Cooking for other people.

[jendifer]

A group of ten of us are going away at new year. Pre pandemic, we went on holiday together 2-3 times per year, with groups of up to 50 (although usually around ten). We have five under 5s.

We always share the cooking and washing up with some people taking charge and others helping. This year, I emailed to see who wants to do what and everyone has said that they’re not comfortable cooking for so many people.

So I’m curious - could you/would you cook for ten adults (with help if you wanted it)?

Yes, sure, but I grew up cooking for lots of people and I wouldn't try to cook anything super fancy. I'm a decent cook and I know what works for large numbers.

Yes, we go away with groups of up to 20 friends self catering on a regular basis. Everyone pitches in with prep and cooking and we do stuff that’s easy on both counts - several roast chickens and a heap of roast potatoes and roast vegetables; big pots of curry / chilli / dhal / ragu with jacket potatoes / rice / pasta; giant cheese and tomato baked tart with salads. That sort of thing.

Perhaps the people who aren’t comfortable think they’re going to be required to do complicated things. Make some menu suggestions. It’s no more difficult than cooking for 4 people and half the fun is having a laugh in the kitchen together drinking wine as you cook.

I cook for 10 every week.
Cfuckery saying yes to a holiday but no to cooking!!

I would be fine cooking for 10 with help.

Yep, done it many times. I enjoy it.

I wouldn’t feel too confident just as I haven’t done it before but I could and would do it. It’s cheeky to go away and shirk out of the responsibility leaving it all to someone else.
It can be as simple or as complicated as you would want to make it.
Heck if I didn’t want to cook at all I would get some pre cooked rotisserie chickens or pre bought quiches with bagged salad, coleslaw, cheese and/or some baguettes/jacket potatoes/new potato salad etc.

Yep! We went away with a group earlier this year and DP and I did the bulk of the catering as we are confident hosts. Lasagne, fish pie, a special dinner on the Saturday of slow roasted lamb, herby chickpea cous cous, tzatziki, various veg and homemade flatbreads, and then a roast chicken Sunday lunch. Nothing super fiddly or anything with last minute prep. Others did cooked breakfasts, cocktails etc, and all chipped in with chopping and washing up. Was a delight!

Yes I could - but I would be seriously pissed off if those people expected me to do it for them every day. They're taking the piss.

Christ I did this in the summer between upper and lower sixth. How hard can it be ?

Yes, as long as it was just the once. I’d much rather cook than wash up!

Yes. If I wasn’t, I would be comfortable buying food that could be put in the oven suitable for feeding ten people.

It sounds like people are being lazy.

Today 20:50 Neurodiversitydoctor

Christ I did this in the summer between upper and lower sixth. How hard can it be ?“

The novelty wears off after doing it for forty years

I find it easier to cook for ten people compared to our usual two. So much easier to cook a variety of things without leftovers that last the week.

Yes. No big deal.

Are they expecting you to cook or to go out?

Weird response from the adults.

Of course.
We've been away with DP's family and each couple does one evening. Its not difficult to chop 4 onions instead of 1 etc.

I am competent in the kitchen and could cook simple meals for 10 people and have done but I would worry that my food wouldn't be good enough and I'd be judged. I have social anxiety though and that can make these things difficult. I would always offer to be sous chef though or jump up first to clear up.

Yes, I could and would happy to do a meal whilst away, but I wouldn’t be happy doing it daily.

I'd probably recontact them to ask how they think it is going to work, are each family going to get a slot in the kitchen to cook separately or is everyone going to sort take outs.

I wouldn't automatically assume I'd be doing it all for everyone. I'd bagsie the kitchen first if everyone is cooking separately.

I could if I had to but I wouldn't want to. We went away with friends this summer- with children included there was a total of 13 to cook for. Luckily for us one of the friends is a Jamie Oliver wannabe so cooked a huge elaborate barbecue and hot breakfasts- although they were too early for us as we have a teenager and primary aged child whereas he was up with his babies very early! The other decision was that everyone sorted themselves at lunch as we don't have to panic about little kids lunch time and are not limited with our kids taste we often didn't have anything but would go out and get something at a cafe or our children would just have something out and about after lunch. In the evening or late afternoon we then would either eat out all 13 of us or a takeaway.

Equally, having a teenage boy that has a huge appetite they didn't appreciate how much he ate - 2 little portions of macaroni was not going to cut it so it was good that families sorted themselves at lunch time.

Yes. We used to have students in the summer abd I cooked for 12 most days (plus breakfast abd packed lunches). I am, however, a chef by trade so this comes easily.

Yes definitely; just anyone can, but just need to plan carefully and be organised.
Hope they aren’t expecting you to cook or sort food?! If any suggestion like that, perhaps you need to suggest that if they don’t wish to cook, they need to bring readymade COOK meals or get a takeaway in or buy deli food snacks. Or even to have researched local pubs and booked a table for dinner…..
When going away in a big group, everyone should be prepared to either cook or sort out food in some way - no one should be lumbered with the sole job of cooking or even the sole mental load of thinking about buying in food /eating out.

I wouldn't have any issue with cooking for 10 (or 15 or 20) anymore than cooking for 4 BUT I am no fan of cooking and, if you are offering choices, I would prefer to wash up.
So it depends if the question is about 'cooking for other people' or about quantities.

If no one else wants to cook just sort you and your immediate family at meal times. The others can organise themselves. I'd rather do my own thing anyway and wouldn't want to plan meal times in advance. Some nights I might fancy going out or getting takeaway.

I probably cook for 10 adults every other week or so and enjoy it. We also regularly go away with family and are cooking for 15+ for a couple of weeks. I tend to do the cooking as I like the planning, and much prefer it to clearing up!

You have to know what works well though, if you're cooking in a domestic kitchen. Things like tray bakes, stews, casseroles, one-pot meals are classic big-group meals for a reason - they scale well and you don't need too many burners on the stove at once, and someone can then come in and do all the clean-up from the cooking while it's bubbling away on the hob or in the oven. This is important as you'll have 10 people's dishes, cutlery, glasses etc at the end of the meal so you need to start with a clear kitchen and dishwasher.

By contrast, a normal dinner meal like risotto, stir-fry or even carbonara doesn't scale up very well as you can only do enough for 2 or 3 at a time in a wok/frying pan, so by the time you've cooked 10 portions the first one's cold. Or your arm's fallen off pushing risotto for 10 around a cauldron for half an hour. Individual steaks for 10 is also well-nigh impossible in a home kitchen, but a big rib roast will go round twice over with leftovers to have in sandwiches the next day.