks, and crumpled paper cocktail napkins. In houses that permit smoking, ashtrays often do double duty.
For the dining room:
Stacks of dinner napkins, either cloth or paper. If cloth, be sure you have a couple extra.
Tablecloth for dining room table.
14 dinner plates (extras for the guests who forgot to R.s.v.p. will save trouble later.) If you’re worried about portion control, use luncheon plates, which are slightly smaller.
14 dinner forks.
14 dinner knives, if needed, but Etiquetteer thinks it a kindness to serve dishes that can be managed without a knife, especially if people will need to balance their plates on their knees.
14 wineglasses, which may also be used for water; people certainly can’t manage more than one glass at a time with a plate.
One bread basket, lined with a napkin.
Two 9x13 casseroles (one for a meat casserole, one for a vegetarian casserole), each with serving spoon.
One vegetable dish, with serving spoon.
One trivet per hot serving dish.
One salad bowl, with salad fork and spoon. (If salad includes cherry tomatoes, be sure to slice in half when preparing.)
14 dessert plates.
14 dessert forks or spoons.
One cake stand or dessert platter, with cake knife, or, 14 ramekins for individual desserts.
If coffee is served:
12 demitasses or coffee cups and saucers. (Not everyone will want coffee.)
12 teaspoons.
Three small coffeepots, urns, or thermal pitchers for coffee, tea, and decaf. (Tea drinkers sometimes feel slighted if their preference isn’t honored, and decaf drinkers may have medical reasons why they cannot have caffeine.)
Cream pitcher, sugar bowl with spoon, and container for packets of artificial sweetener. (Etiquetteer has little patience with the galaxy of sweetening options available today. If people are going to be fussy about their sweeteners, they must bring their own.)
Tray for cream and sugar.
That’s roughly 172 items, if you count a stack of napkins as one item — but then math was never Etiquetteer’s strong suit. These numbers can be reduced by inviting fewer guests, or eliminated completely by dining out. Etiquetteer encourages you to attempt the former first. Bon appétit!
From Dorothy Draper’s madcap book Entertaining Is Fun!