Cooking For Crowds For Dummies
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You've committed to having a large group of friends and family over for a meal — but now what? The hardest part about cooking for a crowd is figuring out how much to cook. The quantity you make depends on how many people you're serving, of course, and whether appetizers are pre-meal goodies or the main attraction. Fortunately, experienced, crowd-pleasing cooks have figured out the quantity thing and are willing to share it with you.

How much to cook when you cook for a crowd

When you’re cooking for a crowd, knowing how much to cook is your biggest concern. The following tables help you determine how much food you need to prepare — everything from appetizers through desserts — for your big gatherings:

Appetizers
Type of Appetizer Number of Different Appetizer Types Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Appetizers preceding a full meal At least 4 6 to 8 pieces 150 to 200 total appetizers 300 to 400 total appetizers
Appetizers without a meal At least 6 12 to 15 pieces 300 to 375 total appetizers 600 to 750 total appetizers
Drinks
Type of Drink Per Person
Soft drinks 1 to 2 eight-ounce servings per hour
Punch 1 to 2 four-ounce servings per hour
Tea 1 to 2 eight-ounce servings per hour
Coffee 1 to 2 four-ounce servings per hour
Soups and Stews
Soup or Stew Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Served as a first course 1 cup 5 quarts 2 1/2 gallons
Served as an entree 1 1/2 to 2 cups 2 to 2 1/2 gallons 4 gallons
Main Courses
Entree Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Baby-back ribs, pork spareribs, beef short ribs 1 pound 25 pounds 50 pounds
Casserole N/A 2 to 3 13-x-9-inch casseroles 4 to 5 13-x-9-inch casseroles
Chicken, turkey, or duck (boneless) 1/2 pound 13 pounds 25 pounds
Chicken or turkey (with bones) 3/4 to 1 pound 19 pounds 38 pounds
Chili, stew, stroganoff, and other chopped meats 5 to 6 ounces 8 pounds 15 pounds
Ground beef 1/2 pound 13 pounds 25 pounds
Maine lobster (about 2 pounds each) 1 25 50
Oysters, clams, and mussels (medium to large) 6 to 10 pieces 100 to 160 pieces 200 to 260 pieces
Pasta 4 to 5 ounces 7 pounds 16 pounds
Pork 14 ounces 22 pounds 44 pounds
Roast (with bone) 14 to 16 ounces 22 to 25 pounds 47 to 50 pounds
Roast cuts (boneless) 1/2 pound 13 pounds 25 pounds
Shrimp (large — 16 to 20 per pound) 5 to 7 shrimp 7 pounds 14 pounds
Steak cuts (T-bone, porterhouse, rib-eye) 16 to 24 ounces 16 to 24 ounces per person 16 to 24 ounces per person
Turkey (whole) 1 pound 25 pounds 50 pounds
Side Dishes
Side Dish Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, corn
kernels, peas, black-eyed peas, and so on
3 to 4 ounces 4 pounds 8 pounds
Corn on the cob (broken in halves when serving
buffet-style)
1 ear 20 ears 45 ears
Pasta (cooked) 2 to 3 ounces 3 1/2 pounds 7 pounds
Potatoes and yams 1 (medium) 6 pounds 12 pounds
Rice and grains (cooked) 1 1/2 ounces 2 1/2 pounds 5 pounds
Desserts
Dessert Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Brownies or bars 1 to 2 per person 2 1/2 to 3 dozen 5 1/2 to 6 dozen
Cheesecake 2-inch wedge 2 9-inch cheesecakes 4 9-inch cheesecakes
Cobbler 1 cup 2 9-x-9-x-2-inch pans 4 9-x-9-x-2-inch pans
Cookies 2 to 3 3 to 4 dozen 6 to 8 dozen
Ice cream or sorbet 8 ounces 1 gallon 2 gallons
Layered cake or angel food cake 1 slice 2 8-inch cakes 4 8-inch cakes
Pie 3-inch wedge 2 to 3 9-inch pies 4 to 5 9-inch pies
Pudding, trifles, and the like 1 cup 1 gallon 2 gallons
Sheet cake 2-x-2-inch piece 1/4 sheet cake 1/2 sheet cake

How much to cook up to serve for Thanksgiving dinner

Nothing is worse than cooking Thanksgiving dinner and running out of food. It is important to err on the side of excess while sticking to your budget.

There is no exact formula for cooking for a crowd, so you have to consider your crowd. Do they really enjoy eating? Will many children be present? Are most people in your crowd weight conscious? All these questions and similar ones impact how much food you prepare.

Quantity planning for holiday appetizers

Appetizers and drinks don’t have to be a pain in the neck, but planning them tends to be confusing. Because appetizers don’t lend themselves to a quantity chart per se, you can let the following list guide you:

  • For appetizers preceding a full meal: Offer at least four different types of appetizers and six to eight pieces per person. For example, say you have 20 guests. In that case, you’d need at least 120 total appetizer pieces.

  • The more variety you have, the smaller portion size each type of appetizer will need to have: Therefore, you don’t need to make as much of any one particular appetizer.

  • When you serve appetizers to a crowd, always include bulk-type appetizers: Bulk-type foods are items that aren’t individually made, such as dips or spreads. If you forgo the dips and spreads, you’ll end up making hundreds of individual appetizer items, which may push you over the edge. To calculate bulk items, assume 1 ounce equals 1 piece.

  • Always try to have extra items: Black and green olives and are great for extra filler.

Quantity planning for holiday drinks

The following list give you some general beverage-serving guidelines for entertaining:

  • Soft drinks: One to two 8-ounce servings per person per hour.

  • Punch: One to two 4-ounce servings per person per hour.

  • Tea: One to two 8-ounce servings per person per hour.

  • Coffee: One to two 4-ounce servings per person per hour.

  • Water: Always provide it. Two standard serving pitchers are usually enough.

Quantity planning for soups, sides, main courses, and desserts

The following tables can help you determine how much food you need for some typical soups, sides, main courses, and desserts. If the item you’re serving isn’t listed here, you can probably find an item in the same food group to guide you.

Buffet-style affairs typically figure at a lower serving per person, because buffets typically feature more side dish items than a plated meal does.

Don’t use the quantity tables as an exact science; use them to guide you and help you make decisions for your particular crowd. If you’re serving a dish that you know everyone loves, make more than the table suggests. If you have a dish that isn’t as popular, you can get by with less.

Soups and Stews
Soup or Stew Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Served as a first course 1 cup 5 quarts 2 1/2 gallons
Served as an entree 1 1/2 to 2 cups 2 to 2 1/2 gallons 4 gallons
Main Courses
Entree Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Chicken, turkey, or duck (boneless) 1/2 pound 13 pounds 25 pounds
Chicken or turkey (with bones) 3/4 to 1 pound 19 pounds 38 pounds
Turkey (whole) 1 pound 25 pounds 50 pounds
Side Dishes
Side Dish Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, corn
kernels, peas, black-eyed peas, and so on
3 to 4 ounces 4 pounds 8 pounds
Corn on the cob (broken in halves when serving
buffet-style)
1 ear 20 ears 45 ears
Pasta (cooked) 2 to 3 ounces 3 1/2 pounds 7 pounds
Potatoes and yams 1 (medium) 6 pounds 12 pounds
Rice and grains (cooked) 1 1/2 ounces 2 1/2 pounds 5 pounds
Side Salads
Ingredient Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Croutons (medium size) N/A 2 cups 4 cups
Dressing (served on the side) N/A 4 cups 8 cups
Fruit salad N/A 3 quarts 6 quarts
Lettuce (iceberg or romaine) N/A 4 heads 8 heads
Lettuce (butter or red leaf) N/A 6 heads 12 heads
Potato or macaroni salad N/A 8 pounds 16 pounds
Shredded cabbage for coleslaw N/A 6 to 8 cups (about 1 large head of cabbage) 12 to 16 cups (about 2 large heads of cabbage)
Vegetables (such as tomato and cucumber) N/A 3 cups 6 cups
Breads
Bread Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Croissants or muffins 1 1/2 per person 3 1/2 dozen 7 dozen
Dinner rolls 1 1/2 per person 3 1/2 dozen 7 dozen
French or Italian bread N/A 2 18-inch loaves 4 18-inch loaves
Desserts
Dessert Per Person Crowd of 25 Crowd of 50
Brownies or bars 1 to 2 per person 2 1/2 to 3 dozen 5 1/2 to 6 dozen
Cheesecake 2-inch wedge 2 9-inch cheesecakes 4 9-inch cheesecakes
Pie 3-inch wedge 2 to 3 9-inch pies 4 to 5 9-inch pies

How to plan Christmas dinner with a budget

Naturally, cooking Christmas dinner for a crowd can be expensive, so it’s important to plan with a budget in mind. begin with a firm look at your budget. If you’re the one making Christmas dinner for the crowd, ask yourself the following questions:

  • How much can you spend? You may be thinking goose or duck, when your budget calls for turkey.

  • What are the age group and gender of the guests you’ll be cooking for? Teenagers, both girls and boys, can eat, eat, and eat some more. However, tots aren’t going to eat as much.

  • What items can you borrow? Borrowing items can save you a lot of money. For example, if you’re hosting an upscale buffet served on china, you’ll certainly save money if you can borrow the dishes rather than rent them.

  • What are you responsible for cooking? Are you cooking the appetizers, dessert, and everything in between? Or are you cooking only the main course?

  • What can you borrow? You may need extra plates, tables, chairs, glasses, cooking tools, and such items. Borrow them. Don’t waste your budget on items that you’ll rarely use and can borrow from friends and family. Nothing is wrong with getting some help and borrowing things you need instead of buying them.

Planning a budget doesn’t have an exact formula, because a number of factors come into play. Remember that your budget should be a relatively firm guideline for how much money you spend — not necessarily 100 percent set in stone. The idea is to come up with a budget that helps you have a great event without maxing out your credit cards.

Keep these issues in mind:

  • Before you start planning anything, think about your bottom line. Don’t start with what you’d ideally prefer and then see what happens with your budget — you won’t like the results. Rather, start with a reasonable budget and work backwards.

  • Plan the event according to your budget, not the other way around. If you’re cooking Christmas dinner for a crowd of 20 and you want something really elegant, but your budget won’t allow you to prepare everything you want. Instead of overspending, find ways to compromise. You may spend more on the entree and try to find a few less expensive side dishes and appetizers to make up the difference.

    Remember, you can cook great food without breaking the bank, so think about how you can find a win-win resolution with what you want and what your budget will allow.

  • Watch out for “budget creep.” As you plan, think about everything you need to buy so that your needs and budget are accurate. When you’re shopping, it’s easy to think “Oh, those colored paper plates are so much prettier than plain white!” or “Maybe I should get another bottle of wine, just in case.” Be strong — stick to your budget!

  • Be reasonable and flexible. You may try to tackle the world with the best crowd meal ever, but be reasonable about what you can spend and what you can prepare.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Dawn Simmons is a professional caterer and teaches online catering courses.

Curt Simmons is the author of more than 50 books, including iPhoto For Dummies.

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