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cooking for 40-50 people
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barbara
02/03/08
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Hi - I am cooking for my mother's 60th birthday party. we expect between 40-50 people. we're going to have veggies and dip, hummus and pitas, and then i am planning to make meat lasagna, vegetarian (butternut squash lasagna) and chicken caccitore with rice on the side. how much lasagna and chicken caccitore do you recommend? we'd rather err on having a little extra food then not enough! thanks so much!!
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ellen
02/03/08
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It is much tougher to estimate three entrees with such a small group, especially not knowing your groups preference. Basically a regular 9x13 lasagna pan makes 8-10 servings, and with multiple entrees, you want to cut the smaller size, as many people will take some of several entrees.
I would probably do 2 pans of butternut, 4 pans of regular (but keep one in the fridge until I see how it is going) and about 1 piece of chicken per person (30 pounds, approximately). If you think the butternut will be a big seller, you can do 3 of these and hold one back.
I would do the chicken in an electric raoster to leave the oven free for the lasagnas.
I would do 3 pounds of dry rice, using the oven baking method for convenience. You will probably have some left, but it can freeze.
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barbara
02/04/08
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Thanks so much!!
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Michelle
02/04/08
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I'm planning a build your own taco bar for 50 teenagers. How much hamburger meat will I need? Also, do you think they'd notice if we mixed Hamburger and Deer meat?
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ellen
02/04/08
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Michelle, as far as the venison (and do call it venison, not deer meat) it would be better-disguised in chili. If no one discussed it it would be fine, but with teens, someone always discusses it... You could sell the venison for a fine price and get more beef...
1 pound of ground meat cooks to just about 2 cups.
Anyway, use the topping amounts on the baked potato bar, they are basically the same for tacos. Count your 50 teens as 60-75 people, depending on other side dishes (rice, beans, salad) and how many are boys. About a dozen shells and eight soft corn tortillas for each 5-6 people, teens also like corn chips or tortilla chips to make a taco salad sort of dish, 4 pounds for 50.
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Ruth
02/05/08
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preparing crab emperiol and steamship round if Im having to meats how much do I need for 50
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ellen
02/08/08
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Ruth, everyone will want both. I would allow 4 ounces ready to eat beef PLUS 1/3 to 1/2 cup crab per person.
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Palma
01/29/09
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I hope this message finds you well. I was asked to cook for a party of 50 people. The menu is lasagna with meat, and baked ziti. How much should I make of each? I am using aluminum full trays. Thank you.
Yours in Service,
Palma
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ellen
01/29/09
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See the lotsa pasta page. Make 30 servings each (1/3) the amount for 100). Cut small.
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novice Suzanne
03/07/09
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I need to cook bacon and hash brow ns for 50 men. I have a commercial grill and commercial oven with two shelves, and a deep fryer with two baskets. What is the most time efficient and best way to cook these items in this kitchen?
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ellen
03/07/09
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Bake the bacon ahead, drain, chill and run back in the oven to crisp. Use the grill for the hash browns, and allow at least an hour- crispy is really good. Real hash browns aren't deep fried, no matter WHAT McD's says.
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Michie B
04/17/09
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U am preparing fried chicken and rice and peas for a function. i need to know the amount of rice ad chicken to prepare
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ellen
04/17/09
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Look at the plan for 100 pages and use whatever fraction you need for your number of people.
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Blessings Foster
04/22/09
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Cooking for a wedding reception
We are serving the following:
Chicken Wings hot/barbecue
Veggie Tray
Sandwich tray
Fruit Tray
Punch
I need to know how much of each should I get to prepare for 50 people. can you help me.
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ellen
04/23/09
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I need to know the time and length of the reception and whether alcohol is being served. Also, what other foods, desserts, coffee, etc.
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Lorrie
04/27/09
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I am barbequing chicken and ribs for 40-50 people. I have chaffing dishes to keep the meat warm once cooked. Do I fully cook the ribs and chicken fully before placing in the chaffing dishes or do I partially cook them? Obviously I don't want to serve raw food, but I also don't want the chicken/ribs to dry out either. My barbeque is in 5 days, please advise.
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ellen
04/28/09
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Fully cook to a temp of 160 when checked with an instant read thermometer, then pull off the grill ad keep warm covered in the chafing dishes until ready to serve. Chafing dishes do not reach a high enough temp to cook or even rewarm food- it needs to be safely hot when it goes in. Check out this great page about chafing dishes:
www.eddiesportablepigout.com/steamtable.htm
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Lorrie
04/29/09
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Thanks Ellen! I feel so much better now. Thanks too for the webpage. It was very informative.
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Martha
10/16/09
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I am having 50 people over mix of teens and 40 and older. We will be serving nacatamales, roasted chicken, potatoes/rice, vegetables, meatballs, sausage,penne pasta sauce, salad, bread. There will be a cake and a chocolate fountain,coffee, soda, and a punch. How much should I be making of chicken and meatballs/sausage? We are planning to make the nacatamales smaller (usually it is a meal all by itself)because many people coming are North Americans.
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ellen
10/16/09
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Lucky, lucky guests!
I would figure 1 nacatamale PLUS 1 piece of chicken (a quarter counts as 2 pieces, cut it apart)and 2-3 ounces of meatballs (and skip the sausage), then add 10% as a fudge factor. You will have some leftover, but probably not too much, and everyone will get their first choice.
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Tammy
10/28/09
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lasagna for 100 people
Hi,
I need to know how much lasagna (both meat and vegetarian) and garlic toast and salads to make for 100 people. I'm looking to use a big pan (12x16 size, to eliminate the number of pans to put in the oven).
Can you assist please!?!? There will be veggie trays as well, but only a few. I'm making them ahead of time and freezing them and then reheating the day they are needed. They are for a birthday party where there is also alcohol being served. We will be having fruit and cake to follow.
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patricia
10/28/09
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I am cooking Hobo stew for 40 people how many gallons of stew should I have?
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Mary
10/29/09
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We are cooking for 40 people..serving Chicken Marsala and Crepe Cheese Mancotti, Ceasar salad and Tiramisu..We are cooking 20 servings of each, except for the dessert and salad. We are serving as well.I have 2 19 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 3" chafing dish. This is the first time we have catered and starting small. With this size of chafing dish it sounds like we will just need the 2 pans correct for the hot food. How should we figure serving size?
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ellen
10/29/09
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Tammy, see the lasgna making discussion on the spaghetti page for help with quantities. You need at least 24 servings of veggie and 90 regular. Yes that does add up to more than 100, but when there are two choices people take more, and often some of each. For help on the rest see the spaghetti dinner for 50 60 at the bottom of the page and use just double. You will have plenty.
Patricia, 4 would not be too much if they are normal hungry outside adults.
Mary, when you cater buffet style with two entrees, you have to make more than 1/2 and 1/2, as I explained to Tammy just above, people take more and some of each. I would make at least 30 servings of the chicken and at least 50 manicotti. Many people will take some of each. One line is adequate for 40 people (50 is about the break point), so one chafer for each entree should be fine.
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Theresa
10/31/09
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Ellen,
I am going to be feeding 40 people and I have my recipes and need to convert these to accomodate the group. Problem is, I have tried finding a site that would let me put in my own receipe and to then get an accurate amount for that recipe. Can you tell me where I can find a site that would be able to assist me?
Much Thanks
Theresa
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ellen
11/01/09
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Theresa, in chef talk this is called scaling a recipe.
Several of the recipe sites will let you put in your recipe (usually after you register) and then you can use the multiplier to increase the ingredients. Or try this site, it's quicker:
www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php
Be cautious however this is just a shopping list. You will need to do further alterations. Most recipes cannot be safely increased above 2 to 4 times, so you have to cook larger amounts in batchews. Also, the sites do not cut down the salt and herbs correctly as I discuss in my articles here:
www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/homekit1.html
www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oamc/oamctech.html
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Jamie
11/03/09
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Hi! I am having party for about 40 daults and 8 kids (ages 4-9) I am serving red potatoes, ziti, roast beef and chicken and tossed salad. My question is I am clueless to how much of each? Can you please help me? Thanks!
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ellen
11/03/09
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If you just count this as 50 people, (1/2 of 100), it is very easy to calculate using the the tables for 100, dessert planner, beverage planner, etc. Using 0.45 would be even closer, but the math is more bothersome.
If the ziti is a side dish, make 30 servings, people will take smaller than usual portions as they will also take potatoes. 15 pounds of potatoes would be about right.
The only one you might need help with, is the mixed meats. You need to end up with 5 ounces cooked ready to eat beef plus 3 ounces ready to eat chicken per person. That starts out as 25 pounds raw boneless beef plus 1 piece of chicken for each person.
For the chicken, that's piece, not quarter; one chicken makes 8 pieces.
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Judy
11/04/09
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I am serving 30 to 40 teenagers, plan to serve soft and hard tacos. How many pounds of meat will I need?
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ellen
11/04/09
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40 teenagers counts as 50 adults for food. You get 2 cups of cooked meat from each pound of ground chuck or round, and you need at least 1/2 cup per person.
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Margie
11/12/09
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Help I am having a baby shower for 50 people I need to know how much tossed salad and also how much Waldorf salad I need to make. We are also haveing cold cuts,macaroni salas and lasgna.
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ellen
11/13/09
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Since you have 2 salads, you can adjust the amount for each downward some. Using the plan for 100 page, make 1/3 the amount of tossed salad for 100. For the Waldorf salad, for each 2 people you need 1 apple, 1/3 cup nuts, 1/3 cup celery and 1/3 cup grapes. or a bit less raisins. 3-4 tablespoons dressing, I like it with mayonnaise thinned with lemon juice.
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