Before foods that require cooking are cooked or before foods that are to be eaten raw are served, they must be properly prepared, for their palatability and their value as food depend considerably on the way in which they are made ready for cooking or for eating. Of course, the way in which food should be prepared will depend on how it is to be served, but in any event all foods, for the sake of cleanliness, must first be washed with water or wiped with a clean, damp cloth.
The ways in which vegetables and fruits are made ready for cooking vary. Sometimes such foods are cooked with the skins on, and sometimes certain vegetables, such as new potatoes, young carrots and parsnips, vegetable oysters, etc., are made ready in an economical way by scraping off their skins with a knife. Vegetables are also peeled, and when this is done a very sharp knife with a thin blade should be used and as little of the food removed as possible. Still another way of removing the skins of such foods as tomatoes, nuts, and some fruits is by blanching. In this process, the skins are loosened so that they may be removed easily, either by immersing the foods in boiling water or by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to stand in the water for a few minutes, but not long enough to soften them. Blanching used in this sense should not be confused with the same word when it means "to take color out" and has reference to a process of bleaching. Only when the word means "to remove the covering of" can it be applied to the peeling of tomatoes, fruits, and nuts. Vegetables and fruits may be cooked whole or they may be cut into chunks, or pieces, or into slices.
In order to get meats ready for cooking, it is necessary to wipe them clean and usually to trim off all unnecessary bone, fat, and skin. Meats may be cooked in large pieces or small pieces or they may be ground, depending on the cooking process to be used. Before cooking poultry and fish, they should be thoroughly cleaned and then trimmed and cut to suit the cooking process chosen. If desired, the bones may be removed from poultry or fish before cooking, and sometimes it is advantageous to do so. Cream and raw eggs may be whipped or beaten light before they are served or cooked, and after such foods as fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish have been cooked, they may be sliced, chopped, ground, mashed, or cut into dice, or small pieces
When you are planning a party, cooking should be part of the fun rather than a chore. However, a lot of people manage to get themselves into a panic and worry that they have bought too little food or way too much. They worry that their guests will not enjoy their food or their recipes will not turn out well. Guessing How Much Food for a Party Unfortunately, there is no scientific formula for working out how much food for a party. It is more of an art and the more parties you cater for, the more you will be able to estimate the right food amounts. Here are a few tips that will allow you to estimate how much food for a party and will help you to relax rather than panic! First of all, who is coming to your party? Is it mainly adults or will you need to make some child-friendly dishes too? How long will your party go on for? You would need more food for an afternoon barbecue, for example, that you would for an after dinner cocktail party. Make more of the dishes that you think will be popular. Nearly everybody likes boneless chicken recipes, for example, so make plenty of those because there will be other dishes, such as seafood recipes, which not everybody likes or is able to eat. The more different choices you offer the less of each one your guests will have. Therefore, if you have twenty things to choose from, each guest will want to taste every dish that he or she likes and will only take a small bit of each one. You can guess how much food for a party by multiplying the number of expected guests by the amount they will probably eat. Always round your estimates up rather than down because it is better to have some food left over after the party than run out of it before everyone has finished eating! Make sure you have some bulk food items too, such as bread if you are having a sit-down dinner or nuts and olives for a cocktail party. People will nibble on these foods before starting on the main dishes or if they are still hungry between courses. The Right Portion Sizes Six bites per guest is a good allowance for an appetizer. Seven ounces of meat or fish, an ounce and a half of grains, an ounce of undressed salad, five ounces of potatoes and four ounces of vegetables per person is about right for the main meal. For dessert, allow everyone five ounces of ice cream, four ounces of creamy dessert like mousse or a slice of cake or pie. These measures are just to give you an idea because some people have a big appetite and others have a small one. Other Party Food Cooking Tips * Never repeat the main ingredient at a dinner party. You should not serve a shrimp appetizer followed by a shrimp main course for example. * If you are having buffet food, offer a choice of both warm and cold foods. * Offer different food textures with the buffet or meal, so you have a range of soft, hard, crispy, and crunchy food items. * Make sure you have a good variety of colors, so the food on your buffet table or dining table looks attractive.
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