how to scale up recipes for 30 people?

sdp

Hi, I’m looking for a chicken curry to scale up for 30 people, ma and pa 50th wedding anniversary , have done a search and found loads of lovely recipes here, but not sure if they can be scaled up, or do I make it in bathes? Would like to be able to make it day before and reheat to serve. I can get a loan of a soup kettle, its 10 litres, would that hold enough for 30 people? There also be rice/ bread and lasagne, any advice would be great,
Many thanks

Mellor

Find a recipe that serves 6. Multiple all ingredients by 5. Prepare in soup kettle. (10 litres is perfect imo)

Or

Make it in 5 batches.

Timfy

It may be worth asking a local restaurant if they have a large pot that you could borrow... otherwise batches are probably the best way to go.

Remember, if you use a large pot on a standard ring, there will be some localised heating in the centre of the pot, keep it well stirred!

sdp wrote: »

or do I make it in bathes?

Well, that would solve the size problem, but could be tricky to heat!!!
(Sorry, couldn't resist)

sdp

Mellor wrote: »

Find a recipe that serves 6. Multiple all ingredients by 5. Prepare in soup kettle. (10 litres is perfect imo)

Or

Make it in 5 batches.

Great thank you, did not know I could cook it in the kettle as well, That'll save a lot of messing around, thank you was a bit worried as have never cooked such a large batch,

sdp

Well, that would solve the size problem, but could be tricky to heat!!!
(Sorry, couldn't resist)[/QUOTE]

thank you,

Alun

I've had some experience of doing this (cooking various curries for 20-30 people) and the main thing is to be careful to avoid burning and sticking. Stirring large amounts of food like that in a large, deep pan needs a serious sized implement and some effort, and you need to get right down to the bottom of the pan. It's also tempting to whack the heat up higher than you normally would just to get things up to heat when cooking large quantities, and in the process you can unwittingly start burning stuff on the bottom while there's nary a sign of any activity on the surface.

So, just be careful, stir a lot and right down to the bottom of the pan and be patient and don't turn the heat up too much.

If you do decide to make it in smaller batches and heat up all in one big pot, then the same applies, be verrry careful, stir a lot and don't overdo the heat.

sdp

Thank you Alun, good advice. have you a tried and tested recipe that you use,? have done a search here and there's so many lovely chicken curry recipes, hard to know which one to pick,
many thanks to you all for reply's

rubadub

Looking on musgraves indian takeaway section they have 500ml and 650ml containers. This is what I recall typical ones being, I think a large tinfoil chow mein tray is about 900ml.

So 10L over 30 people is 333ml each, which is the size of a normal can of coke. Takeaways typically give larger portions so 333ml is not too small, there would be some headroom left over in those 500/650ml trays when a takeaway fill them and as they are shallow the headroom is a large %.

1ml of curry would probably weigh about 1gram. A typical microwave ready meal is 450g including the rice.

A good quality soup kettle should disperse the heat with a larger element not directly exposed to the liquid/soup inside.

sdp

Thank you Rubadub, wow thats great information, would never have thought to work it out that way, I really appreciate it,
many thanks

sdp

50th wedding anniversary ! a great success, would just like to thank everyone on your help in getting the food sorted,used Dizzyblonde recipe for chicken curry,(thank you) scaled up perfect and very easy to make, and more than enough in the soup kettle, and Mrs fox Boeuf Bourguignon, (thank you) rice and crusty bread,
and far to much wine and beer
thank you all