Cook-in tips
Curly Sue
it would be a good idea to mine the collective cook-in experience of
rfc for hints and tips on holding such an event. I thought we did
this before, but I didn't have any luck finding it with Google. So
I'm going to collect them and put them on my website, or maybe someone
in the rfc webring can do it, unless it's already archived somewhere.
My own tips:
- have participants bring enough leak-proof containers for leftovers.
There always are plenty of leftovers, but not enough containers to put
them in. Generally the hosts do not want to be left with a
refrigerator full of food that they cannot eat before it spoils and
many people don't want their own food back. Others are happy to take
it off their hands, but containers become a problem..
- participants should type up recipes and send them to the owner of
the website where the report will be housed (in addition to posting
them on rfc, of course)
- bring serving utensils with your food in case the host doesn't have
enough
- label your dishes and utensils so we don't have to play "mystery
dish" at the end, or use disposables (if you must :>).
- if you have coolers, bring one! Especially if your own food has to
be cool.
Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
sue at interport dot net
Damsel in dis Dress
>In view of the several possible cook-ins on the right coast, I thought
>it would be a good idea to mine the collective cook-in experience of
>rfc for hints and tips on holding such an event. I thought we did
>this before, but I didn't have any luck finding it with Google. So
>I'm going to collect them and put them on my website, or maybe someone
>in the rfc webring can do it, unless it's already archived somewhere.
Thanks for this, Sue. I'd be happy to put this on my site, along with the
cook-in reports, if people would like to see it there.
Damsel
--
Damsel's Unofficial Web Home of RFC:
http://home.att.net/~edible-complex/
Culinary FAQs, RFC Cook-Ins, Birthdays,
Signature Dishes, IRC Chat Channel:
DALnet #rec.food.cooking
Jack Schidt
"Curly Sue" <s...@addressin.sig> wrote in message
news:3cf432ae...@news-server.nyc.rr.com...
You've done it again, Sue. Message received and understood!
Jack Preparing
Victor Sack
> In view of the several possible cook-ins on the right coast, I thought
> it would be a good idea to mine the collective cook-in experience of
> rfc for hints and tips on holding such an event. I thought we did
> this before, but I didn't have any luck finding it with Google.
I'm pretty sure you are remembering either the original post by Ray
Bruman or its repost by someone else (Rich Tester?). Here it is (see
below).
Victor
> So
> I'm going to collect them and put them on my website, or maybe someone
> in the rfc webring can do it, unless it's already archived somewhere.
>
> My own tips:
> - have participants bring enough leak-proof containers for leftovers.
> There always are plenty of leftovers, but not enough containers to put
> them in. Generally the hosts do not want to be left with a
> refrigerator full of food that they cannot eat before it spoils and
> many people don't want their own food back. Others are happy to take
> it off their hands, but containers become a problem..
> - participants should type up recipes and send them to the owner of
> the website where the report will be housed (in addition to posting
> them on rfc, of course)
> - bring serving utensils with your food in case the host doesn't have
> enough
> - label your dishes and utensils so we don't have to play "mystery
> dish" at the end, or use disposables (if you must :>).
> - if you have coolers, bring one! Especially if your own food has to
> be cool.
_______________________________________________________
Subject: Advice for a Cook-In
From: Ray Bruman <rbr...@ix.netcom.com>
Date: 1998/06/10
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Message-ID: <357ED15D...@ix.netcom.com>
Advice for a Cook-In
Summer is here, Cook-Ins are planned, people are asking for advice.
I have hosted a couple of Cook-Ins, and attended many.
Here is some advice based on experience.
I'm interested in seeing advice from other people too.
First, some advice specific to a rec.food.cooking Cook-In:
NAME TAGS
Get a pack (of 50) "Hello, My Name Is" tags from a stationery store.
Get the kind that sticks to clothing but peels off easily (not
pin-badges).
Don't just set them out (some people will ignore them or miss them).
Don't just ask people to write their own (some people will scrawl
something tiny and illegible).
Find an extrovert with good printing who will be a "greeter" and make
name tags as people arrive. Ask "How would you like your tag to read?"
(this is a good dodge if you've blanked on a name you should remember!)
Print the names (I like first and last both) as large as possible so
they can be read from a distance, using a good marker (like a Sharpie).
Anyone who's ever blanked on a name will bless you silently for this.
When the majority of guests have clear, legible name tags, newcomers
will ask where to get one, rather than skipping it for some reason.
The number of unused tags will give you an idea how many people
attended.
FOOD TAGS
Get a pack of 3x5" cards and fold some in half the 3" way as a "tent."
Get people to put their name, as well as the name of the dish, on each
card. This is important, because some guests may need to ask if a dish
contains meat or an allergenic ingredient such as peanuts, milk, etc.
Tell everyone not to throw away these cards when the dish is gone,
because you will gather them up after the party to remember what was
served.
When you see an empty dish, grab that card for your little stack you
are saving. You will be so glad you did, when you try to remember
who brought what. Watch out for compusive discarders (see below under
CLEANUP TIME).
REASSURE NEWBIES
Some people are intimidated because they think all the food will be
hoity-toity gourmet food. Not true! Bring anything you like.
Bring several different bags of Cheetos if you want to see a debate.
Bring beverages, paper goods, charcoal, or other supplies if you like.
Now, non-specific advice for pot-luck parties of all kinds:
PLAN AHEAD
There's always more to do than you thought. Don't get too worked
up, but take care of the important stuff in advance. If you have
kids, pets, extremely fragile or valuable or vulnerable possessions
to consider, walk around imagining the party in progress. Try to
get things out of the way, for the sake of you and your guests.
In the last day or so before the party, you will think of some new
really cool things that would be great to have for the party.
You will only be able to do those things if you have already taken
care of the things you could anticipate. Been there, done that.
REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER SPACE
It helps to clear out as much space as possible before a party.
During and after the party you'll appreciate room for many containers
of ice cream or other great things.
TRAFFIC FLOW
Give some thought to how people will get a plate, put some food on it,
and get out of the freakin' way so someone else can get some. Put
the plates, napkins, and utensils right up front, with a clear path
down (or around) the serving table. Put all the beverages in a
completely different area, with cups, ice, and coolers easy to find.
Leave lots of walking room if you can. It's really frustrating to
be at a poorly laid-out party where the food is packed into a corner
behind a crowd of people standing in the way talking.
DOGGIE BAGS
Potlucks usually have a huge bunch of great leftovers, but guests
are too stuffed to deal with them. You can buy Chinese-food
cartons in bulk at Costco and other big stores. When the first
guests start to leave, bring these out. But please make sure
that it's time. Other (later) guests may not have gotten around to
that particular dish yet for their first taste.
EXTRA SERVING DISHES
It helps to be able to put your hands on many extra serving dishes.
When the person who brought the fantastic lasagna needs to leave,
offers to leave the food but wants to take her container - voila!
KEEPING TRACK OF STUFF
Big parties usually have some mysterious stuff left over --
serving bowls, spoons, spatulas. As a guest, you might want to
label your stuff or take care to gather it all up. Think about
bringing another container so you can take away your lovely serving
dish, but leave the contents.
SERVING OUTDOORS
Outdoors, flies can be a problem. Sometimes it's easier to have
food indoors, even if the party isn't. Beverages can be outdoors
with no problem, which encourages people to move on out and mix.
ICE IN COOLER CHESTS
Don't dump the ice in first. If you first put the beverage
containers in, then sprinkle ice, you can fit many more in.
Don't pack too many in or bury them in ice. People need to
see what to choose. It takes very little ice to cool them.
Keep cooler chests in complete shade.
SEPARATE BARBECUE GRILLS AND TOOLS
Some vegetarians appreciate having a grill reserved for
non-meat dishes like eggplant, corn, meatless frankfurters, etc.
Plan ahead with lots of separate tongs, forks, and platters.
This can also help with serious food-safety practices, like
keeping raw meat juices and marinades off of cooked food.
SOUP BOWLS
Always have a supply of disposable soup bowls and spoons. Some
people bring soup, chili, or curry without remembering bowls.
Often they forget serving ladles too.
TRASH CONTAINERS
It helps to have obvious places to put garbage.
If you separate cans and bottles, make those containers obvious.
Lots of garbage containers make cleanup much easier.
MUSIC
Please, if you have to have music, make it possible to escape it.
Some of us want to talk. I've been to parties with a non-stop
Heavy Metal soundtrack, at the insistence of oblivious hosts.
CLEANUP TIME
Cleaning up after a party is usually much easier than expected.
A worse problem is the anxious host (or guest) who cleans up
prematurely. A few people compulsively cruise for neglected
glasses and plates, dumping out someone else's food when they
aren't looking. Relax! That person may have just gone to
look at some photos, get something from their car, or visit the
rest room. Leave their plate and beer bottle alone! And since
you can't always spot these busybodies, I caution you to watch
out for your own plate and bottle!
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
As a host, try to relax. You can't do everything. People can
cope. There will be questions. We'll get to it. Let it cook.
Sometimes the post-party party is better than the party of the
first part. Don't give the inadvertant impression that this has
to stop according to some first plan. I've seen hosts kill off
their own party without realizing what they are doing or why.
Have fun!
--
Ray Bruman, Berkeley CA
_______________________________________________________
Alan Zelt
Jack, here are some tips from previous cookins:
Jack and Kay Hartman wrote:
>
> To tell you the truth, I want someone's floor. It costs me
> considerable money to prepare the food and drink I bring. Then
> there's the airplane ticket. I need some help and floor space is it.
> I can't really justify what I do. A hotel room puts it over the top
> for me. This is because I am a mean and nasty person.
Wow!!! See, Jamie, see admitted it.
> >I would also readily offer my help for cleanup, etc.
>
> As do I.
>
> >I think these are matters that cook-in hosts should decide for
> >themselves. It would be helpful if they point out their general
> >preferences and expectations to the prospective attendants, of course.
>
> And the guests then have an option to attend or not. I have to say
> that as a person who has hosted 4 cook-ins and attended more than I
> can count, all cook-ins are not created equal. If you want to have a
> real good cook-in that is a rollicking good time, there are things
> that you, as host, have to do. If you want to leave it more up to
> chance, that is your option.
On this I agree 1000%. One of the things the host(ess)can do is to
provide a smooth cookin. The trick is to do all the work without it
appearing that you are working. The idea is to get all the people(or
most) interacting with each other. Quiet at a cookin is a bad sign. I
noted at our cookin last year we had at least four distinct "rooms" of
life taking place. Of course, one had Charlie holding forth with
cigarette and brewski alight out by the golf ball bird bath. Monica,
Mimi and others pushing each other out of the way so they could cook,
Jamie complaining that Kay was being very mean. And Alan filling up his
plate with pulled pork, Finnish Fish Soup and truffles.
When you have a dinner party, you have invited people who either know
each other, or were selected because they could interact well together.
With a cookin, you gets what you get. We are genuinely interested in
what each other prepares, but, beyond that, we may have little or
nothing in common. So, the job of the host is to make sure you keep the
swizzle stick moving.
Advice for a Cook-In
From Victor:
Well, I've never hosted a cook-in, but I'd think it would be way easier
than hosting a big (or even not-so-big) party. A cook-in is supposed to
be a collective effort. As a host, you are not expected to provide more
than a couple of dishes, if any (in your case tabbouli only would be
perfect)... people will bring enough food... and it would be perfectly
acceptable, if not expected, to provide disposable plates, etc. After
the cook-in, you also would probably have to do some residual cleaning,
etc. You are not expected to worry too much about your guests'
well-being - you are basically just providing a place for people to meet
each other, as well as a kitchen. Of course many people, myself
included, would feel duty-bound to be as attentive a host as they could
be, but it still shouldn't be anywhere near a burden of hosting a
private party of any size. JMHO.
Victor
--
Alan
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener
P Haine
Stock plenty of paper towels, napkins, and TOILET PAPER!
Cheers!
Peg
MH
"Damsel in dis Dress" <damsel-in...@att.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:6ue8fugcf98ic7i03...@4ax.com...
> s...@addressin.sig (Curly Sue) said:
>
> >In view of the several possible cook-ins on the right coast, I thought
> >it would be a good idea to mine the collective cook-in experience of
> >rfc for hints and tips on holding such an event. I thought we did
> >this before, but I didn't have any luck finding it with Google. So
> >I'm going to collect them and put them on my website, or maybe someone
> >in the rfc webring can do it, unless it's already archived somewhere.
>
> Thanks for this, Sue. I'd be happy to put this on my site, along with the
> cook-in reports, if people would like to see it there.
>
> Damsel
I'd like to add one more....
Try to have things cut or made it small sizes. With so much food, any food
served with a serving size too large is likely to be passed up.
Kate Connally
> Stock plenty of . . . snip . . . TOILET PAPER!
>
> Cheers!
> Peg
Peg, I like your thinking!!!
Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
mailto:conn...@pitt.edu
Janis Tester
wrote:
Also, Ray bought those chinese food cartons so people could take
food home. I did the same at my cook-ins and it worked out great.
Janis
--
--
Janis Lane <ja...@earthlink.net>
Lane
Gar
wrote:
>In article <3CF4D863...@cornell.edu>, P Haine <ml...@cornell.edu>
>wrote:
>
>> I have only one thing to add to Ray Bruman's exhaustive list:
>>
>> Stock plenty of paper towels, napkins, and TOILET PAPER!
>>
>> Cheers!
>> Peg
>>
>
>Also, Ray bought those chinese food cartons so people could take
>food home. I did the same at my cook-ins and it worked out great.
>
>Janis
Great tip... Thanks.
Gar <--------off to the restaurant supply store