Cooking for a Crowd:

How to Be an Instant Expert

By Gloria Rytting

Managing a meal for large crowds—whether a brunch, banquet, or family reunion—can be a smoothly operating function or a frightening, exhausting ordeal. Even though we may be efficient managers in our own homes or businesses, we are often at a loss when asked to cook for a crowd—simply because we lack know-how. The following suggestions can help the prospective expert turn his or her planned dinner into a smooth-running success—no matter what the occasion:

1. Select a chairman and/or chair committee. This general chairman meets with the bishop or person in charge several weeks in advance to determine how many people will be served, what type of service is desired, how much money can be spent, and what facilities are available for preparing and serving the food.

General chairmen with enthusiasm have often produced unusual and exciting events. For example, the North Shore Ward in Chicago staged a formal, adult dinner with bone china, fine crystal, and linens on loan from members. The Bountiful Thirteenth Ward Relief Society, Bountiful Utah North Stake, invited members and their partners to an evening of “Ye Merrie Olde England,” complete with old-time menu (see “Some Group Menu Ideas” at the end of this article), costumed serving girls, Shakespearean readings, and medieval music. The elders quorum in Canyon Rim Second Ward, Salt Lake Canyon Rim Stake, dug a barbecue pit in a member’s yard and cooked beef for a chuck wagon dinner; round tables amid bales of hay, scarecrows, and a fifteen-foot teepee set a western atmosphere for the evening (see “Some Group Menu Ideas”). The list of ideas is endless as members of the Church around the world plan, cook, and serve food for crowds.

2. Choose committees. This is the job of the general chairman and/or committee. Assigned committees plan the menu, buy the food, supervise the cooking, set up the dining room, serve the meal, and clean up.

3. Survey facilities. The general chairman and committees involved in the menu planning and food preparation should survey refrigerator space, ovens, surface burners, and counter space before planning the menu. Since many ward and stake meetinghouses are not equipped with facilities for cooking on a large scale, some of the cooking can be done in homes. See if you can borrow portable roasting ovens to cook the food or keep it hot during service. To expand counter space, set up tables in adjoining rooms. Large aluminum cooking pans, scoops, and ladles can often be rented or borrowed.

Make use of facilities in the community. In the Cincinnati Ohio Stake, Page Busken, a commercial baker, provides his baker’s oven for barbecuing spareribs for stake dinners. He points out that this is an ideal resource for expanding banquet facilities and can be used to cook large quantities of lasagna, hams, turkey, chicken, as well as pies, rolls, and bread.

4. Plan the menu. Since cost is a major factor, plan the menu around foods that are plentiful at the time of the dinner. Foods that can be prepared in advance will save last-minute confusion in the kitchen. Plan for eye and appetite appeal and include an attractive, edible garnish.

Use the special skills of members, especially those who are good at making breads, cooking meat, or creating unusual ethnic dishes. Foods prepared in homes will cut costs, involve more people, and ease the work load on committee members. When making such assignments, distribute recipes, give plenty of time, and specify whether they should bring the food or have it picked up.

5. Buy the food. (See suggestions below.)

6. Use standard recipes. Multiplying stew, soup, sauce, and casserole recipes generally works out well, but it is not safe to try to double or triple recipes for yeast breads, cakes, or muffins. It is better to have several members make up a selected recipe, or use one developed for large quantities.

7. Be sanitary. Helpers preparing the food should wear clean clothes, scrub their hands, and clean their fingernails before starting any food chore. Remind workers not to lick their fingers or to test food with a utensil and use it again for stirring. Hair nets or scarves are recommended, particularly for those with long hair. Never allow anyone with a skin infection or a cold to handle food. Keep work surfaces and utensils clean.

Keep hot foods hot (above 140 degrees F.). Bacteria grow best in lukewarm foods. Keep protein foods such as fish, poultry, and cooked meats hot until ready to serve. If serving buffet style, use an electric warming tray, chafing dish, or roasting oven.

Keep cold foods cold (below 40 degrees F.). Cream pies, pudding, seafood salads, potato salad, and many other dishes made with eggs, milk, fish, meat, and poultry need to be kept cold to prevent dangerous bacteria from growing. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If serving buffet style, serve only what is needed and replace often to keep foods as cold as possible.

Do not stuff turkeys, but bake dressing in a separate, shallow pan. Dressing may be contaminated in preparation or by contact with the inside of the turkey and is particularly susceptible to bacterial growth. It is particularly dangerous to stuff a turkey and leave it in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

8. Post a work schedule. On the day of the dinner, a list of jobs to be done by the kitchen work crew helps preparation run more smoothly and makes the supervisor less bossy. For instance:

3:30 P.M.	Place hams in oven; cook potatoes
4:30	Cube potatoes Make cheese sauce; combine potatoes au gratin
5:00	Cut pies and place on plates
5:15	Place salads and butter on salad plates
5:30	Cook beans
5:40	Bake potatoes au gratin Place salads on tables Fill water glasses
6:00	Slice ham
6:15	Serve main course
6:45	Remove main course and serve dessert
7:00	Begin to clear tables

9. Allow for emergencies. One Relief Society president always takes a canned ham with her when she’s involved with group dinners. It’s a comfort to her to know she has something to fall back on if the meat runs out. And any excess need not be wasted, as most foods can be frozen for later use.

10. Dish up quickly. If serving from the kitchen, show helpers how much to serve on each plate. Ladles and ice cream scoops help control the size of each serving. For instance, a no. 6 ice cream scoop holds six ounces and is ideal for serving casseroles or potatoes. A no. 8 scoop (4 oz.) is good for vegetables, desserts, etc. A two-ounce ladle or one-fourth cup is a good measure for gravy. Slotted spoons are excellent for serving vegetables.

11. After it’s over. Make a written record of your undertaking. Include your plans, committee assignments, expenditures, and recommendations. State the number of people served and the amount of leftover food, if any. Attach a copy of the menu and recipes used. Keep a copy of the report with your organization’s records and one in the bishop’s or branch president’s office, so that the next banquet chairman can benefit from your successes and failures.

The team effort of planning and cooking for a crowd is a challenging and satisfying experience. It’s a fellowshipping tool for dinners, banquets, and family reunions. Use it to teach young people how to manage, organize, and develop leadership qualities. Keep it economical, not expensive; nutritious, not just filling; fun, not frantic.

Remember, food is friendship!

Buying made easier

Don’t expect to buy food for a crowd like you’d buy for your immediate family. Services available in many urban communities will make buying in large quantities easier. For instance, if you can buy premixed tossed salad in ten-pound poly bags, a problem is solved. Canned foods are available in no. 10 institutional sizes. Bakeries can make tart shells, small rolls, or sheet cakes on special order.

Here are some more tips to make buying for a crowd easier:

1. Contact local food stores and wholesalers and ask them to donate or give a special price on food items for a fund-raising event.

2. Church groups are often exempt from food taxes, but you may need a tax-exempt number for identification.

3. When buying bulk canned goods, ask if unopened cans may be returned for a refund.

4. Compare prices—especially when buying meat. Use the telephone and check neighborhood food markets as well as wholesalers. Ask if they will cut meat in pre-portioned sizes, slice roasts, or debone chicken.

5. Use restaurant supply outlets for buying paper products and institutional sizes of canned goods.

6. Make a careful shopping list of food items and quantities needed.

7. Take advantage of free delivery services.

8. Some meat companies have facilities for cooking meat. Compare this cost with doing it yourself, considering time and energy used.

9. Don’t waste costly leftovers. Divide them up among committee members or sell at cost. Provide suitable containers to take food home safely.

10. Don’t guess when deciding how much to buy for a crowd. Instead, refer to a table that shows approximate amounts to buy, or call a consumer service for this information. Many government and private agencies, such as county extension services, utility companies (gas and electric), and food industries (including supermarkets) offer consumer services and the help of home economists. (Consult the yellow pages of your local telephone directory for help in these areas.) Also, your local library may have cookbooks with buying guides for large quantities.

Two specific printed helps are: Food Buying Guide for 50 Servings (bulletin no. 5-2111), Extension Service, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural Bulletin Bldg., Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (65¢ a copy); and Cooking for Small Groups (Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 370), Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (30¢ a copy). Those outside the United States should contact their government agricultural and food agencies which provide consumer help.

Following is a list of some foods commonly served at group dinners:

Food for Fifty Servings

Vegetables: (Serving size, approx. 1/2 cup)

Canned vegetables (no. 10 can) 2 1/2 cans

Frozen vegetables (40-oz. package) 4 packages

Fresh vegetables:

Broccoli 15 to 17 pounds

Brussels Sprouts 12 1/2 pounds

Carrots 12 1/2 pounds

Potatoes, broiled or mashed 13 pounds

Potatoes, baked 18 to 20 pounds (or by count)

Salad vegetables:

Carrot sticks 2 1/2 pounds

Celery sticks 2 bunches (4 pounds)

Lettuce garnish 2 to 3 heads

Lettuce, wedge 8 to 10 heads

Lettuce, tossed 4 to 5 heads

Fruits: (Serving size, approx. 1/2 cup)

Canned fruit (no. 10 can) 2 1/2 cans

Strawberries (for shortcake or sundaes)

Fresh 6 to 7 quarts

Frozen (40-oz. package) 4 packages

Fruit cup 6 quarts

Desserts:

Pies, 6 slices per pie

9 8-inch pies

Angel food cake, 17 slices per cake

3 10-inch cakes

Oblong cake, 12 to 15 pieces per cake

3 1/3 9-by-13-inch cakes

(Same for set gelatin salads)

Ice cream or sherbet, 1/3 cup per serving

2 gallons

Toppings, 2 tablespoons per serving

1 1/2 quarts

Meat:

Smoked ham 3-oz. serving 15 pounds (boneless), 20 pounds (with bone)

Beef roast (sirloin, boneless)—15 to 18 pounds

Cubed steaks (4 to a pound)—13 pounds

Ground beef 3-oz. serving 13 to 15 pounds

Pork chops—3 to a pound 17 pounds

4 to a pound 13 pounds

Chicken, fryers—For 1/2 bird servings, order 25 pounds or by count

Turkey, roast, ready to cook—27 pounds

Miscellaneous

Beverages, 6 to 7 ounces per serving 3 gallons

Butter, 1 1/2 pats each 1 1/2 pounds

Dinner rolls, 1 1/2 each (some will ask for seconds) 6 dozen

Whipping cream, for garnish 1 1/2 pints

Ice for water glasses, 10 pounds

INVITATION: Please share with us any unique experiences or solutions you’ve had in cooking for a crowd. Submit them to the Ensign, Random Sampler Department.

Banquet Summary

Occasion/group served __________		Date __________
Place __________		Type of service __________
Number of people served __________
Chairman __________
Committee members: 1. Preparation and buying 2. Dining room 3. Entertainment 4. Clean-up 5. Advertising and tickets
Menu (attach recipes) __________ __________ __________		Amounts prepared __________ __________ __________	Left over __________ __________ __________
Expenses:
Item __________ __________ __________	Amount purchased __________ __________ __________	Source __________ __________ __________	Cost __________ __________ __________
Donations:
__________ __________ __________	__________ __________ __________	__________ __________ __________
Income:		Total expenses:	$ ________
		Total income	$ ________
		Profit or loss	$ ________

Some Group Menu Ideas

Ye Merrie Olde England

Oxtail Soup

Boar’s Head (Roast Pork)

Lamb and Vegetable Kabobs

Roast Chicken

Hot Bread

Fresh Fruit Platter

Elders Chuck Wagon Dinner

Pit Barbequed Beef

Dutch Oven Potatoes

Cowboy Baked Beans

Mixed Green Salad

Hot Apple Crisp and Ice Cream

Visiting Teacher Brunch

Fruit Pick (strawberry, pineapple, melon)

Scrambled Eggs

Asparagus Spears, Ham Slice, and Cheese Sauce

Bran Muffin Honey Butter

• Gloria W. Rytting, a home economist and customer adviser for a chain of food stores, serves in the presidency of the Canyon Rim Ward Relief Society, Salt Lake Canyon Rim Stake.

Illustrated by Phyllis Luch