[misc] Cooking for 50-or 250

[chairborne commando]

I like to eat. I think a lot about food, particularly in relation
to disaster preparation.

Suppose you had to feed a large number of people.
For whatever reason, you as head chef are charged with concocting a meal out of available supplies for, lets say,
50 people. Your family; your sisters/brothers-in-law;
Great Aunt Harriet and Uncle Joe; Joe's crew and their
wives from his plumbing business and a dozen assorted
neighbors.

Obviously, the usual stock of parsley garnish isn't likely
to go very far. T-bones are out. You need to feed a group
of people of varying ages, tastes and energy levels
with filling, nutritious food-of some sort.

Do you declare "spaghetti night"? Rice and beans and
everybody dons a fruit basket or straw hat? I'm really
interested in how one goes about creating a generic
"casserole" dish like this.
Would you do a carbohydrate base like a whole bunch
of potatos mashed up and then do a stew to pour on
top? Is there a practical limit to feeding people in a group
setting? The usual household doesn't have large pots
and pans. What if you had a camp stove, only?

BTW, you have plenty of help. But it's YOUR kitchen.
Feel free to alter/divert the thread for favorite recipes, etc.

 

[BillBk]

Suppose you had to feed a large number of people.

That's kinda open ain't it?
Depends on the reason and circumstances.
Just an office party or family reunion,I'd hope that they all brought a covered dish.
A short time survival type situation, I guess it'd hafta to be whatugot stew or rice and beans.
Long time survival? Won't happen! All those people ain't gettin my kids food....

Or did you want actual recipes with actual amounts for how many people?
Lots of difference between 50 or 250....

 

[Homestyle]

I think a group of camp fires with each campfire cooking the same thing in whatever pots were available would be the best way to go. One cook per campfire. People line up at various campfires to eat.

 

[chairborne commando]

That's sort of what I was wondering. You'd have to settle
on some sort of basic dish and set up multiple stations.
You'd probably have to be a bit blunt about organizing
it.

I was watching this commercial where a family is shown
eating macaroni and cheese-just M & C (bleah!) and I
got to thinking about disasters and what you'd do with
a lot of unexpected guests. I remember the logistical
chaos that used to be the norm at family picnics and
one truly spectacular reunion (fistfights, exploding turkeys
etc.)

 

[jeannie]

I was curious too, so I set my google function to work and came up with this website that describes a little history on dutch ovens, and how to feed multitudes of people.

This site gives a little info on the history and some recipes about dutch ovens:

http://www.thefamily.com/camping/dutchovencooking.htm

One thing I found interesting is that dutch ovens can be "stacked" for cooking entire meals. Main course, side dish and dessert.

Homestyle had a good idea above.

Another thought would be a "progressive" dinner. Start off at one camp for salad, move to the next for the main course, etc.

Blessings,
Jeannie