Potluck etiquette: Store bought vs. homemade

Do you need to bring homemade dishes to a potluck (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

The holidays bring with them lots of celebrations and many times you’re called upon to contribute a dish, but does that dish have to be homemade?

97.3 KIRO FM’s Ron & Don Show discussed their potluck etiquette heading into this heavy holiday party season.

Notorious KIRO foodie Rachel Belle said she always goes homemade.

“If I don’t make something homemade, I feel really embarrassed.”

Engineer Sean DeTore said he also tends to avoid bringing store-bought offerings, but he doesn’t feel the need to slave over the stove for hours. “I don’t think people need to feel super stressed about what kind of time they need to put into their dish.”

“I went to my parent’s Christmas party,” says DeTore. “I made some meatballs. It took me probably 20 minutes.”

Guest host David Boze asked what he should do as someone whose cooking skills aren’t really up to par.

Rachel offered one exception to the no store-bought rule.

“There’s nothing wrong with buying cheese for a cheese platter,” says Belle. “If you bring cheese into my house, I will not turn you away. You don’t have to make the cheese by yourself.”

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor