The Party Planner: Cooking for a Crowd (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate food for a crowd? ›

Rules to Plan By

Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet. Guests will always eat — and drink — more at night than during the day.

General Ordering Rule of Thumb

​​The One Pound Rule = Provide one pound of food for each adult guest (not including dessert or drinks.) If you have children attending your event, simply cut this number in half. Allocating about ½ a pound of food per child.

For 40 guests, you may need around 4-5 trays of food, depending on the dish and the serving size.

Quantity. A good rule of thumb when working with your caterer on just how many hors d'oeuvres to choose is as follows: for 10 – 12 guests a minimum of 5 selections, 25 guests a minimum of 9 selections and for 50 guests, a minimum of 13 selections.

A: 100, 1/2 cup servings of potatoes needs 25 pounds of potatoes. However, if the group has other choices for sides, I think you can get by with about 15-20 pounds minimum.

10 lbs is enough mashed potatoes for around 8 adults getting reasonably sized servings (ie large).

Add the butter and warm milk to the bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork (or pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill for a smoother mash). Season with salt and pepper. Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound potatoes per person for your feast.

How much food do you need for a 50 person buffet? ›

For a party of 50, you will therefore require 250-400. If there is a meal to be served, then this number can be cut back to 3-4 per person, per hour, which therefore equates to 150-200 appetizers required.

To feed 50 people with sandwiches, you may need around 100-150 sandwiches, depending on the size of the sandwiches and the other food being served.

Cheap catering food ideas include rice or pasta-based dishes, hot dogs, burritos, tacos, cookies, and muffins, which are loved by everyone and are often more affordable than sophisticated seafood or meat dishes.

To determine serving size, you can weigh the food and divide it by the number of servings. Many recipes also provide the recommended serving size.

When preparing a tossed salad for a large group of people, the rule is 3 ounces per person, according to the Seattle Times, so 300 ounces of salad would be needed to serve 100 people.