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Old 03-19-2012, 07:00 AM
 
5,652 posts, read 19,291,547 times
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Has anyone ever had to cook for a lunch/dinner for 200+ people?
What is the most economical and easiest thing to cook? BESIDES spaghetti/pasta.

This will be a fall event so anything cooked on a grill would probably not work out as it will be too cold. We have access to a complete professional kitchen.

I think we should have it catered professionally as it is a huge crowd, but our club would like to make some profit. We have done these events in the past but are looking to simplify things. We have several club members who are trained cooks so we know the food safety rules. We will also need to take into account logistics, such as having to thaw the large amounts of food successfully and safely as well.

If anyone has any suggestions if you have done something like this it would be awesome. Thanks for your help.
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Old 03-19-2012, 07:15 AM
 
Location: Where the sun likes to shine!!
20,549 posts, read 30,288,356 times
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I say Italian food would be the easiest but you don't really want that right?


I found a neat site for you to look at. The stuffed chicken looks good
Growlies BIG recipes Index recipes to serve 100 people or more


Another source for you
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/

Last edited by ylisa7; 03-19-2012 at 08:05 AM..
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Old 03-19-2012, 07:19 AM
 
Location: Islip,NY
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How about making a bunch of roast Turkeys with all the trimmings??? There are many chicken dishes you could do or stews.
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Old 03-19-2012, 07:22 AM
 
Location: Where the sun likes to shine!!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lubby View Post
How about making a bunch of roast Turkeys with all the trimmings??? There are many chicken dishes you could do or stews.

That's a good idea...or Roast beef or Ham. Think Big Buffets
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Old 03-19-2012, 07:39 AM
 
Location: On the East Coast
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How about chili,swedish meatballs,tuna casserole,eggplant parm you might consider.
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Old 03-19-2012, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
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We used to something similar for Moose Lodge in NM and Masonic lodge. Of course Enchalas and rice works well so does chicken breasts (small) with rice and a salad. If you are doing a lunch instead of dinner soup and salad or soup and sandwhiches really work well. You can get individuals, from the club to brings crock pots of soup or they can make sandwhiches. Oh, I forgot, one other that really goes a long way: how about chicken quarters if they go on sale? 10 lbs gives you about 12 or so quarters and usually only costs about 49 to 59 cents a lb.
Nita
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Old 03-19-2012, 09:12 AM
 
Location: The Hall of Justice
25,901 posts, read 42,557,728 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gardener34 View Post
Has anyone ever had to cook for a lunch/dinner for 200+ people?
What is the most economical and easiest thing to cook? BESIDES spaghetti/pasta.

This will be a fall event so anything cooked on a grill would probably not work out as it will be too cold. We have access to a complete professional kitchen.

I think we should have it catered professionally as it is a huge crowd, but our club would like to make some profit. We have done these events in the past but are looking to simplify things. We have several club members who are trained cooks so we know the food safety rules. We will also need to take into account logistics, such as having to thaw the large amounts of food successfully and safely as well.

If anyone has any suggestions if you have done something like this it would be awesome. Thanks for your help.
My uncle does. His company holds fundraisers for coworkers in need, local charity, etc., and my uncle does all the cooking for a couple hundred people. He usually makes pulled pork in big electric roasters, potato salad with artichoke hearts and marinated mushrooms, and beans with meat. There are buns if people want pork sandwiches, as well as extra BBQ sauce and cole slaw. He charges $10 a plate and makes a good profit for the fundraiser.

All his supplies come from Costco and Smart & Final. He buys the meat at Costco in cases from the butcher, because they charge even less in bulk. I know it is a ton of work, but he does the cooking by himself and I don't think you will have that problem. I have never cooked for that big a crowd, but my suggestion is to find a formula to calculate how much food you'll need for X amount of people. Some people will eat less and some will eat more. You'll want extra so you don't run out, but you don't want to waste a lot of food either. There's got to be a reasonable formula so you know how much to prepare.
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Old 03-19-2012, 09:23 AM
 
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This is my never-fail side dish recipe to feed a crowd. This is soooooo easy to make, and no one can ever believe it only has three ingredients! It is a real crowd favorite, and everyone is amazed when I give them the recipe.

Start to finish it takes only an hour. It's my favorite recipe to take to pitch-in dinners and get togethers.

Hash Brown Casserole

10 pounds frozen hash browns,
3 pounds Colby Cheese, shredded
1 #10 can Cream of Mushroom soup

With olive oil, grease bottom of four baking pans or glass casserole dishes.

Combine ingredients, and divide between baking dishes.

Bake at 350 (convection) for 45 min. Cut into squares and serve with spatula. I serve upside down, as bottom will be browned.

48 generous servings

To make a smaller batch you can easily cut the recipe in 1/2 or 1/4.
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Old 03-19-2012, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Pawnee Nation
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I've done several. Barbeque is the best in our area. Being in Oklahoma, people here love anything smoked. Brisket, pork roast, ham, hot links, polish sausage. Sides of baked beans, cole slaw, corn on the cob, potato salad and dinner rolls/buns. Everything can be made well ahead of time, over cooking a little doesn't diminish the flavor, and it works both for a buffet and a plated event.

Mexican style casseroles are equally good. Cheese, beef and chicken enchiladas, refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, chopped lettuce, diced onions and you have a really great meal. Again, it is easy to plate and it works for a buffet.

Just remembered, I did one dinner once where we did cornish hens stuffed with a wild rice dressing. More intensive and less prepare ahead, but that with some sauteed asparagus and some extra rice on the side was well received, and pretty "elegant". each guest had one split-in-half bird. Only real limit was the oven size. But 100 birds in a good commercial oven isn't that hard to do.
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Old 03-19-2012, 10:26 AM
 
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I just happen to be on a food committee for a local charity cooking for 250 people this Saturday at a fund raiser.

Here is the menu

BBQ triptip
Pasta with marinara
Salad
Dinner rolls
Pie ala mode for desert.

Here how you do it.

Very easy with lots of food. The tri tip will be Grilled to a temp of 145 hours before the service. Wrapped in foil and tossed into ice chests.

1 hour before service the still steaming meat is pulled from the chest and sliced and put into foil trays and covered till service.

Pasta easy, cook a bunch put into trays mix in marinara sauce.

Ready cut salad mix same as pasta, put into large bowls or trays and mix Italian dressing right before service.

Dinner rolls purchased at Costco in huge bags.

BAM! dinner for 250 that everyone will love.
Pies cut and put onto small plates. Two people to scoop out ice cream if people desire.
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