It's not the end of the world cooking for a crowd!

No one needs to be afraid of cooking for a crowd. Cooking for hundred people is not really different from cooking for one person. All you need to make it work is to be attentive to the hygiene and safety rules, and organize and prepare all you will need in advance.

Food and Hygiene Rules.

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.

How can cooks be sure they are doing the right thing? The use of thermometers for temperature control is an indispensable step. If you are pre-cooking dishes to serve you will need to cool the food afterwards. Dividing it in small portions before placing it inside the fridge will help to make the temperature reach the appropriate level quicker and avoid bacteria to grow.

Amounts - 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 ten 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 - twenty per hour Punch - a gallon

If you plan to serve lots of cocktails, don't forget to have at least 10 pounds of ice and a good range of soft drinks. Furthermore, remember that one cocktail usually takes 1.5 ounces of spirit, so your figures are 16 cocktails for every 750 ml bottle.

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. 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 what will certainly help you to concentrate exclusively on the food.

Stay Organized

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.

Beforehand preparation and ordered work help you not to freak out when cooking for a crowd and give you the pleasant sensation of a job well done when the banquet is over.