Cooking for crowd on vacation

[Anonymous]

Make your own sandwich, buy a couple of different breads, meats, cheeses, veggies and spreads, add some chips and brownies.

That or I would order take out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family does this. It works well for us! If anyone is not feeling it, they do take out on their night.

The difference is we stay in a huge 20 person house. So the kitchen is well stocked for making huge meals. Like it has large pots, lots of plates and forks, serving dishes etc. There’s a huge table and a long counter island.

Having 20 people in a condo sounds like hell. Then trying to boil 3 pots just to make enough pasta? Also hell.

Do takeout.

If you read the thread the OP said that one family had a large home with a kitchen setup and that's where they would be gathering for meals.

Unless it is some giant commercial kitchen with more than one range and multiple ovens,
It doesn’t really matter how big the house is

You don’t need a commercial oven for 20 people.
I could have made the entire meal in the time some of you spend kvetching about it.

Oh ok, what quick delicious meals for 20 would you cook?

I’ve answered. Salmon and sides. You can certainly fit the salmon on any grill or pan fry it in 1-2 pans.
Also enchiladas. You’d need 3 9x 13 pans. Fits easily into an oven. Sides of Mexican rice, chips and guacamole and margaritas.
Pulled pork in a crockpot or instapot.

Different poster. How many pounds of salmon would you need? I cook for myself and my colleague and high school aged boys. We eat blackened salmon often (it's a favorite) but I have to cook 2.5 pounds for the three of us. Teenage boys eat a lot.

1/2 - 3/4ths pound per adult.

[Anonymous]

I love soup even in the summer bi tthat may be too cold weather for you.

Nachos are similar to tacos but could various sheet pans. One with cauliflower and beans abnd one with meat.

Chili is also easy: one veg only and the other meat.

Grilled chicken (and portebella mushrooms for the vegetarians)?

Pasta night with multiple sauces?

Bowls: rice, veggies, beans and Everton self assembled.

[Anonymous]

Some of you are really spoiled and immature. Going out to eat as a crowd of 20 every night isn’t easy either. It’s one night of cooking in a week. It’s not that hard.
I think it sounds like an ideal setup to have separate condos and get together for meals. But then I actually like family beach vacation with everyone and my kids love seeing their cousins. Have fun OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice, chicken in penang curry sauce, pumpkin in red curry sauce, mushroom salad.

I use mesri paste and canned coconut milk and find Thai food the easiest and fastest of all cuisines to prepare for a crowd.

I would be so disappointed to be served a middling white person version of thai curry lol

Maybe. Why assume that food will be bad though?? Heat can absolutely be adjusted.

I am an Asian housewife who learned to cook Thai food in Bangkok many years ago when we were living there. Not every Thai dish has to be super spicy hot.
I like to cook and can cook for 30-40 people easily because we entertain a lot and food has to be elaborate. If you have all the ingredients and the infrastructure (commercial stove, large pots, gadgets) putting it all together very fast is not a problem. Thai food is my go to for small groups. In my own house, I would probably add a chive dumpling (veg), fish cakes (non veg), Tom Yum soup and end with mango ice cream

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Nothing about this sounds like a vacation. I would buy takeout, put on table, say have fun and then go to a restaurant for dinner with immediate family.

There’s always one in every family who can’t get along with others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice, chicken in penang curry sauce, pumpkin in red curry sauce, mushroom salad.

I use mesri paste and canned coconut milk and find Thai food the easiest and fastest of all cuisines to prepare for a crowd.

I would be so disappointed to be served a middling white person version of thai curry lol

It sounds like a nice break from the others of burgers, pizza, etc.
Nothing in this post indicates OPs crowd is Thai and it must be authentic. In fact, quite the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family does this. It works well for us! If anyone is not feeling it, they do take out on their night.

The difference is we stay in a huge 20 person house. So the kitchen is well stocked for making huge meals. Like it has large pots, lots of plates and forks, serving dishes etc. There’s a huge table and a long counter island.

Having 20 people in a condo sounds like hell. Then trying to boil 3 pots just to make enough pasta? Also hell.

Do takeout.

If you read the thread the OP said that one family had a large home with a kitchen setup and that's where they would be gathering for meals.

Unless it is some giant commercial kitchen with more than one range and multiple ovens,
It doesn’t really matter how big the house is

Cooking for 20 is not that many. It is clear from this thread that many people NEVER entertain.

[Anonymous]

Chicken enchiladas + bean/cheese enchiladas...

Cook your chicken in a crockpot, shred it up, then heat with canned enchilada sauce + canned green chiles
For the vegetarian option, heat up black beans with canned enchilada sauce + canned green beans

Roll up in tortillas, lay in baking pans {great time for disposable!!}, top with more enchiladas sauce + cheese.


On the side, you can serve with spanish rice, salad, chips + salsa + guac.

You'd need about an hour of hands-on work get this thrown together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family does this. It works well for us! If anyone is not feeling it, they do take out on their night.

The difference is we stay in a huge 20 person house. So the kitchen is well stocked for making huge meals. Like it has large pots, lots of plates and forks, serving dishes etc. There’s a huge table and a long counter island.

Having 20 people in a condo sounds like hell. Then trying to boil 3 pots just to make enough pasta? Also hell.

Do takeout.

If you read the thread the OP said that one family had a large home with a kitchen setup and that's where they would be gathering for meals.

Unless it is some giant commercial kitchen with more than one range and multiple ovens,
It doesn’t really matter how big the house is

Isn’t entertaining the whole reason everyone wanted open concept? So that their friends and family could watch them copy whatever they saw on Food Network the previous week.

Cooking for 20 is not that many. It is clear from this thread that many people NEVER entertain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family does this. It works well for us! If anyone is not feeling it, they do take out on their night.

The difference is we stay in a huge 20 person house. So the kitchen is well stocked for making huge meals. Like it has large pots, lots of plates and forks, serving dishes etc. There’s a huge table and a long counter island.

Having 20 people in a condo sounds like hell. Then trying to boil 3 pots just to make enough pasta? Also hell.

Do takeout.

If you read the thread the OP said that one family had a large home with a kitchen setup and that's where they would be gathering for meals.

Unless it is some giant commercial kitchen with more than one range and multiple ovens,
It doesn’t really matter how big the house is

You don’t need a commercial oven for 20 people.
I could have made the entire meal in the time some of you spend kvetching about it.

Oh ok, what quick delicious meals for 20 would you cook?

I’ve answered. Salmon and sides. You can certainly fit the salmon on any grill or pan fry it in 1-2 pans.
Also enchiladas. You’d need 3 9x 13 pans. Fits easily into an oven. Sides of Mexican rice, chips and guacamole and margaritas.
Pulled pork in a crockpot or instapot.

Different poster. How many pounds of salmon would you need? I cook for myself and my colleague and high school aged boys. We eat blackened salmon often (it's a favorite) but I have to cook 2.5 pounds for the three of us. Teenage boys eat a lot.

1/2 - 3/4ths pound per adult.

It really is just math, so if you are eating 13 oz portions as suggested above (2.5 pounds=40 ounces/3 people = 13.3 oz/person), to feed 20 at that rate, which seems a little high to me, you will need 16.6 pounds. Or PP is a little more in the reasonable ballpark at 8-12 ounces/pp which would be 10-15 pounds.

https://quartermaster.army.mil/jccoe/publications/recipes/section_l/L11900.pdf

[Anonymous]

I would do Cava style or Mediterranean. Do catering!
Or simply just make 2 types of meat (diced chicken and beef meatballs), a variety of greens, buy 2-3 different hummus, some cooked corn, diced tomatoes, cucumbers (or just buy them already cut).
Make your rice or skip or buy some pita bread.
Buy 2 of their sauces.

The meal would be lighter than lasagna.


If you want to keep preparation to a minimum, I would buy packs of pork and chicken, and cook them in a crockpot. Then, you will have your pulled pork/chicken. Get good sauces. Get some fancy canned beans and greens. Maybe make a pot of long green beans if you feel like you didn't physically do enough cooking.

[Anonymous]

Sausage and peppers - can roast it all in sheet pans. Veg sausages for the vegetarians. Serve with rolls, mustard, salad / veg.
Frittatas - can make a whole bunch of different ones - ham and cheese, broccoli and cheddar, spinach and feta, potato and onion, sausage and peppers. Serve with salad / veg and bread.
Steak night - get a whole NY strip loin and slice into portions, grill. Portobellos for the vegetarians. Roast a tray of small potatoes and a tray of broccoli or asparagus.
Pork Shoulder - Season with BBQ rub, toss uncovered in 225 oven for 8-10 hours. Can do portobellos or tempeh for the vegetarians. Shred and serve with buns, BBQ sauce, slaw, baked beans, corn, pickles.

I always say that if I'm cooking for 4, I might as well be cooking for 40 - it's really not that much more time consuming.

[Anonymous]

OP if you want to get catering and not cook +1 to One Hot Mamas https://www.onehotmamas.com/cateringevents/ mentioned upthread. Not sure where on the island you will be. This place is another option about 20 min inland https://frankiebones.com/ They do italian catering trays. Both are part of the same restaurant group https://serggroup.com/familystyletakeout/

Chipotle also does catering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of you are really spoiled and immature. Going out to eat as a crowd of 20 every night isn’t easy either. It’s one night of cooking in a week. It’s not that hard.
I think it sounds like an ideal setup to have separate condos and get together for meals. But then I actually like family beach vacation with everyone and my kids love seeing their cousins. Have fun OP!

I agree! I don't love eating out that much. Cooking only one night of a vacation and not having to shell out $75-$100/dinner for my family of 4 every night of a vacation sounds great to me.

I would do baked potato/hot dog/chili bar if eating inside. I know that is considered fall/winter food, but it's easy and filling and customizable. I'm assuming your beach house has A/C.