Dayle's Growlies for Groups
January 31, 2019 1:49 PM Subscribe
When you need recipes (500+) for feeding large groups (e.g. 100 servings), (wedding) self catering or make-ahead meals. Bonus: great vintage web design. Via wwax's comment.
INDEX OF RECIPES
ARMED FORCES RECIPE SERVICE
All recipes are for 100.
HAMBURGER YAKISOBA
posted by mikelieman at 2:43 PM on January 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
ARMED FORCES RECIPE SERVICE
All recipes are for 100.
HAMBURGER YAKISOBA
posted by mikelieman at 2:43 PM on January 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
mikelieman, you might like How to Feed an Army.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
I actually collect old army manuals for messing, that's how I came across the current all-service recipes.
posted by mikelieman at 2:55 PM on January 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 2:55 PM on January 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
This is fascinating! I find this increasingly an issue; when I cook for just my family-of-origin (my parents, siblings, and their spouses and children), we're up to 16 people, and that's only if no friends or cousins are there, which is hardly ever the case. And, like, not that many cookbooks contemplate you cooking for 16 in a home kitchen, let alone the 25 I need to do for a small family gathering or the 80 of a large family gathering!
My best go-to for summer big parties is a taco bar, because you can make the meat in batches ahead and then put it all in the crockpot on the day. (And you can buy the lettuce pre-shredded at a restaurant supply store.) Winter parties are tougher but fortunately usually smaller. As long as it's under 20 I can manage with a ham or a turkey and a bunch of sides, but there's definitely an art to finding the right sides that logistically work! (Especially as my family does not come from a "hot dish" tradition so those are very hit-or-miss because it's not what any of us grew up with.) Or for more casual winter gatherings I can do stew -- I did stew for 12 twice last weekend. But at some point I'm going to have to get a second crockpot to feed all these people!
I have the first edition of the Seventeen Magazine cookbook, from the 50s or 60s, and one of the things it contemplates is self-catering your prom, and that teenaged girls of the era would be expected to cook for 300. With a committee of friends, of course, but that food was going to come from the kids attending! This idea has FASCINATED me ever since.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:56 PM on January 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
My best go-to for summer big parties is a taco bar, because you can make the meat in batches ahead and then put it all in the crockpot on the day. (And you can buy the lettuce pre-shredded at a restaurant supply store.) Winter parties are tougher but fortunately usually smaller. As long as it's under 20 I can manage with a ham or a turkey and a bunch of sides, but there's definitely an art to finding the right sides that logistically work! (Especially as my family does not come from a "hot dish" tradition so those are very hit-or-miss because it's not what any of us grew up with.) Or for more casual winter gatherings I can do stew -- I did stew for 12 twice last weekend. But at some point I'm going to have to get a second crockpot to feed all these people!
I have the first edition of the Seventeen Magazine cookbook, from the 50s or 60s, and one of the things it contemplates is self-catering your prom, and that teenaged girls of the era would be expected to cook for 300. With a committee of friends, of course, but that food was going to come from the kids attending! This idea has FASCINATED me ever since.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:56 PM on January 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
Angelfire and Tripod still exist??? *sniffs, wipes away a happy tear*
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:20 PM on January 31, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:20 PM on January 31, 2019 [6 favorites]
When I started catering for the family Christmas party, I started with an oven, Weber charcoal BBQ, and 12 guests and we had a nice traditional meal (the turducken came the next year after I lured them into complacency).
Two years later, we were up to 27 guests (cousins we hadn't seen in years etc) , and I added a small spit roast rig (our oven had died and had not yet been replaced and the rig was the same price to buy as to rent).
It's not that much more work to cook for 27 as it is for 12 - provided you are organised and strategic about what you cook. If anyone is interested, the spit roast menu was as follows:
- 12kg suckling pig (slow roasted over charcoal, unstuffed)
- 5kg salmon fillets (two large salmon fillets from Costco, buttered and lemoned, wrapped in foil and perched under the pig away from splatters for the last hour of the roast to poach in it's own juices)
- two bags of dinner rolls from the local bakery
- one large boiler of mashed potato (about 5 kilos)
- one kilo asparagus poached in butter and lemon (Costo again)
- one kilo home made coleslaw
- one kilo home made quinoa salad
- one home made giant garden salad, variety of dressings on side
- one giant platter of various vegetable antipasti (bought)
- a cheese platter consisting of a enormous Brie plus 4 different crackers most of which were gluten free (I used to do multiple cheese types but always had leftovers of everything BUT Brie so decided to simplify things)
- couple of pots of dip and salsa (bought)
- one large creme caramel (made day before)
- one large flourless chocolate cake (made the day before)
- fruit salad (got some of the guests to peel and slice) served with gelato (bought)
- one large bag of plain meringues (by tradition, made by Granddad)
With the exception of the bought items and the meringue, I did everything. Most of the prep was done the day before when I was baking. The only thing I had to do last minute was pick up the pig because I didn't have anywhere to store it overnight.
The above represents about 5 hours total prep and cooking time - bearing in mind that the pig doesn't take a lot of fussing once it's on and cooking - just the occasional baste and addition of fuel, and this can be done with a drink in ones hand.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:53 PM on January 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
Two years later, we were up to 27 guests (cousins we hadn't seen in years etc) , and I added a small spit roast rig (our oven had died and had not yet been replaced and the rig was the same price to buy as to rent).
It's not that much more work to cook for 27 as it is for 12 - provided you are organised and strategic about what you cook. If anyone is interested, the spit roast menu was as follows:
- 12kg suckling pig (slow roasted over charcoal, unstuffed)
- 5kg salmon fillets (two large salmon fillets from Costco, buttered and lemoned, wrapped in foil and perched under the pig away from splatters for the last hour of the roast to poach in it's own juices)
- two bags of dinner rolls from the local bakery
- one large boiler of mashed potato (about 5 kilos)
- one kilo asparagus poached in butter and lemon (Costo again)
- one kilo home made coleslaw
- one kilo home made quinoa salad
- one home made giant garden salad, variety of dressings on side
- one giant platter of various vegetable antipasti (bought)
- a cheese platter consisting of a enormous Brie plus 4 different crackers most of which were gluten free (I used to do multiple cheese types but always had leftovers of everything BUT Brie so decided to simplify things)
- couple of pots of dip and salsa (bought)
- one large creme caramel (made day before)
- one large flourless chocolate cake (made the day before)
- fruit salad (got some of the guests to peel and slice) served with gelato (bought)
- one large bag of plain meringues (by tradition, made by Granddad)
With the exception of the bought items and the meringue, I did everything. Most of the prep was done the day before when I was baking. The only thing I had to do last minute was pick up the pig because I didn't have anywhere to store it overnight.
The above represents about 5 hours total prep and cooking time - bearing in mind that the pig doesn't take a lot of fussing once it's on and cooking - just the occasional baste and addition of fuel, and this can be done with a drink in ones hand.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:53 PM on January 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
Metafilter: Done with a drink in one's hand!
posted by Oyéah at 5:54 PM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 5:54 PM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
BRB, gonna make 250 servings of apple strudel.
posted by Harald74 at 2:05 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Harald74 at 2:05 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I move the next Meta meetup is a potluck.
There is so much going on here and I am completely charmed by all of it.
posted by the_royal_we at 10:57 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
There is so much going on here and I am completely charmed by all of it.
posted by the_royal_we at 10:57 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
You weren't kidding when you said vintage web design. I might actually be more impressed by the fact that Tripod still exists than I am with the amazing encyclopedia of recipes!
posted by asnider at 2:20 PM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by asnider at 2:20 PM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Has anyone tried the Lazy Perogies recipe? This sounds awesome.
posted by benzenedream at 12:51 PM on February 2, 2019
posted by benzenedream at 12:51 PM on February 2, 2019
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posted by MonkeyToes at 2:35 PM on January 31, 2019 [3 favorites]