Cooking for 35 people... Help!

stripethrowaway · 2019-01-18T20:24:51+00:00

Disposable is absolutely the way to go.

I can't help you much with portions but from catering experience I have a guideline below that is general rule of thumb from my old work. I think you're pretty much good with the menu choice. Slow cooking the meat will save you a lot of stress. Standard menus are a salad, two entree's and two sides. Generally you can estimate 6oz of meat per person, 1.5 oz starch per person, 5 oz of potatoes per person, 2 oz of veggies per person, and 1 roll per person. Always round up, it's better to have too much food than not enough!

1 cup uncooked rice will Yield 3 cups of cooked rice.

IDK if this is in your budget but it might be beneficial to serve a variety of beverages, maybe the option of red or white wine, maybe a light beer, and a couple non-alcoholic options. I don't know your guests but it might help you some to keep this in mind. Serving only wine could get expensive because a bottle of wine equals 4 servings and when estimating the beverage need a good calculation is .75x(#of hours for event +1)x#of guests and that should give you a ballpark figure of how many servings of drinks you might need.

Logistics with the oven might become an issue. If you can have multiple things going at the same temp, it will take a little longer to cook but it will go easier that way. Doing different things at different temps can become stressful.

Things you might not think about: the clean up.

Dear lord I've hosted gatherings that took a week to clean up.. I learned the hard way: cover the countertops and basically every surface with those plastic disposable table clothes. Keep a plastic grocery bag to throw garbage and food scrap in on every surface (IE if you have a kitchen island, keep one there, keep one on another counter top, etc. Determine ahead of time where raw meat can go and designate a cutting board, a plastic garbage bag, a countertop towel, a knife, and tongs for only raw meat. Designate another area for everything else. Just keeps things separated and lowers your chances of cross contamination.

Try to toss garbage and clean while you go. The countertop garbage bags will be your best friend here.

Get disposable plates, forks, napkins, drinkware, Disposable serving stuff like spoons and tongs. Yeah, I know you probably want to be fancy and do something nice, but logistics prevents that. Garbage cans everywhere!!!!! One on the buffet area, one in the kitchen, and one where people are dining.

All the disposable stuff I PROMISE YOU is worth not having to spend a week feeling like a restaurant dishwasher and cleaning up random stuff and looking at your countertops going "What have I done?!"

Also grabbing Togo containers and blackmailing your guests into taking home leftovers. Sometimes you end up eating that food you served for a week, sometimes it's not enough food. Entertaining can be so unpredictable!!!!!

Hope something in here was helpful, best of luck.

aftertheafter-party · 2019-01-18T21:33:38+00:00

I hosted a party for 35 people last night. I paid for catering, used everything disposable, & hired someone to help greet, move food, serve drinks, etc. That's the only way I've been able to enjoy myself at a party like that.

Your menu sounds good. I agree with others suggesting to hire dishes or use disposable. If you have the budget, definitely spend the money to hire someone to help you set up, serve, & clean.

mercederu · 2019-01-19T00:54:34+00:00

This is just me, but I’d add a pop of colour to that menu. Something that’s easy to do quickly and doesn’t require much cooking/can be planned ahead. This will really stand out to your guests, and a well done veg brings meal together and impresses with simplicity!

My go-to for that is green beans I follow from my grandma’s old Julia Child copy. You can blanch the beans ahead of time (the day before), then on the day of its about a minute of pan fry and they’re done.

The recipe is called haricot verts a la maitre d’hôtel if you’re interested. Should be online.

thoughts_prayers · 2019-01-19T05:07:03+00:00

Also, I want to add - have fun! Remember if something goes wrong to laugh about it. You're here to support your SO. Guests won't remember the burnt dinner rolls - they'll remember how graceful you were under pressure.

bakerslimbo · 2019-01-18T21:31:28+00:00

Nothing compliments homemade rolls than quality butter! I recommend KerryGold Irish Butter. This butter is best when left out at room temperature. It's the small details that count too!

Zegiknie · 2019-01-18T20:50:56+00:00

Perhaps you can buy cheap second hand dishes, make it 'bohemian' (mix and match) and similar sheets as tablecloths and then throw that all in the trash, after? Or hire dishes (my sister did, we catered her wedding at home).

Hire help for the clean-up if you can (or ask a friend).

Cheese plates are an easy buffet style dessert. Maybe some fresh fruit. Your menu sounds yummy, but poor on color - sprinkle some herbs over for the look or add something.

Salads are great, keep them veggie-only (in a company of 35 there is bound to be at least one vegetarian).

Set out everything buffet style or hire servers (teens in black with white aprons you give them?).

Don't forget drinks. Sparkly and flat water and wines to match the dishes.

If kids are coming, arrange for high chairs and a changing spot as needed, and maybe some coloring pages and pencils and a nook with a screen of some sort for them to bugger off to.

Make sure embarrassing to ask for stuff like tampons and extra toilet paper are easily found. Clean the toilet during the evening, it will see too much traffic for one day.

Napkins. Lighting. Music.

myrpwi_account · 2019-01-19T02:25:42+00:00

So I have worked in food service before, once summer at a camp serving 50+ people and 6 months in a nursing home (100 bed nursing home). I also used to live in a cooperative house, in which there were 35 of us and we fixed lunch and dinner for each other. I did the meal planning for one semester.

I really think you need help to do this. In the cooperative house, it was 3 of us to making dinner. If you went to a restaurant, there would be lots of people working together to put the meal out. Unless you own your catering business or work as a chef or have some other kind of food service experience, you need help to do this. Cooking for large numbers is completely different then cooking for a few. I can tell you right now, this much cooking and cleaning is completely exhausting and far too much to ask of just you.

u/stripethrowaway is correct with the amounts of meat, so you will need 13-14 pounds of meat. Is your crockpot that big? You mention the cauliflower- a 2 pound head of cauliflower yields 3 to 4 cups, so if each people eats 1/2 a cup that's 4+ heads of cauliflower you have to cut up. If each person has a potato, that's 35 potatoes. How many servings does your french onion soup rice casserole make?

Honestly I would go to Aldi's and get their pulled pork tray. Each tray serves 4, so grab 9-10 trays. If you want to do a beef brisket you will have to make sure that it cooks evenly so you don't end up with overcooked outside and undercooked inside. If you have never cooked 13 pounds of meat at once this could very easily happen. Or are you planning on spreading the 13 pounds out across the 3 crockpots?

I would scrap the roast cauliflower, too much cutting, and just do a premade salad. Or someone else suggested green beans, which is a good idea because you can buy the precut variety and just roast them. Baked potatoes are pretty easy and pretty much cook themselves in the oven. Or premade mashed potatoes. Unless you can quickly whip up the homemade rolls, do cornbread like someone else suggested.

Buy premade desserts and the fruit/veggie/cheese tray like someone else suggested. Otherwise you will be making 3 of your cheesecake.

What does your budget look like? Do you have somewhere to set up all this food, a table, and various warmers/trays to keep the food warm?

However if I was in your shoes I would be doing a taco bar. Brown the ground beef, then place shredded lettuce, caned diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, tortilla chips and or shells, salsa, queso, premade guacamole, 20 cans black beans in various bowls. Way less work.

Samsonite65 · 2019-01-19T04:33:49+00:00

There are many good suggestions here so I won’t repeat what’s been said. I can’t stress enough that you need at least one sister/friend/cousin there to help.

Do as much as humanly possible in advance. Keep everything simple!!!

Candles and some simple flowers can add great ambiance. I like to buy one or two cheap bouquets, split them into smaller vases from the dollar store and scatter throughout the rooms where I’ll be entertaining.

Something that may look more classy than slow cookers is to transfer the cooked meat to catering trays over sternos to keep it warm. My local dollar store sells all the components you need for that.

Setup a table with a simple “bar” where guests can serve themselves. Ice, bottled water, soda, beer, red and white wine. Put the beer in a cooler on the floor if you can. Get those short plastic cocktail cups for the wine and soda.

Personally I’d keep the menu as simple as possible: -Cheese with grapes -Fresh green salad with shredded carrots and olives, bottled balsamic dressing -Baked potatoes with butter (maybe offer fun toppings like shredded cheese, chives, bacon) -Slow cooker beef -Chocolate chip cookies (either bake fresh from pre-made dough or buy a platter)

Good luck and have fun!!!

insidedynamite · 2019-01-19T05:57:39+00:00

you can't do this on your own. find other people to co-host this dinner. and if you can do something well, don't do it for free. host a meal for 35 people is not a small favor and you can always turn down. you can also order the food

thoughts_prayers · 2019-01-19T05:00:45+00:00

Do you know if any of your guests have dietary restrictions? I don't eat meat - so I wouldn't be able to have brisket or soup or the sauce. Just throwing that out there, sorry :) I recommend having a salad available. Salads can mostly be made ahead of time (spring mix, onion, dried cranberries and walnut would compliment your dinner well).

Any thoughts on getting a dessert from a local bakery? Expensive, but could be worth it. Otherwise, you can make a simple pie or cake. Cakes with buttercream frosting can be served room temp - carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is good and is surprisingly simple.

For an appetizer, you can put out cheese, crackers, fruit, and for some reason people love those shrimp cocktail things. Don't worry too much about appetizers - people just want something to fidget with while they talk.

International_Aioli · 2019-01-20T02:28:43+00:00

I have hosted many large dinner parties. For meat I tend to calculate by starting with 1/4 pound per person. For 35 people that's 8.75 pounds. Round up to 9 pounds. Then I add an additonal 1 pound for every 10 people. That's 3.5 more pounds, for a total of 12.5 pounds, round up again, and that's 13 pounds total.

I know this sounds crazy, but I swear I have never run out of food. If you have a lot left over you can always freeze it and remember that some of the women will eat less and some people may not eat meat at all, so you should be all set!

Have you made the rice casserole before? Rice can get quite mushy if there is a bit of liquid surrounding it. I would not attempt a brand new recipe with such a large group. If you have done it before though then go for it! I do think you should add a large green vegetable salad as well, though. It's not much extra time and the ladies will appreciate a lighter healthier options!

SteakNotCake · 2019-01-19T00:49:31+00:00

Have you made brisket before in the slow cooker? I would honestly go with something you know will turn out. If you’re looking for an easy side dish, cornbread pudding (minus the paprika) has always been a hit when we have brisket or pulled pork. What about an easy pasta salad (cooked pasta, sliced olives, sun dried tomatoes with some Italian dressing or pesto).

wegvisir · 2019-01-19T16:01:56+00:00

get your SO to help with the logistics. (Tables, Chairs, grocery washing dishes)
Can your SO help with the cooking? Or baking of his favorite cheesecake?
get concrete numbers of guests and their gender (males sometimes have these black holes in their stomach....;). )

I hope that your SO is truly appreciative and sings your praise for many a year to come!

IlluminatedElf · 2019-01-22T14:52:33+00:00

I have hosted before (usually 10-15 people) and it is not easy. Cooking large volumes of food involves high risk; things could get undercooked/overcooked, soggy, burnt, split, underseasoned, etc.

Apart from that, being a host is difficult; cleaning, decorating/arranging location, mingling, etc. can be a lot of work.

Your menu has a lot of stuff that needs the oven and that seems daunting.

For me, the first hour of a dinner party involves appetizers and drinks. A couple of boards of brie/camembert with crackers, dried fruit and nut mixes, flatbread with topping/pesto, and/or bread/veggies with dip. Typically, I would just buy all of them and just add garnishes. Serve with napkins/fancy paper plates.

Making a simple drink like a sangria/wine-based cocktail takes no work at all and having a decanter for your red wine saves the clutter of not quite empty wine bottles laying around. It also stretches the alcohol.

Appetisers are great because it means that you would need less of the mains/sides. I typically don't do dessert for a large number of guests (too much washing up afterwards since they require plating) but you could serve after dinner chocolates and mints in a nice platter.

Then comes the actual food. I typically do 0.75 pound of protein per person (this seems like a lot but it usually is safe for me) and 1 pound of sides per person, when buying. This takes into account volume loss with shrinkage.

Go for shortcuts wherever possible and at least 3/4th of your menu should be make ahead and taste decent at room temperature/slightly cold. Go for vegetables that don't need cleaning, peeling, and chopping. Apart from that, stay away from foods that have a high risk of being mushy, overcooked, or undercooked.

I would recommend getting some of your menu catered, as a safety measure. You could get your proteins catered and just focus on the sides, drinks, and appetizers as well as other hosting stuff.

Title	Cooking for 35 people... Help!
Author	kittxxn
Upvotes	26
Comments	42
Date	January 18, 2019 7:41 PM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/RedPillWomen
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RedPillWomen/comments/ahe68g/cooking_for_35_people_help/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RedPillWomen/cooking-for-35-people-help.196751 https://theredarchive.com/post/196751

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