COOKING TIPS &
HELPFUL HINTS
COOKING FOR A CROWD
■Select menu items that can be completely or partially prepared in advance — salads, relishes, condiments, casseroles, breads, cookies, cakes and pies.
■Barbecue
— great tasting and easy. And don’t forget your favorite barbecue sauce.
■Plan a serving dish and utensils for each food and have those items out, labeled and ready. Set the table for guests, or assemble a buffet table.
■Rented beverage coolers and extra tables may be added conveniences to consider.
■Make a list of every food item you will be serving so that nothing will be forgotten.
■Make a time schedule for cooking foods on the barbecue, plus any supplementary indoor cooking. Working backward from a planned serving time, decide when to start cooking each food so that everything is ready to serve at the right time.
■Best yet, let everyone lend a hand and have a great time at your own party!
HINTS AND TIPS FOR COOKING ENTIRE MEALS ON YOUR BARBECUE
■Plan a time schedule for cooking. Working backward from a planned serving time, decide when each food should be cooked so that foods with the longest cooking time can be started first. That way, everything will be ready at the same time.
■For convenience, some menu items can be partially made in advance – even cooked in advance for easy reheating on the barbecue.
■Sometimes foods are cooked at different temperatures. If so, a little logic will determine that vegetables can be cooked at a lower temperature if cooking time is increased, or a bread can be heated at a higher temperature for a shorter time. Cook the meat or entree at the specified recipe temperature, making adjustments with vegetables, side dishes and breads if necessary.
FOOD HANDLING SAFETY
■Wash hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water before starting any meal preparation and after handling fresh meat, fish and poultry.
■Never place cooked food on the same platter that the raw food was placed on.
■Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold.
■Do not leave hot foods out of refrigeration for more than two hours.
■Do not defrost meat at room temperature or on a countertop.
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