Potluck, in my experience, is a casual affair. Some people bring a favorite dish. Others prefer to wing it or just pick up a bottle of wine on the way. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way:

• Potluck works best with smaller gatherings. Invite more than 10 to 15 people, and you’re going to have a lot of food on your hands.
• If you feel the need to plan, divvy up by category: appetizers, main dishes, vegetables, starch sides and desserts. But don’t micromanage. Let your guests be creative. Isn’t that the point?
• Give new recipes a test-run at home. You don’t want to be the only one whose dish still hasn’t been touched when you’re helping clean up and pack the empty casseroles away.
• Bring your own serving trays and utensils (unless your host has a double-kosher kitchen and a lifetime of bowls and platters on hand).
• Clean them up yourself, too. It’s unfair to make your host do all the dirty work