A cousin made these for a family gathering a couple of years ago.

https://www.krispykreme.com/more-smiles/recipes/dog-days-doughnut-burger

We used to have one years ago in the office around the holidays.

Thankfully, I had a work friend that would tell me which dishes I could eat because I don't eat anything cooked at home by someone I don't know! I have no idea what the level of their kitchen cleanliness is and their personal hygiene habits. My friend was exactly the same way and knew whose food was safe :-)

Needless to say I am not a fan of pot lucks! I would even often beg off the work one and go out and purchase my lunch.

Carol, I can’t think of any horror stories, but those two you posted are just 🤢! We used to have potlucks when I was working several times a year. I do remember food sitting out much too long.

Sueb20, many years ago I watched Paula Deen use KK glazed donuts for hamburger buns. Then she made bread pudding using the donuts, sweetened condensed milk and canned fruit cocktail. Pretty bad!

Carol, I just read through the link you posted. You really do have to wonder about some people!😳

There were so many in that list that are just incredible 😄

I can food sometimes and I am very careful; and it has made me worry about others who are less so and who share their unsafely canned items with botulism with others. It is not common but can be deadly.

We've been to many family potlucks. They are safe and we've been in every kitchen where the food has been prepared. One SIL has them organized almost down to a religion. Even to the placing of the food. Did you know you never want too many food tables because foods spaced too far apart make it look like the offerings are skimpy even if there is more than enough to eat - resulting in people taking smaller helpings thus too many leftovers.

Some of the others we've attended, we just don't eat. If watching closely, you might recognize me from some you've been to yourself. I'm the person taking helpings onto a paper plate and discreetly throwing them away so the participant won't have hurt feelings over an untouched dish.

One I remember though just wasn't salvageable. Someone brought a huge pot of clam chowder to a pot luck memorial lunch. I think he'd made it the night before and left the several gallon commercial sized stock pot sitting out all night. It was distinctly spoiled and no way to get it into the venue kitchen to dispose of it unseen. No one got sick, it took only one taste to know the ingredients had been kept neither hot or cold.

That was amusing—and appalling! I've never been to such an appalling do, and have only been to nice potlucks, and family bring a dish dinners. The latter have the worst, like the three different sweet potato casseroles in competition at Thanksgiving, none of which are special or all that different from each other, especially when you have to take a spoon of each to be diplomatic and they all run together, but they're fine. Just silly.. Or the time I made this beautiful kohlrabi dish and handed it over to the kitchen cousins who petrified it in the keep warm. But nothing dangerous or appaling!

The organizations I belong to either do names begining with A to G bring salad, H-M the protein, etc,, or, for smaller groups, sign up for open menu slots, from tuna salad to cups and napkins. Both work very well and non-cooks jump for cups or ice cream (bought). And if you're coming from work, it's perfectly acceptably to bring something fresh, bought along the way. No one does the rising salmonella dishes. No one ”cooks” anything atrocious. Most are good cooks, or make things like pinwheels, which take no knowledge or skill (besides proper use of a fridge), and everybody likes.

Thank-you, Carol! I now understand why people in CF declare they won't eat at a potluck!

“Someone brought a huge pot of clam chowder to a pot luck memorial lunch.”

Such an odd choice for a potluck…then letting it sit out all night!🥴

Apparently I am in the minority as I have never encountered such issues with any potlucks I have participated in. Nor have I been unsure of or afraid to eat what was provided. We have a big family and for holiday dinners or large get-togethers, we always do potlucks. We also used to do a lot of work related potlucks when I still worked and they were always great.

Just had a beach picnic potluck recently for friends and some family and it was well balanced with the dishes offered and the food was wonderful.

I guess everyone I know that attends the same potlucks I do are quite capable and even outstanding cooks.

Historically it's been work potlucks that have made me uncomfortable. I rarely know all of my coworkers well enough to be confident in their kitchen cleanliness or food safety decision making.

Now I am gluten intolerant and I am highly reluctant to eat anything at a potluck even if the food appears delicious and prepared safely. I get so sick and gluten is often hidden in things, not to mention the concern of cross contamination. It's so awkward going to such events. People try to pressure me into eating things even when I try to politely decline.

We often do potluck for family gatherings. They’re always great but a couple things stand out. One person’s contribution for a Thanksgiving was mashed potatoes. She showed up with the raw potatoes, period. Another time a cousin was asked to bring an apple pie. She showed up with the apples and everything else to make the pie, including the pie crust dough. Thankfully it didn’t happen at my house!😵‍💫

One time i took a casserole of wild rice to a potluck. I heard some guy ask if that was made of dead lightning bugs. Humph.

1) I once signed up to take something to a church potluck and then I could not stay. When I went back to retrieve my pan, it was all gone which I felt was rather suspicious.

When I was putting the washed things away, I noticed that half of the spatula was missing and I could not find it anywhere.

My assumption is that I cooked half the spatula into the dish without noticing, and someone found a foreign body in their serving so the rest was disposed of. Of course I was mortified although no one knew what I brought and I was not there when what I think happened, happened.

2) Once at a picnic there was a verbal message passed along to not eat the potato salad. The woman who made it mentioned off-handedly that she could not find her big mixing bowl so she mixed it all together in her kitchen sink.

We have a friend who is much older and has very questionable habits as far as food safety goes. Whenever she brings something, no one eats it, but a respectable amount is taken and thrown away when she isn't looking.

Most of the time at potlucks I will take my chances and just eat what's there that I think I will like. However, I do know people at our church who think it is okay to leave creamer out for long periods of time (both the flavored creamers and sometimes half n half). Even when questioned, they think it's ok so I definitely drink my coffee black when there. I also draw the line at home canned goods where I do not trust the source, such as whether or not something was pressure canned or for things like pumpkin that I know cannot be safely canned at home.

No big horror stories here. I did go to a potluck and brought pierogies from a Polish butcher shop. They were delicious! However, I had a friend of of mine who scrutinized me because she didn't get carbs of noodle with carbs of potato. She also scrutinized me for buying them instead of making them (quite frankly, the Polish butcher shop does a much better job of making pierogies than me). In the meantime, what did she bring, pearlized onions, microwaved. The pierogies were gone before I got through the line. Guess what wasn't....

I worked in the humane industry for years. At humane societies you see a lot of gross stuff and everyone is kind of immune to "gross". Then I went to work for Mental Health Services, where everyone was focused on healthy mind, body and spirit. Very different atmospheres.

Halloween rolled around and we had a pot luck, so I made my traditional, kind of gross, Halloween traditional dishes. Bloody Brains: Pasta salad with red gel food coloring splattered through it, and boogers finger; Spinach dip served with Pumpernickel fingers. Roll the pumpernickel dough into finger sized pieces, push an almond slice in the end, making a finger nail, and shaping them with a couple of light curves at the knuckles.

At the humane society these were eaten with vigor. At mental health services they went virtually untouched. Who knew that "normal" people wouldn't want to eat bloody brains or boogers on fingers. Live and learn.

At a small work group pot luck back in the early 1990s, the "theme" was "sandwiches." People signed up to bring various types of bread & rolls, cheese, meats, veggies, etc. - anything you might want on a sandwich, along with some "sides" like potato chips, etc. One guy, not married, not in a relationship (which might explain what he did) signed up to bring all of the condiments. What he brought was mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and butter. Seems ok. Except that what he brought were opened and partially used jars and bottles of the condiments from his own refrigerator. A lot of dry sandwiches were eaten that day.

Worked in an office with 15 coworkers. Had a new boss who decided to have a monthly potluck. January, February, March were fine but by November and December everyone was so tired of it we just started bringing chips and dip.

“Roll the pumpernickel dough into finger sized pieces, push an almond slice in the end, making a finger nail, and shaping them with a couple of light curves at the knuckles.”

Jennifer, those sound like my ladies’ fingers and men’s toes cookies I make for Halloween (and have taken to potlucks). This photo shows them made with pretzel dough, but I use sugar cookie dough. Pumpernickel would be good!

It's Halloween. Totally appropriate. Not appetizing, but belong on the table. I'm not eating them. I don't do gross. But I appreciate the effort.

I do think that it is perfectly OK to choose on a case by case basis or even a dish by dish basis, depending on what you know of the situation. It is not something you have to decide 'always' or 'never'.

Then she made bread pudding using the donuts, sweetened condensed milk and canned fruit cocktail.

Yes! I saw that show and still vividly recall this all these years later. I was never much for PD anyway, but YUCK

dead lightning bugs.

Sorry that is funny. But I love wild rice

We used to have an annual Halloween block party that was hosted at our house. One lady always brought those lady finger sugar cookies. I thought they were funny and not gross. Some of the other options, no.

Our cooking club is essentially pot luck, as are other groups we are part of. I am comfortable with my friends' cooking. Coworkers, IDK, but then I cannot imagine a pot luck on a trading floor! But they love free food and will eat anything, with a census that skews male and young.

Our family used to having potluck cooking contests.

I apologize, but I found all this so judgmental. The examples you posted are pretty darn disgusting. Ick. I can only think they had no idea what they were making, or they were poor cooks or... I can't imagine they tasted it and thought it was good???

I agree family & friends potluck is a bit different and usually much more benign.

However, I also have dear friends whose standards are very lax when it comes to preparing food.

Some people can't cook and should bring sodas, beer and chips, but there are some wickedly good cooks in this world and most of the pot lucks I have attended every one seems to want to bring their best dish.

The humane society pot lucks were always great. Down home cooking, nothing too fancy or high brow, but great food. My sister's pot lucks with friends and family are somewhat intimidating. She worked in consumer insights for a multinational confection company. Her and her friends all live and breathed food. Those were some amazing pot lucks.

Weight watcher pot lucks were interesting. Some people were able to make some really good, not terribly fattening foods, other dishes I think were intended to make you not want to eat.

My family is in Ohio. A few years ago a church potluck there made headlines for a death from botulism poisoning - somebody made potato salald with do it yourself canned potatoes. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/source-of-deadly-botulism-outbreak-in-ohio-identified/

I remember reading about that happening, seagrass.

.

i usually just keep it simple and take a few packages of those hawaiian sweet dinner rolls. everybody loves those and they go fast.

i've always hesitated to take anything homemade. people know i have giant dogs and i often wonder if they'd even eat anything i fixed for fear of finding dog hair in my contribution. i'm obsessive about cleanliness so i take great care when i'm fixing myself food to make sure it doesn't happen but ONE hair (dog OR human - bleh!) and my appetite goes right down the drain and the food goes right into the garbage!

These are hilarious stories even though some in the linked article read like humor rather than experience. We are very lucky that where we live there are lots of potlucks and everyone is a decent to excellent cook. We have potlucks at church and in the neighborhood often and the worst experience was a hash brown casserole topped with crushed potato chips that now seems pretty tame by comparison.!

As I've mentioned, DH and I participate in a library cookbook potluck once a month. This year's theme has been geographical locations/countries. Somehow, our offerings end up providing a complete meal, often including drinks. None of us are particularly talented cooks and the stories of our efforts to cook something with new ingredients and no experience with the desired outcome are the best part.

Huh, it never occurred to me to be worried and so far so good! But in the midwest, potlucks are pretty unquestioned, in my experience. I will keep an eye out for baked in utensils now. I wouldn't be surprised with this group, including me.

Had a potluck @ work, I was too busy to cook.....sooooooooooooooooo.....I brought a jar of those HUGE stuffed green olives.....the really big ones. Put them in a pretty condiment dish....ONE GUY ATE THE WHOLE DISH full by himself. 🫣

Nicole, you reminded me of the potluck curiosity that I encountered at work. They brought an unopened canned good, and no dish in which to put it. What? I think it even needed to be warmed. It was not well received ;)

Your way makes a lot more sense, and knowing you, you put it in a lovely dish.

We went to a potluck barbecue being hosted by a workmate of DH's. He told me that the hostess had a reputation for being a lousy cook.

When it was time to eat, I saw some fairly plain looking potato salad, just all white. It looked like someone had opened a couple of cans of those little canned potatoes and poured heavy cream over them. Tasted like it, too :-P I think that was the hostess' contribution.

I also used to belong to a barbershop chorus and as a fundraiser we used to run Quiz Nights with nibbles provided on each table. Early on one of the members brought her "famous" and allegedly "hugely popular" smoked trout dip as her contribution to the nibbles platters. It looked and smelled like something long dead and very little of it had been consumed when it came time to clean up. I guess some might like it but few of our clientele were among them. So after that, to forestall a repeat and save the member wasting her time and money producing something we knew was going to end up in the bin, we had a sign up sheet with a limited number of dishes that everyone could put their name down on something they wanted to make, like sausage rolls, mini quiches, french onion dip, etc. The first time we did this, the lady who had brought the smoked trout dip said, "Oh, I make this wonderful smoked trout dip that everyone loves..." We simply thanked her and said that in order to facilitate easier making up of platters from the contributed dishes, we felt it was better to have multiples of the same things rather than one of this and one of that, etc.

Potluck Bar-B-Q at my house. I provide hotdogs, hamburgers, buns and condiments. Guests bring sides and cookies. Friend RSVPs and asks if she can bring a whole watermelon to be cut up in my kitchen. Umm no I'm a anxious hostess under any situation. No one can take over my kitchen to prepare a wet messy item.

dream ... everyone brught baked beans and deviled eggs ... hamburgers also were served

We are going to a neighborhood pot luck this weekend. I am going to bring something premade from Costco and browned in the oven. I am NOT bringing anything that I cooked at home!

We plan to stay a while then leave and come home for supper.

I dont want any of it, but do seek the company of others .

I dont want to eat thier home cooking and I wont expect them to eat mine. I never buy frozen things like this, but thought maybe it is time to start doing it this way for these kinds of affairs.

At this stage of life I am not interested in displaying my cooking skills. I could not care any less.

I guess I had blocked this memory out of my mind. Years ago, I had started a new job when the monthly birthday celebration happened in my department. Everyone with a birthday that month was celebrated, and employees took turns making the cake.

I was about to dig into a delicious-looking piece of strawberry cake when the person who made it started talking about how hard it was to keep her cats off of her kitchen counters while she was making the cake. She also made a joke about cat hair in everything she cooked. Needless to say, I lost my appetite. My boss later told me privately that very few people ever ate the food she made because it was literally filled with cat hair.

I had never given any thought to eating at a potluck before that experience. I grew up and live in the South, and they are very common here. I have not been to one in years, and I wonder if they are less common since Covid? I don't eat at buffets if I can possibly avoid them, but I have felt that way for decades.

In the 1990’s I worked for a certain big box store. We had a lot of pot lucks. It was great. Everyone was almost like an extended family. Food that needed to stay hot, came in Crockpots and was plugged in. Gradually, the extended family atmosphere disappeared and it became mostly mouchers. They would take two plates for themselves and plates to take home for whoever.

Finally, the store provided everything and we few just brought something to share with our friends.

Thanks for all the stories everyone 🙂

And @ jehanne - what if you hadn't heard her saying that?!

@ bragu - was that a good dream or a bad one?

We had a barbershop chorus annual Christmas barbecue and at the first one nho one brought potato salad because they assumed that everyone else would. It was weird. After that, we had a sign up sheet so everyone could write down what they planned to bring so that others could look and fill in the gaps if they were so inclined.