| Cooking is part of the fun when you are planning a | | | | much of each food they will eat. Remember to round |
| party but some people get into a panic, worrying that | | | | your estimations up, not down. It is infinitely better to |
| they have under- or overestimated the amount of | | | | have some food left over than run out of things to eat |
| food required, whether the food they are making will | | | | halfway through the celebrations! |
| be enjoyed by everyone or whether their party food | | | | Have some bulk food items on hand, like bread for a |
| recipes will turn out right. | | | | sit-down meal or nuts and olives for a buffet. These |
| Guessing How Much Food for a Party | | | | are filling foods, which people can eat if they are still |
| Unfortunately, there is no scientific formula for working | | | | hungry afterwards. |
| out how much food for a party. It is more of an art | | | | The Right Portion Sizes |
| and the more parties you cater for, the more you will | | | | With appetizers, you should allow six bites per person. |
| be able to estimate the right food amounts. Here are a | | | | With the main meal, you should allow about six to eight |
| few tips that will allow you to estimate how much food | | | | ounces of meat or fish, an ounce and a half of grains, |
| for a party and will help you to relax rather than panic! | | | | five ounces of potatoes, four ounces of vegetables |
| Have you only invited adults to the party or is there a | | | | and an ounce of undressed salad per person. For |
| need for some child-friendly recipes as well? How long | | | | dessert, you should allow one slice of cake, four |
| will your party last for and at what time of day is it | | | | ounces of creamy dessert or five ounces of ice |
| going to be? You would need a lot more food for an | | | | cream per guest. These measures are approximate |
| afternoon barbecue than for an after dinner cocktail | | | | because different people have different appetites of |
| party, for example. | | | | course. |
| Make more of the potentially popular dishes. Almost | | | | Other Party Food Cooking Tips |
| everyone loves boneless chicken recipes, so make a | | | | - Avoid repeating the main ingredient if you are having |
| lot of those because there will be other dishes, such | | | | a dinner party. Do not serve a boneless chicken |
| as international recipes or seafood recipes, which will | | | | appetizer followed by a boneless chicken main course, |
| not appeal to everyone. | | | | for example. |
| If you offer a lot of different dishes, each guest will | | | | - Have both warm and cold foods on offer if you are |
| have less of each one. If you have twenty dishes, | | | | serving a buffet meal. |
| your guests will probably take a spoonful of each one | | | | - Offer different food textures with the buffet or meal, |
| they like the look of. If you only have five dishes, they | | | | so you have a range of soft, hard, crispy, and crunchy |
| will eat a lot more of each. | | | | food items. |
| You can estimate the amount of food required by | | | | - Using different colored foods is a great way to make |
| working out how many guests you have and how | | | | your dinner table or buffet table look exciting. |