NhumiSD

Thank you for all your advice. It is very helpful. I will let you know know how it went. -Nhumi

I have been catering for many years and will be glad to help if you will supply some further information: Time of event Who will be attending? mostly women, couples, age range, any particular ethnicity? (i.e. Jews or Muslims, etc. with diet issues?) Area you live in Are you pricing this for profit or to cover expenses? Are you serving on plastic or china/silver/glass? Do you require tables/equipment you need to rent? This will give me a better picture of what's involved. Cheers! Jaspar1 aka Graddie ← Hello Graddie, Thanks for the reply. The time of the event is from 8:30pm - 11pm. Mostly young 30ish+ age range, probably same ratio men/woman. Iam in southern Californi - San Diego. It will be a cocktails event - so I will send food out with server on platter with disapposable skewers, or buffet style- on nice disposable plastic plates. I will rent champagne, wine glasses, possibly tables and table clothes if my client decides he wants buffet style. I would like to be able to pay the server, and my helper and make a little profit. I will be making everything from scratch- from the focaccia, walnut breads, to curing the salmon. So far I have a problem in deciding how much food to make to feed 50 people. Iam terrible at estimating, and I rather have more then not enough. Below are some ideas I have thus far. Thank you. -NHUMI Some Ideas I have so far : Appetizers 1 Fresh Heirloom Tomato Tart with Crème Fraiche or Roasted Cherry Tomato, Onion & Arugula Tart 2 Atlantic Salmon Crostini with Cucumber Dill Cream or Fresh Atlantic Salmon Ceviche with Lavash Crackers or Shrimp Focaccia Crostini 3 Filet Mignon 4 Cheese Plater with Quince Compote, Crackers, Walnut Bread Deserts 5 French Raspberry Macaroons

Hi, I will be catering for an acquaintance who is doing a party for 50, with a artistic theme showcasing photographic arts. I will have alot of freedom in the food, about 4 savory small bites + 1 dessert, and will include a champage, a red and white wine, along with a dessert wine for this event. I will also have another person helping in the prep/cooking, and a server who will bring food out and pour wines. This will be my first time catering, so any information on how much I should charge would greatly help and also suggestions on the food. Iam mainly a dessert person, so I really need ideas on the food. Thank you. -Nhumi

Thank you for all the replies. Yes, this would be for a commercial cafe. So far the coffee company that I will buy coffee from does recommend the Rio for my budget. Most likely, the compact that has two groups. How much do I expect to pay for something like this - I think it was mentioned around 4400 for this Rio. Is this reasonable? As for the Panini machines, since its so much cheaper, I probably just go with an average priced machine. We do have 220V within the place. Thanks again, -Yumi

Hi all, Iam looking to buy a panini machine and a few other items. Would appreciate any info on related brands for Panini Grills and Espresso Machines for a cafe. I dont mind putting more money for a brand that lasts. Please let me know of your past experiences on your likes/dislikes on your brand. Thanks you much. -Yumi

I have to say the desserts look amazing just by the pictures and what everyone had to say. Definitely will visit NYC soon to satisfy my curiosity and taste buds at Room 4 Desserts. Regards, -Nhumi

It's too much to quote, but the article delves into cellulose in ice cream quite a few times. If you've consumed commercial ice cream, the odds are pretty high you've consumed cellulose ice cream. It's fairly common in the industry. I obtained a sample of CMC from a friend who's a baking supplier. So far, all I've done with it is mix it with water. The gel it created was very similar to pectin. Having worked quite a bit with soluble gum fibers like xanthan and guar, I was amazed by it's clarity/vibrancy. For what it's worth, it makes an especially pretty gel. If I need a stabilizer for my ice cream, I reach for xanthan/guar, as they're cheaper and much more easily obtainable. ← I have tasted different stabilizers in ice creams, made from the same formulation with 3 freeze/thaw cycles comparing to no cycles. The CMC definitely reduces the ice crystals formed as it is still very smooth texture. -NhumiSD

This is correct, but there are ways to avoid this by "sequestering" the calcium ions using something like sodium hexametaphosphate as the sequestrant. That is requried for a number of hydrocolloids. This is discussed in several of the books on hydrocolloids referenced in various other threads. ← Sodium citrate can be used as a sequesterant. Add the sodium citrate to tap water will remove the small amounts of CaCl2 in the water. This will allow the Alginates to hydrate properly It will also buffer your system. If there is a certain pH that you require, adding Citric Acid and Sodium Citrate at specified quantities will buffer your system for you. -NhumiSD

It could also be that the onion rings they use for photography are either fake or are chosen for their uniformity. ← Possible, but I don't think so. Here's a picture of 3 BK onion rings on someone's blog, and they appear to be similarly uniform. ← They are extruded. In the fast food industry, or the food service, alot of the processed foods like BK onion is extruded. They may also use some binding agents (gums or stabilizers) in the onion paste. -NhumiSD

Hi, Iam also in the planning process for a cafe in San Diego, Cali. Ive never used those stand alone crepe machines. How much do one of those go for ? Do you know it would work with any crepe recipe, since it is so big in size, I wonder if the crepe would break apart. I tend to want to eat before or after watching a movie, since there is nothing to eat at the theatres really. So, I agree advertising for discounts with movie stubs is great idea. -NhumiSD

Hi Ted, What does the NH stand for in pectin NH? -NhumiSD

I have a question regarding the sweetness, with so much added sugar into the meringue, plus brushing on the simple syrup. I know macaroons will tend to be sweet, but is this very sweet? What sorts of filling have you used in macaroons. I tend to do fillings that woul balance out the sweetness of the macaroons. -nhumi

I second what M. Lucia said. The pieces will fuse back together when you're slicing with a bit of pinching and shaping. (The dough is good, huh? One of my favourites!) ← I like the taste of the dough, but is there anyway to make it look more refined. There is no eggs to help bind it so it makes it hard to make each cookie look the same. -Nhumi

These cookies seem to be so crumbly when making it. It makes it hard to roll into a log. I had to squeeze it tightly into a log and wrap it up to freeze. Is what Iam doing correct? Thank you. -Nhumi

Can you personally give us ur opinion of the machine ? Iam debating between the Kitchenaid vs. the Musso Pola. I chose these for its quality and also the price range that Iam able to work with. Thanks so much. -Nhumi