How To Cook For A Lot Of People

There may be times when you’re tasked with making a lot of food. Whether it be Thanksgiving Dinner or your family’s annual reunion, the real question is how to figure out how much food you will need?

You obviously want to be sure to have enough for all, but you don’t want a ton of leftovers either. Here are some general suggestions on cooking for a lot of people.

First, the amount of food that you need to plan on having can vary by the meal that you’re making, type of food and even the type of people that are attending. For example, if there are a lot of teens in your family, you may want to err on the side of caution because teens usually can pack down a lot of food. As a general rule, these suggestions are for individual portions:

· Starters: Appetizers or snacks should consist of two to three portions per person

· 3 ounces of dip or salsa (about 1/3 cup per person)

· One cup of soup (less if it’s a thick soup, like chowder)

· 3 ounces of salad (about 1 cup)

· 6 ounces of meat or main entrée

· 5 ounces of starch (potato, pasta, or rice)

· One and a half pieces of dessert

Obviously, this isn’t something that is going to work for every situation, but it’s a good place to start.

If, for purposes of demonstration, you were to have 10 people that you needed to cook for, then you might go with something like this:

· 4 pounds

· 3 pounds of potatoes

· 1 pound of dry pasta

· 20 hot dogs

· 3 pounds of sausage such as bratwurst or kielbasa

· Shrimp: 2 to 3 pounds, pre-cooked and peeled, or three pounds if raw and unpeeled

· Clams and mussels: 2 pounds

· One half gallon, if served as an appetizer

· One gallon, if served as a main dish

· Two to three large heads of lettuce, or 2 pounds green salad mix

· 3 cups of dressing

Keep in mind that this is only one example, and it’s more important to mix and match the items that you’re going to serving to the group than it is to follow this list verbatim. For any two main dishes, such as chicken and fish, four pounds total are necessary, not four pounds of each. But consider adding a pound to the total, as many will want to try both dishes.

· One gallon for every 10 guests

· Two drinks per person, per hour is a good guesstimate, but for some crowds, you may need more (a lot more).

When it comes to serving food, it’s easiest to go with a buffet spread on a main table, and drinks at a different spot that’s easily accessible.

Try and put the main dishes that need to be warmed towards the end of the main table. The food will lose less heat as the person goes from the serving table to the location where they’re going to eat.

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