Cooking For a Crowd

Lesson 1: Initial Considerations

Getting Organized

The best way to get organized, especially for those who don’t cook for a large crowd very often, is to write lists. I have found four lists to be absolutely crucial. Don’t rely on memory. Draw these forms up at the beginning, and keep them always at hand to modify or consult as needed:

1. The Equipment and Food List
   This list will have a section for each dish to be prepared. You will provide under each dish title three sublists. The first sublist is all the ingredients and their quantities required to make the dish. The second sublist is the equipment needed to make the dish, including pots, utensils, oven time – everything. The final sublist will identify the serving requirements required for that dish, including whether it needs last minute heating and hot plates, platters and serving utensils, any decorations for the dish. See the bibliography for a source to see a format for this list type.

2. The Grocery List
   Once the first list is completed, you can make up a grocery list from the ingredients mentioned under each dish. Note especially that you may have more than one dish that requires the same item, e.g. butter, lemons, or milk. By listing the quantities, you can make sure that you are not only buying the item, but enough of each item.

3. The Preparation Timetable
   Your timetable has two parts. The first identifies which days you’re going to shop. You will probably need to shop two different days. The first day is to buy ingredients for the recipes that can be made ahead. The second is when you are buying foods that need to be fresh on the party day. These two shopping days will bracket the preparation days.

   The second part of your timetable shows you how to spread out preparation time. Look back on your equipment and food list, and you can see which dishes may require the same equipment, or oven time, etc. Using the recipes and that list, you will be able to plan effectively how to complete each dish.

4. The Specific Party Day Timetable
   This timetable is for the day of the party and should be as specific as possible. Include especially when the food should be plated and set out. This will prevent the awful experience of preparing a dish a few days ahead of time, and then forgetting to set it out. It will also really help any assistants you have.

Do not prepare the lists and then ignore them. Print them out and keep them with you. You will, over the course of preparation, come up with new ideas or realize you’ve forgotten something. Write on the lists and keep them updated.

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