If the idea of cooking for a crowd intimidates you, we have some few tips that may show it's not that scary. There isn't big difference between cooking for two or for a dozen if you are attentive to safety, keep yourself organized and prepare all you will need in advance.
Food and Hygiene Rules.
Although cooking for a crowed is not a science it's presents high health risks if you don't take safety precautions. Every kind of food has a right cooking and storing temperature that you have to be aware of. Wrong cooking and storing temperatures will allow bacteria to grow creating a huge food poisoning hazard.
You are probably wondering what you can do to have the food properly cooked and don't risk your guests health. It's not difficult. By monitoring the temperature of your dishes you can avoid them to reach dangerous temperature zones. When possible, we also recommend dividing the dishes in small portions for storage. It will allow the food to easily cool avoiding creating bacteria friendly environment.
Portions - Rule of Ten
To avoid either hungry guests or waste of food you need to estimate quantities.
To figure out how much you will have to enlarge your recipe, the catering industry uses the Rule of Ten. It says that for ten adults you will need:
Meat - four pounds Potatoes - three ponds to make potato salad Dry pasta - one pound to make pasta salad Prawns - two to three pounds, pre-cooked and peeled Shellfish - Two pounds (clams or mussels) Soup or stew - one-half gallon (if served as an appetizer) Soup or stew - one gallon (if served as a main dish) Green salad - two pounds Salad dressing - three cups Cocktails - twenty per hour Punch - one gallon
For a crowed of ten that really appreciates cocktails you will need a total of ten pounds of ice and a 750 ml of liqueur for every 16 cocktails prepared.
Cooking Provisions
Well, your own pans and bowls will probably not be enough to cook for so many people. However, you have two options to sort this problem out: you can either buy one-way foil baking pan or rent professional catering equipment. Although it's a more expensive solution, professional equipment will give you all the tools you need to cook for a crowd therefore you will be able to exclusively concentrate on the cooking.
Stay Organized
Organization is a must have when it comes to cooking for a crowd. One nice tip is to make a to-serve list having the whole menu on it, and score out every dish you serve. Things can get quite frenetic in the back stage of a huge dinner, and you may simply forget to serve something.
Organization is the key for cutting out "worries" from your menu when you are cooking for a crowd. Following those simple tips, I'm sure you will be very proud of yourself when the party is over.
About the Author:
For great tips check out the new cooking forums! CookingJourney.com is the leading resource for cakes and gourmet!
No comments:
Post a Comment