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Keeping party food warm
So I've been wanting to have people over and set up a yummy buffet of apps and food, but I can't wrap my head around how to get it all done at the same time and keep it all warm. How do you get multiple hot apps/dishes done around the same time and keep them all warm for a party? I have one crockpot, but can't really afford to expand my collection of those or any other heated serving dish.
It may seem kind of silly, but the logistics are bugging me. Will the food just get cold and people deal with it because thats what happens when you have buffet food out at a party? I guess I wouldn't really expect a slider or something to be hot an hour after it was made if I was at a party, but I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for getting food done all at once and keeping it warm for as long as possible. Thanks!
Re: Keeping party food warm
The short answer is that you don't
The trick for home cooks without lots of equipment is to only serve a couple hot things. Load the rest of your menu with room temp and cold foods. (And you want that anyway to vary foods on the tongue.) So maybe serve just one hot app and one hot main/side. This is where having a guest or spouse man the grill can come in handy, because that's over there and you're left the handle something hot on the stove. Or something like a roast chicken with veggies in the same pan where you kill two birds with one stone.
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I use chafing dishes and they work great. You can buy good basic ones at BB&B or even disposable ones party supply stores for really cheap ~ $5.
I also try to plan foods that I can either cook in advance and then just heat up or use different cooking methods (crock pot, stove top, oven).
Some things that I've served in the past:
cheese ravioli in pesto sauce (cooked on stove top - kept HOT in chafing dish)
bacon wrapped scallops - cooked 1 hour before party - kept warm in oven - moved to chafing dish to serve
Spicy cheese dip/chicken drack dip - crock pot
Between all my friends I think we all have at least 1 crock pot and at least 1 chafing dish (some that are split in the middle so you can serve 2 items).
If you can't afford a chafing dish, etc.. then I would make more of a one course meal vs. buffet or something where you think people will eat all at the same time vs. munching through the night. (that way you can cook it all and keep warm in the oven until it's time to put it all out)
I'm doing a mix of hot, cold and room temperature items for our July 4th party and serving them in a variety of places. I try to make things ahead of time that can then be stuck in the oven together to get them done at the appropriate time.
Appetizers: I have a chafing dish to keep stuffed mushrooms warm, am going to put my soup tureen on an ice pad to help keep gazpacho cold, and will have some veggies with hummus, fruit and possibly a cheese plate out. Some of this will go on our screened porch where it's hot, some will be in the family room (which opens to the porch) to stay cooler.
Main meal - low country boil (potatoes, onions, corn, shrimp, sausage) will get done at once b/c it's all in the same big pot, baked beans that will have been kept warm in the oven, and a salad that will have been kept cool until serving in the fridge. Those items will get set out on a buffet table just before serving.
Dessert - we'll either do watermelon, or turn on an ice cream freezer to churn before we walk down to the fireworks, and it'll be done when we get back.