Cooking for 350
Nicole
10/02/10 		Hello,

I am cooking for 350 people. The original recipe serves 10. It says to use 2 9x13 casserole dishes and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 175 degrees celcius. Do I have to increase the time and temperature when cooking for more? Also, instead of using 70 9x13 pans, is there any other option? I will have access to an industrial size oven, I am not familiar with the dimensions of those though, do you know?

Thank you so much for you help

ellen
10/02/10 		Nicole, there is a pan guide on the website which gives the volume of all the standard food service pans; for example, you can use the standard "1/2 pan" which holds 2 1/2 to 3 9x13 pans.

www.ellenskitchen.com/cooktalk/pansmeas.html

Two 9x13's is between 4 and 5 quarts, about a gallon. A full steam table pan, which comes in 4 or 6 inches deep, holds 3 1/2 or 5 GALLONS, about 40 or 55 servings of your size.

How much time you increase depends on 2 things; how thick the layer is compared to the original, and whether it was just assembled or has been held and chilled in the refrigerator. Thickness, increase? Drop temp 25 degrees and increase cooking time about 1/2 hour. Cold? Increase another 1/2 hour.

Patti
10/07/10 		Cooking for 300
I'm making Ham biscuits, chicken salad sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches, (all mini size), veggie trays, fruit trays, cheese & cracker trays and Pasta Salad for a wedding reception of 300 people. How much of each do I need?

Thank you sooo much.

ellen
10/08/10 		Patti, this is a DIY site. Please read the article called wedding dinners and use the tables to make an initial estimate, post it, and I will be glad to check it for you.

You need 6 buffet lines and about 18 people to set up serve and clean up a party this size.

Veggie trays, fruit trays, cheese & cracker trays and Pasta Salad are all covered in the planning pages on Big Pots or the buttons at the top of the main cook talk page. Use 3 times the amounts for 100.

For the mini sandwiches, you need 2 ham biscuits plus 1/2 each full size chicken and tuna sandwiches per person approximately, plus 10% if it is self serve. Sandwich buffets where people have a selection of toppings and breads hold better, are less prep and are usually more economical.