Everyone knows that food tastes better when it's shared. Love and laughter are food's metaphorical salt and pepper and when the company is good, the seasoning is always just right.
"There’s no greater feeling when you’re hosting than seeing people gathered around the table, eating, laughing, enjoying, or getting to know each other," says says home cook and popular food blogger Rouba Shanin. "That’s what I love most about sharing food and cooking at home—their power to make people connect and share their experiences."
Simply the best
Which is all well and good, but if the thought of catering for a crowd makes you want to forever, relax and do it anyway. There are so many ways of feeding a large group that are (dare we say it?) effortless.
"Cooking for a crowd is as complicated as we want it to be," says Rouba. "In the end, we all just want our guests to leave with a happy tummy and good memories."
It all comes down to timing. Rouba suggests you consider all of the cooking avenues available to you and use them well. "I choose recipes that can be popped into the oven, simmered on the stove, or chilled in the fridge," she says. "Freezer-friendly recipes are also a lifesaver, allowing me to prepare in advance and just thaw on the day."
Not to mention dishes that require no cooking at all, like fresh salads, dips and antipasto.
It's all about the food
No doubt about it, the most important thing when feeding a crowd is a killer dish. Preferably one you can scale up or down depending on numbers.
"Food should definitely be abundant, and it's part of the giving aspect of food," says chef Tom Walton, author of More Fish, More Veg. "I think it draws people in, so if you can please a crowd with it, then it's the way to go."
Find the recipe here.
To please the crowd, it helps if your dish caters to most food preferences. If you can't do that with a single dish (and that's a real challenge), serve up a few complementary dishes that will hit the big six: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free and dairy-free.
Easy eating matters
You'll also want you dish to be a breeze to serve (think scooping and grabbing, rather than complicated plating). Depending on your function, you may also need to consider how people will eat their meal. Will they be seated at a table, seated without a table, standing, moving around?
"[For me it's] buffet-style all the way for a relaxed and enjoyable gathering!" says Rouba. "It naturally encourages everyone to mix, mingle, and strike up conversations as they fill up their plates."
Other than the practicalities, the biggest food consideration is offering flavours that most people like. You will never please all of the people, but you can definitely appeal to most of them. Anything described as being "passed down from generation to generation"; "tried and tested"; or "a street food favourite" will usually fit the bill.
Here are some top picks for even the pickiest eater. Make a batch of any of these dishes and get ready to bow to your adoring crowd.
Platters
'Platter' is surely a crowd-caterer's favourite word. Load up a series of trays for your guests to pick and choose from. Everyone will get what they want so everyone will be happy.
Find the recipe here.
Osher Günsberg nailed the crowd-pleaser platter on a recent episode of The Cook Up. He created a vegan mushroom tacos platter for guests to serve themselves.
It's a genius way to entertain. Not only do you save yourself the trouble of having to put together a taco for every person present, your guests get to make their own exactly to their liking.
"It's important to have something that... people can get the feeling that they're making something and you can have your own combination of, or a bit more of this, a little less of that..." says Osher.
"[It] gives guests the comfort to try a bit of everything," agrees Rouba. "But also makes them feel right at home. They can go for seconds or even thirds without feeling a pair of judging eyes on them."
Other dishes that work well in platter form are:
Scoops
Another way to serve food at a big party is to offer dishes people can scoop a portion from. Firstly, you'll simplify things immensely if you don't have to plate things up.
Secondly, this kind of food works well both in the middle of a dinner table, and on a buffet.
Thirdly, food that scoops works very well in bowls, which are so much easier to manage on laps or when standing. Scoops for the win!
Find Adam Liaw's recipe here.
Rouba suggests keeping things simple by sticking with dishes you're already familiar with. "Trust me, there's no merit in getting entangled in a complex recipe with a dozen steps that end up consuming your entire afternoon," she says.
The perfect simple scoopy dish is risotto. It's a one-pot recipe that can be prepared in advance then kept warm until you're ready to serve. It's also 'sticky', which makes it easy for guests to serve and eat. Plus it's so easy to turn rice into a vegan recipe that meat eaters will also really go for.
Find the recipe here.
Another good dish here is a giant vat of chilli. Add dishes of cheese, guacamole and salsa on the side and guests can scoop their way to contentment.
More excellent scoops to wow your guests with:
Fingers
However, the real winner in the crowd-catering Olympics has always been finger food. It works for every kind of party - whether you're serving canapes in formal attire, or slinging hot dogs or homemade nuggets at a gaggle of kids.
Find the recipe here.
"At the top of my list are lamb pastries," Rouba says. "I'll lay out a generous platter, and they're always the first to go."
Go to town with more finger food options like:
The most beautiful thing is that finger food requires zero washing up. Now that's a crowd-pleaser.
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