How to do well when cooking for a crowd?

No one needs to be afraid of cooking for a crowd. Cooking for hundred people is not really different from cooking for one person. All you need to make it work is to be attentive to the hygiene and safety rules, and organize and prepare all you will need in advance.

Don’t risk

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.

How can cooks be sure they are doing the right thing? The use of thermometers for temperature control is an indispensable step. If you are pre-cooking dishes to serve you will need to cool the food afterwards. Dividing it in small portions before placing it inside the fridge will help to make the temperature reach the appropriate level quicker and avoid bacteria to grow.

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 for salad - three pounds Dry pasta for salad - one pound Peeled pre-cooked prawns - two to three pounds Shellfish - two pounds Soup to be served as appetizer - half gallon Soup to be served as main course - one gallon Salad - two pounds of leaves Salad dressing - three cups Cocktails - twenty per hour Punch - a gallon

If you plan to serve lots of cocktails, don’t forget to have at least 10 pounds of ice and a good range of soft drinks. Furthermore, remember that one cocktail usually takes 1.5 ounces of spirit, so your figures are 16 cocktails for every 750 ml bottle.

Cooking Supplies

Well, it’s not really easy to find the appropriate pans, pots and dishes to cook for a crowd. Some people may use foil baking pans. If that’s what you intend to do, just be aware that they are very fragile and may not resist to heavy or extremely hot food. The best thing to do is to rent professional equipment that will bring all the supplies you need together and leave your mind free for exclusively concentrating on the food.

Stay Organized

When serving, make sure you have a list of everything you prepared. Score out what you have already served, and you will avoid to have by the end of the dinner not served dishes remaining inside your fridge.

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.