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COOKING FOR A CROWD
• Select menu items that can be completely or partially prepared in advance — salads, relishes, condiments,
casseroles, breads, cookies, cakes, and pies.
• Grill all-American favorites such as burgers, chicken pieces or quarters, hot dogs or sausages — great tasting and
easy. And don’t forget your favorite barbecue sauce.
• Plan a serving dish and utensils for each food and have those items out, labeled and ready. Set the table for
guests, or assemble a buffet table. Heavy-duty paper plates come in many attractive colors and patterns and will
save dishwashing later.
• Rented beverage coolers and extra tables may be added conveniences to consider.
• Make a list of every food item you will be serving so that nothing will be forgotten.
• Make a time schedule for cooking foods on the grill, plus any supplementary indoor cooking. Working backward
from a planned serving time, decide when to start cooking each food so that everything is ready to serve at the
right time.
• Sometimes foods are grilled at different temperatures. If so, a little logic will determine that vegetables can be
grilled at a lower temperature if cooking time is increased, or a bread can be heated at a higher temperature for a
shorter time. Grill the meat or entree at the specified recipe temperature, making adjustments with vegetables, side
dishes, and breads if necessary.
• Best yet, let everyone lend a hand and have a great time at your own party!
FOOD HANDLING SAFETY
• Wash hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water before starting any meal preparation and after handling fresh meat,
fish, and poultry.
• Never place cooked food on the same platter that the raw food was placed on.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
• Do not leave hot foods out of refrigeration for more than two hours.
• Do not defrost meat at room temperature or on a countertop.
