You don't need to panic if you find yourself on a situation you need to cook for a crowd. Choosing the appropriate equipment and adapting well the preparation you will find out it's not that huge challenge or mysterious science to cook for a lot of people. All you need is to prepare yourself, organize everything you need and be safe.
Food and Hygiene Safety
Cooking for a crowd involves hazards you absolutely need to be aware of. Make sure you have the appropriate knowledge of the right cooking and storing temperatures. Wrong temperatures are the biggest cause of food contamination since bacteria grows incredibly fast when you don't prepare it right. For more details go to www.cajuns-recipes.com.
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 reaching dangerous temperature zones. When possible, we also recommend dividing the dishes into small portions for storage. It will allow the food to cool easily, avoiding creating a 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 10 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 - 20 per hour
Punch - one gallon
If you know the guests enjoy cocktails a lot, make sure you have the proper amount of ice (10 pounds) and a good assortment of soft drinks. Watch the liquors as well! You will need a 750 ml bottle per 16 cocktails.
Cooking Provisions
You may find it hard to encounter pans, pots and dishware to cook for a crowd. Disposable foil pans are an option, but you need to be aware that they can be quite fragile when holding hot or heavy food. For more details go to www.apples-recipes.com. To avoid getting into trouble your best shot is to rent professional equipment that will give you the peace of mind of having the proper tools which will certainly help you to concentrate exclusively on the food.
Make a dish list
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.
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