| It is often hard to find just the right large quantity recipe | | | | peppers. Some ingredients will impart enough flavor, |
| for the theme of your party or for the "culinary | | | | texture or body when only increased a fraction. In |
| experience" you are aspiring to offer your guests. | | | | addition some of these ingredients can be added a little |
| Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to | | | | at a time as you continually check for taste. |
| modify your favorite 4-6 serving recipes when you | | | | What if you want to serve 25 people with a |
| find yourself cooking for a crowd of 20 or more. | | | | not-so-simple, 4-serving recipe with numerous |
| What constitutes a crowd? Of course it's all relative | | | | ingredients? Doubling or tripling more complex recipes |
| (your relatives, not mine). Seriously, if you are | | | | could get complicated. One trick is to batch cook. |
| accustomed to cooking for one to three, cooking for | | | | Batch cooking requires planning ahead and cooking in |
| 20-50 people may seem overwhelming. When cooking | | | | advance. It may also mean freezing prepared dishes. It |
| for a crowd, there are three important considerations; | | | | is also a matter of "doing the math". |
| adequate cookware, sufficient refrigerator space and | | | | To serve 25 with a 4-serving recipe, you can cook 5-6 |
| recipe selection. | | | | individual batches of that recipe or, you can expand |
| Obviously you should seek out recipes geared | | | | the recipe (no more then 2-4 times) and cook in |
| towards feeding a crowd. It is often easy to find large | | | | batches accordingly. For example, to serve 25 from a |
| quantity recipes for basic dishes such as lasagna and | | | | 4-serving recipe, double the recipe to 8 and cook three |
| mashed potatoes. But what do you do if you have | | | | batches or, triple it and cook two batches. To serve 18 |
| your heart set on using your favorite 4-serving recipe | | | | with a 6-serving recipe, cook it three times or cook |
| for Corn and Black Bean Polenta for a party of 25? | | | | one 6-serving batch and one batch that has been |
| Even for expert cooks, modifying a recipe for large | | | | doubled to serve 12. You get the idea. |
| quantity cooking is not just a matter of endless | | | | It is almost impossible to double or triple recipe |
| multiplications. If you expand a recipe too much--you | | | | ingredients for cakes, cookies, pie dough, or breads, |
| are bound to run into trouble and end up with an off | | | | without meeting with utter disaster. It's a chemistry |
| tasting or a poorly flavored dish. | | | | thing. Instead, prepare a single batch repeatedly until |
| For a basic dish like mashed potatoes, it would be | | | | you have enough food to feed your guests. Again, |
| acceptable to multiply all of the ingredients in a | | | | cooking in advance is the key. |
| 4-serving recipe by two, thus doubling the recipe to | | | | Chances are you can successfully double or triple the |
| serve 8. However, recipes are not indefinitely | | | | ingredients of recipes for individual appetizers, such as |
| expandable (or shrinkable for that matter) and | | | | stuffed mushrooms or crostini; and for snack mixes, |
| enlarging a recipe any more then 2-4 times is not | | | | dips, salsas, punches, one serving-size pieces of meat, |
| recommended. | | | | poultry or fish, tossed salads, pasta salads and |
| You may also use recipe converters which are easily | | | | vegetables dishes. |
| found online. The converters however, simply "do the | | | | If you are cooking for a crowd of 25 or more you will |
| math", multiplying each ingredient amount by the | | | | most likely serve buffet style. It is the best way to |
| increased number of servings you enter into the | | | | serve larger crowds. On a buffet of numerous dishes, |
| converter. It does not take into account, for example, | | | | people will take smaller portions of each in order to |
| the pungency or texture of the ingredients. If a | | | | sample everything. Also, not everyone will sample |
| 4-serving recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of finely | | | | every dish. This means that every dish you prepare |
| chopped rosemary and you want to triple the recipe to | | | | need not serve 25. You need only prepare a few |
| serve 12; 3 tablespoons of rosemary will probably | | | | large quantity dishes. Look for recipes that serve 8-12 |
| overwhelm all the other flavors and seasonings in the | | | | and double them (or not). |
| dish. | | | | With a calculator and a little ingredient know-how you |
| It is a good idea to be cautious when multiplying | | | | can comfortably convert most of your party food |
| ingredients like salt, flour, cornstarch, eggs, seafood, | | | | recipes and present a tantalizing menu to your guests. |
| meats, robust herbs, oils, onions, garlic, celery and | | | | Have fun! |