Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Pros And Cons of Serving Pre-Cooked Foods

The summer is a perfect season for parties, no matter whether it is a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, a retirement or just a loved ones gathering for no particular reason, the summer is undoubtedly the best time of year to host such an event.

Parties are meant to be fun for all those involved, and on the whole they are still this is not usually the case for the host. Throwing a party can be stressful and generating positive the guests are suitably fed and watered is not usually an straightforward task, still there are actions that can be put in place to make the party run significantly more smoothly, and one such step is pre-cooking as much of the party food as attainable.

As its name suggests pre-cooking party food is basically preparing and cooking all the food that calls for cooking just before the guests arrive, leaving the host with much less to do when the party is in full swing. As you would in all probability guess there are plenty of advantages in pre-cooking the party food, such as

i) Pre-cooking party food implies that you, as the host, do not have to cook quickly just before the party, or worse nonetheless in the course of the party. This leaves significantly more time to make those final preparations and checks to make certain that every thing is as it ought to be when the guests arrive. In addition, not having to cook food in the course of the party enables the host to concentrate on the actual hosting side by mingling with the guests and ensuring they are having fun.

ii) Getting busy in the kitchen or at the grill and running about and acquiring all het-up because time is ticking by quite often leads to burnt food, undercooked food (which could be risky) and food that is normally not at is best. By cooking in advance there are no time pressures, small tension and the cooking process ought to run smoothly, the combination of which ought to lead to the food becoming prepared as beneficial as it could be.

iii) Pre-cooking food makes it possible for the cook to make certain that every thing on the menu is present and appropriate. Cooking in advance will highlight any missing ingredients that are necessary in beneficial time and nicely in advance of the party hence giving the cook the opportunity to get to the grocery shop and acquire whatever is missing. If the food was becoming cooked quickly just before the party, or in the course of the party, it is most likely this would not be attainable, and any missing ingredient is tough. This is not too negative if the missing ingredient is for an un-very important side dish or if an alternative can be applied, still it could potentially ruin the party if it is for the signature dish.

On the face of it pre-cooking the food makes sense and while it there are plenty of positives with this approach there are also some negatives that need to be regarded as, such as

i) In most cases, dishes are at their tastiest, most succulent and most appetising within a couple of minutes of becoming cooked. For that reason, when serving up pre-cooked dishes they are quite often not as flavoursome.

ii) Pre-cooked dishes have to be safely stored in between becoming cooked and served to the guests. Dishes that are to be served cold have to be kept in a refrigerator to quit bacterial colonies growing over them, to keep flies and other nasty bugs from infecting them and to basically quit the dishes from spoiling. This is seldom a predicament when dealing with small and informal loved ones gatherings still when the guest numbers increase obtaining enough cold storage could prove problematic. Related problems could be encountered when dealing with dishes that are to be served warm, despite the fact that these clearly have to be stored in an oven prior to serving to the guests.

iii) Whilst some pre-cooked dishes can be reheated and eaten there are some that cant. In plenty of cases, the dishes basically arent durable enough to stand up to becoming cooked, allowed to cool down, stored in the fridge and then re-heated with no spoiling. In other circumstances it is regarded as risky to re-heat some of these foods as it encourages bacterial colonies to grow, which could then be consumed.

iv) Pre-cooking food does not permit the host to cater for individual tastes. For example, the host could have pre-cooked some steaks and is storing them in an oven quickly just before their guests arrive. Some prefer their steak to be rare, while others prefer their steak to be medium-rare and others prefer their steak to be nicely carried out. Pre-cooking the steaks is most likely to outcome in over cooked steaks for some, and under cooked steaks for others. If the steaks had been cooked in the course of the party it would have been attainable to cook the steaks to the likings of every single guest.

Pre-cooking some of the food is just about particular to be of benefit to aid the party run smoothly, still you need to take care in deciding what dishes to pre cook in the 1st instance. The most suitable dishes for pre-cooking are those consumed cold, such as pasta salads, rice salads and the like, and it is these dishes, that ought to be prepared prior to the party. It is very important, still, to make certain there is enough space in the refrigerator to shop them safely just before consumption.

If the dish is far improved just following cooking then cook quickly prior to the guests arriving, or while the guests are at the party. If the dish is one exactly where it is best tailored to individual tastes then, when again, cook it in the course of the party to give your guests one-on-one service. This could seem to be a bit of a chore, still it is quite often worth going the extra mile and generating a bit significantly more effort following all, you want your guests going away saying how tasty your food is correct?





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