For daily wit & wisdom, sign up for the Almanac newsletter.
No content available.
Body
Are you cooking for a crowd? If you’re planning a big meal, this handy chart can help determine the amount of meat, sides, desserts, and condiments you should buy. From holidays to family reunions to potlucks and picnics, have enough food foreveryone!
Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
"These cooking estimates are based on “average” servings; adjust quantities upward for extra-big eaters and downward if children are included."
Yes, and don't forget that some may also wish to take some home with them or may be hungrier or bigger eaters than anticipated. Unless serving line style or providing with already prepared plates, best to have extra on hand for buffet/self-serve.
On average, plan for each adult to consume about 1 pound of food total (not including dessert). Count on children to consume about a ½ pound. Remember; the more options you have, the less you need of each.
Generally, an adult will eat about 1lb of food per seating. So if you are serving 4 portions of food, you need about 1/4 lb per person. If you are offering 3 portions of food, you need about 1/3 lb per person of each item.
The overall rule that most caterers and party planners use is to calculate a pound of food per person, and a half pound per child. Professionals typically recommend breaking it down further from there: Aim for 2 to 4 ounces of appetizers per person—think 5 to 6 bites.
Once you've decided on your event of choice, here's how to calculate how much food you'll need. Aim to provide around 6-8 courses of small bite size food per person. Each course should have enough for 1-1.5 pieces of food per person.
The number of full trays of food needed for 100 guests can vary depending on the type of food and serving style, but a rough estimate would be around 10-12 trays.
How many bites per person? If you're hosing 25 -35 guests, plan 3-4 bites per person if a full dinner is to be served afterwards, or 5-7 bites per person if a lighter meal will be served. If you're hosting a party of 50, then you can offer 6 to 9 different items.
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.
Once you've decided on your event of choice, here's how to calculate how much food you'll need. Aim to provide around 6-8 courses of small bite size food per person. Each course should have enough for 1-1.5 pieces of food per person.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
