How to Cook Foods in Advance for a Party
A party is for everyone to enjoy, including the host. If your parties find you stuck in the kitchen cooking while your guests entertain themselves, try something different -- make-ahead and no-cook dishes that will get you away from the stove in record time. A few recipes, some freezer storage products and good planning are all you need to cook foods in advance for your next party. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Create your menu a couple of weeks before the party. Include dishes that can be cooked in advance and frozen, like casseroles, soups, stews, braised meats and finger foods that will hold up to reheating. Cut your kitchen time further by planning a few salads and finger foods that don't need to be cooked. Gather recipes for each dish, even if you know how to make them, so that you'll have something to refer to. If you don't have recipes for some dishes, write them now.
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Devise a to-do list -- a plan of attack -- for your make-ahead foods. Plan to do the shopping all at once and the cooking over the course of a couple of days. Ideally, you'll finish all the foods destined for the freezer a week before your party.
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Take inventory of your pots, pans and storage products, including oven-to-freezer cookware, storage containers and plastic freezer bags. Make a note of items you'll need to purchase.
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Write a master shopping list of everything you'll need for your party, including food, beverages and storage items. Use your recipes to make a smaller list of everything you need for your make-ahead items.
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Prepare the make-ahead items to be frozen over the next couple of days. Store them in the freezer.
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Purchase the rest of the party items a few days before the party.
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Do the prep work for your non-frozen foods two days before the party. Go through each recipe to see what you can do in advance. Chop and slice vegetables -- store fruits and vegetables that brown, like apples and potatoes, covered in water with a little lemon juice. Trim, cut and season meat so it's ready to use. Measure whatever ingredients it's practical to measure and store them in labeled food storage bags. Group each recipe's ingredients into "kits" for easy assembly.
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Start cooking your non-frozen dishes the day before the party, if possible, even if the dishes can't be finished until the last minute. For instance, make a cream soup up to the point that the cream needs to be added so that on party day, all you need to do is reheat and add the cream. Prepare dips and sandwich spreads. Make fillings for turnovers and desserts. Assemble salads, but don't dress them. Use your recipes as a guide, just as you did with the prep work.
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Remove frozen dishes from the freezer to the refrigerator so they can begin defrosting.
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Tips & Warnings
The night before the party, make a list of everything that still needs to be done for each dish, right down to reheating instructions and garnishes. Plan the best way to reheat frozen foods while cooking last-minute dishes.
Take all your serving dishes and utensils out the night before so everything you need will be in easy reach.
If you store loose food in freezer bags, remove the air by zipping the bag until you can just fit a straw through the opening. Insert the straw, and use it to suck as much air out of the bag as possible. Slip the straw out and quickly finish sealing the bag.
References
- Photo Credit cooking with three ingredients image by studio vision1 from Fotolia.com
