Best Poker Snacks
The sixth article in our How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game is another special one as John Donohue of Stay at Stove Dad has provided a meal plan for your epic evening of card playing.
What food works best for a poker game? How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game takes a closer look at the perfect eats to keep your cards clean and guests happy. 100% Up To $600 or $100 tickets. The Geoffrey Parker Poker Set: $7.5 million Ivory might not be in the best taste, but the five dice in this game do provide a nice addition to the silky-smooth cards and chips crafted in 18 karat. You went for the poker game, but you'll stay for the Fried Cheesy Doritos! Subscribe to our channel and activate notifications to find out when we upload new videos! Also, you can follow us on. However, if you want to have that one poker night to remember or become the undisputed “best poker night host”, you’d better upgrade your poker game night snacks. Lucky for you, we are here to help. Food for Poker Night Recipes. We have scoured the internet for the best game night snack ideas so you don’t have to. Best Poker Snacks – Do It Right When you are having these late night poker events people can get a little hungry, so I’ve decided to give my two cents on the best poker snacks you can have at the event.
Donohue is 42-year-old journalist and father of two who started the Stay at Stove Dad as a way of chronicling his effort’s to feed himself and his family. He’s since edited a book called Man with a Pan that features 21 writers and chefs discussing cooking.
If you like what you see here we highly recommend you check out his excellent Stay at Stove Dad blog.
Bon appetit!
Stay at Stove Dad Plus Poker
I’m not much of a gambling man, though I did have kids, which, truth be told, must be the biggest parlay of married life (and I doubled down, becoming a parent twice over), so I guess I’m not terribly risk adverse.
Best Poker Night Snacks
Back in my single days, I was once a part of a monthly poker game with some “card-playing friends” from work. I put that in quotes, because the only way our friendship could continue was if I stopped playing cards with them.
You must know that old saw about knowing who the sucker at the table is? Well, it took me about two nights around their table to figure out who it was. That was the end of my gambling days.
If I was going to have a poker party, though, I would have to serve food with it. I checked with some of my card-playing friends to see what kinds of things might work. Pretzels were the universal answer—It seems you don’t want anything sticky or greasy, lest you mess up the cards.
Well, pretzels would never satisfy me—I need to snack on protein or else I feel jangly and worn out—so I racked my brain, and came up with some other ideas.
They might be far afield, but I think they’ll meet the requirement that you hands remain more-or-less clean, and no matter what the cards turn up, you’ll be a winner with these two dishes—they’re rich in protein, and that will make you feel good, and keep going.
Mussels a la Plancha
For something savory, make mussels a la plancha. It is pretty foolproof—all you need (besides the mussels) is a cast iron frying pan. These would be good with beer, too.
- 1 pound mussels
- 1 cast-iron frying pan
- Rinse the mussels well and pull any beards off them. Use only the intact ones that are completely closed.
- Heat the cast-iron pan until hot.
- Place the mussels on the pan in one layer.
- Cook over high heat until the mussels open, release their juices, and the juices boil off. When the liquid is gone, the mussels are ready.
Eat them right out of the pan. They will be smoky and delicious.
This will serve about 2-3 people. Do up to 3 lbs of mussels in two pans for more folks.
Meringues
For something sweet, make meringues, which may be a dessert, but they are almost all protein, so you won’t suffer a sugar crash. These must be made well ahead of time. I don’t know if these would be any good with beer, or not.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
- 4 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- Beat eggwhites til frothy.
- Add vanilla.
- Add sugar a few spoonfuls at a time.
- Beat until stiff peaks form.
Scoop onto parchment paper and bake (really, oven-dry) at 225 degrees for a long time (about a hour) -- depending on whether you like them chewy inside or crunchy.
Best Poker Snacks
Proper recipes will tell you to make sure the egg whites are at 70 degrees, and to sift the sugar. I'm lazy and don't do either. It is important to preheat the oven or you may burn the bottoms. Also, Joy of Cooking says that if you like chewy, 275 degrees; if you like crunchy 225 degrees. And leave them in the oven, with the heat turned off, and the door cracked open, to cool, for 30 minutes or so.
Serve with berries and ice cream on top, if you want the whole experience. Otherwise, just pop them in your mouth and keep playing.
More articles on How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game:
- Part 6: What to Eat
Additional Home Game Tools:
Throwing a poker party with friends needs a lot of planning. You have to think of some good dishes to serve to your guests. Some of the popular foods served for poker nights are chips, peanuts, pretzels, and pizzas. Other hosts serve heavy snacks such as sandwiches and tacos. It is very important to plan your food accordingly because most poker night gatherings are attended by men. It is important to pick out a few recipes and food ideas when it comes to these kinds of events making them feel relaxed and full all throughout the night.
Roasted pork is another good food choice that you can serve for a poker night. When cooking this, use a crock pot so you can incorporate any of your favorite barbecue sauces and add Worcestershire sauce. For an added flavor, put in some salt and pepper. Cooking time is about 4-8 hours, depending on the amount of heat you use and the amount of servings. Other things can be done in this long amount of down time. While waiting for your roasted pork to cook, you can prepare your poker table. Some people practice playing poker through poker gaming websites like party poker. They can hone their skills in playing poker, while novices can familiarize themselves with the basic rules and hands that are used in the game. After playing a couple of rounds, you will have an idea on how to play every kind of hand that you’re dealt with. The pork will be ready by the time your poker buddies arrive for the much-awaited poker night.
Best Poker Snacks
The kind of food that you are going to serve during a poker night should be simple to prepare, easy-to-eat, and most importantly, sufficient enough to allow at least 2 servings per visitor. It is recommended to prepare different kinds of appetizers for your poker party. You can serve a tray full of meat, cheese, and vegetables that guests can pass around easily. They can help themselves to tidbits of these foods in between poker games. You can also choose to add some spicy appetizers into the mix or go for some easy to prepare appetizers like coleslaw, potato salads, and pasta salads. Bear in mind that food that can get messy like Buffalo wings might stain your poker table. So if you are preparing this kind of dish during your poker night, take extra care in serving it to your guests.
If you are into home-made pizza, you can prepare your own using fresh ingredients found at your local supermarket. If you feel that you’re too tired to cook it, you can always choose to order at pizza places like Papa John’s.