We all love to have people over in the summer. To feed them with delicious morsels and enjoy the hot weather. But for the person stuck in the kitchen in the heat and humidity it’s isn’t always the most fun. That is why you should read the guide below and find out how to entertain without stressing yourself out.
Know your audience
One of the most stressful things that can happen when you are cooking for a summer get together is that you put a load of time and effort in to create a delicious meal or wonderful cake and then find out, after the fact that some of the guests can’t eat it.
This could be because they are diabetic, have allergies or are vegan. So ensure that you ask your guests about their food preferences before time, and make an effort to research things like vegan baking at https://cakejournal.com/tutorials/vegan-baking/. So you can ensure that what you are providing is suitable for them.
Keep things simple
Also when you think about entertaining, you may start with very lavish and luxurious plans, that will need a lot of cooking and preparation time. Things like souffle, choux pastry, Beef Wellington and the like.
However, if you want to keep thing as stress-free as possible, it’s vital that you pick dishes that have as few steps as possible in their preparation such as the ones at https://www.bustle.com/articles/145762-16-crock-pot-party-recipes-thatll-have-all-your-besties-swooning. That means single, tasty items such as marinated chicken. Or one pot meals like chili con carne.
Prep ahead of time
Another way to keep your stress levels down when hosting a summer soiree is to get all of your cooking and baking prep done before time. Remember that covered sponge cakes for birthday parties can last up to two weeks. So they can be sorted well ahead on the day of the party.
The aim of the game is to reduce the amount of time you spend cooking on the day of, thereby also taking off a load of stress. Let’s say you’re thinking of serving some some lip-smacking fried chicken, or fish fingers. Instead of making all the batter by yourself, you could buy some chicken fry mix – one that really packs the flavors in – from a nearby store or even online! Keeping as much as possible ready can be the key to perfectly served food. There are also plenty of party food that can be prepped the day before and left in the fridge until it’s time to serve them. You can save even more time by having them all plated up and covered with cling film too. So all you have to do is to remove this before serving.
Do your calculations
Something else that can help you remain calm, even on the hottest of days, at the busiest of getting together is to do proper calculation for how much food and drink you will need. That means not just guesstimating roughly how much is a good idea, but adding up how many people will be attending and how much of each thing the will need.
Obviously, different events will call for different amounts, and you can find some more information on exact numbers online to help you get it spot on.
Always make extra
Lastly, whatever you do always ensure that you keep a few extra plates or options back, just in case. Why? Well, sometimes people bring more guest even though they weren’t invited and it’s nice to have something to offer them.
It also means if someone drops their plate you will be able to refill it without having to worry that it’s coming out of everyone else portion.