Help - recipes needed for 50 people on tight budget

[Bojana]

I was asked to help with a project which brings volunteers in a communal kitchen to cook for homeless. They want me to come up with recipes. It should be main and dessert, no pork or alchohol and the budget is about $2.5 per person, in total $125. Location Amsterdam, Europe.

 

I am a good cook but have very little experience with such large quantities so I find it difficult to write recipes that will be used by various, often inexperienced cooks, when I have never done such things myself. For example, one time when i was cooking for the homeless, I let rice burn really badly because I had no clue that when you cook 4 kg of rice in one huge pan, you have to stir it.

 

It would really help me if experienced cooks share few of their recipes, including all the quantities and maybe few tips to help less experienced cooks to execute it.

 

The kitchen has many large pots, few pans and one large oven. The dishes will be kept au bain marie during service for approx 2 hours.

 

Thanks in advance! ANy questions, let me know 

[paulraphael]

The first things that come to mind are a chili, or Indian dishes based on lentils or chickpeas. A chana masala would be cheap, vegetarian, easy to make in giant pots, and packed with flavor.

 

Bulk dessert is a bit of a challenge. Maybe a giant cobbler?

[SobaAddict70]

Hi, Bojana.

You'll probably want to check out these two threads for tips:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/38117-dinner-for-40/

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/97559-cooking-for-50-senior-citizens/

They're situations that may be comparable to yours.

[Bojana]

Just to be clear, I do not need ideas only, I need the actual scaled recipes and if possible with some instructions to avoid typical home cook mistakes - recipes will be used by loads of different home cooks who volounteer.

 

SO if there are any chefs that have their recipe books ready, I would love to hear. ANd what Soba mentioned is spot on

[Anna N]

You might want to see if your library has a copy of this

Armed Forces Recipe Service: A Cookbook for Large Groups [Paperback]

Look it up on Amazon and see if it might be helpful. I have no direct knowledge of it.

[Shalmanese]

There's an old thread on eGullet Dinner for 40 that has lots of great ideas for the kind of mass scale cooking you're thinking of.

[Plantes Vertes]

The United States Military is here to help!

 

Recipes serve 100.

[Anna N]

The United States Military is here to help!

Recipes serve 100.

But according to Amazon are easily halved. And so they should be.

Edited to add:

Bojana asked for recipes and procedures. Ideas are not enough so I suspect a book will end up being the source. Even perhaps one of the professional books from culinary school which deal in scaleable recipes.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Anna N (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Being that you're in Amsterdam, the first thing that came to mind that could possibly fit the cost equation was stamppot. I don't have any recipes that serve 50 though, unfortunately.

[Mjx]

Bojana, are there any ingredients that are out of the question because their cost? I'm thinking particularly of chocolate, because I recently made brownies for 50, so I have the recipe for that (metric, weights, scaled, and tested), but am not sure that your budget stretches to chocolate.

Since this was for a party, I figured on two generously-sized pieces for each (so I quadrupled a standard recipe I use, and ended up using four 100g chocolate bars), and there were some leftovers; doubling the original recipe would probably have been plenty, and I continue to be amazed by how popular brownies are, here (I'm in DK).

[ChrisTaylor]

Are you able to borrow a copy of Ferran Adria's Family Meal? I say this because that book has mostly cost effective meals that are easily scaled up.

[nickrey]

I often cook for 50 but not with the cost constraints that you have. So I'll only give the tips.

 

1. Cooking for 50 is not 50 times cooking at home.

2. If you are cooking on a low budget, figure on using low cost, high nutrition ingredients (lentils and beans are good, rice is a filler, try to incorporate vegetables in season as they are going to be cheaper).

3. Soups and stews are probably the way to go.

4. Potatoes provide a substantial filler without affecting the taste of the meal.

5. Match the seasonings to the local tastes. I perhaps wouldn't recommend curries with your target market.

6. Cook over lower heat for longer; you're not going to burn it if you don't put too much energy in.

7. Stir often and with big paddles.

8. Follow the order of cooking given in recipes to ensure everything is cooked appropriately. Dumping everything in and hoping for the best is not going to work.

9. Spices are your friend. Flavour will be appreciated.

10. Learn to season for large meals. Don't dump in 10 times the recipe specification for salt. Add and taste, add and taste.

11. Dont undervalue some acid to add interest to the meal. A dash of cheap vinegar will bring a meal to life (more will kill it).

12. For desserts, try rice or custard with sugar, plus in season fruit and spices such as cinnamon. Look to some of the commercial custard powders if you are using cooks of variable abilities.

13. Despite what I said about curries, check out the Hare Krishna cookbooks, these people have been doing what you're trying to do for years with cooks of varying abilities. The recipes will work.

 

Good luck. I respect your efforts.

[weinoo]

While I don't have recipes at hand, I would think for some of the following dishes, recipes can be easily found and prepared within the constraints of your budget.  I'd probably break down the cost further and say $2 pp for the main and $.50 pp  for the dessert.

 

Arroz con Pollo 

Mac & Cheese or other baked pasta dishes (baked ziti)

Red Beans and Rice  or Beef and Bean Chili with Rice

 

Oatmeal or Chocolate Chip cookies

Brownies as mentioned above

[Bojana]

Thank you guys!

 

US army rocks! And nickrey, great advice.

 

Last time I cooked, I made brownies with dulece de leche, have not thought of custard powder but that makes sense. I have enough to start working with.

 

The only thing I will not be able to do is season and taste. If it was me cooking all the time yes, but knowing how most of volonteer cooks cook, it will all have to be specified to a T.

 

Every now and then, some of my buddies who work in a local 1* restaurant cook there too, and then it is a feast...