No stress: cooking for a large group
Cooking for lots of people can cause a great deal of stress. But if you approach it properly, it really doesn’t have to be much more work than cooking for a few people. With these tips, your big dinner will go off without a hitch.
The most important thing is the recipes you’re going to use. You’re not likely to stand there cooking a perfect piece of fish for twelve people. You can, but you’re making things difficult for yourself. We prefer to put large serving dishes on the table, so everyone can help themselves.
Preparation
It’s also extremely important that your preparation is top-notch. Choose things you can prepare a day in advance, so that when the big moment arrives, all you have to do is carry out the final steps.
Make room in the fridge
Make sure the fridge is empty so you can store everything you prepare in advance properly. Once you’ve come up with your menu, consider which components need to be kept in the fridge and make sure they fit. Tip: if you buy storage containers that are all the same, you can stack them easily and fit more in your fridge.
Read the recipe carefully
This is important for every recipe you make, but especially for an important dinner for lots of people. It’s even more frustrating to ruin ten portions of food than two, right? Read through the recipe carefully before you start making it, so you’ve seen all the steps once already. This reduces the chance of discovering only after your cake has been in the oven for 20 minutes that it doesn’t contain any baking powder.
Starter
A large gravlax is a good idea for a starter. You make it a day in advance and, at dinner, all you have to do is put it on the table. Or marinate a large dish of shrimp in advance; they only need a very short time in the oven and you can slide them in just as your guests are starting to get hungry.
A large drinks platter is always a hit too, but only with really good products. Creamy burrata drizzled with lemon zest, good olive oil and sea salt. Fine hams, good olives, homemade dips and crusty bread, and you’re all set.
Stewing
With stews, it doesn’t really make much difference how many people you’re cooking for. Stewed meat also only gets better the longer it sits, so making it a day in advance is no problem at all. Go for a classic boeuf bourguignon or Limburgian zoervleisj.
Oven
Besides the stew pot, the oven is your best friend. Put something in, set the timer, and magically your dish is ready. For example, make a beautiful roast, or a whole chicken or fish in the oven. Some recipes call for you to baste your meat occasionally with the juices and fat released during cooking for extra juiciness, but otherwise you don’t need to worry about it.
Dessert
Dessert is actually the easiest part—nice. A large cake, a baking dish full of brownies or lemon bars are quick to make, and you simply cut them into enough pieces. The biggest piece is of course for you. Or make eton mess; prepare the meringue in advance and spoon the dessert into glasses just before serving.
Cookbooks
Need some extra guidance? David Tanis, among other things an editor at New York Times Cooking, has published two cookbooks that I often consult when preparing a dinner. His books Heart of the artichoke and A platter of figs and other recipes contain complete menus with recipes for 4–6 and 8–10 people, respectively. Very thoughtfully put together and the recipes are—importantly—incredibly delicious.
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