As Food People, we know our way around a dinner party—or at least, we did, before we couldn’t attend or throw any for almost two years. During that hosting hiatus we had plenty of time to think about what made dinner parties great but also what made them stressful, exhausting, and way too much work. This week on the show, Amanda talks to Test Kitchen director Chris Morocco and Associate Food Editor Zaynab Issa about the new rules they’re following when it comes to entertaining in a post-lockdown world. They debate outsourcing the main course, skipping dessert, and what makes a “compelling and dynamic” salad. Along the way, we also turn to Katherine Lewin—owner of Big Night, a brilliantly stocked, expertly curated dinner party shop in Brooklyn—for a crash course on cheese and charcuterie.

Stuff we talk about in this episode: