Spaghetti Supper

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people
and are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while
we serve all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook
all the pasta ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook
individual batches, it will take forever.

Presumably you will have multiple large pots. Cook the pasta
beforehand to just short of doneness. Drain and reserve. As people
come in, finish batches of pasta by returning it to vigorously boiling
water for a minute while stirring well. Won't be quite perfect, but it
works well enough for your purposes. -aem

On Thu 31 Mar 2005 12:22:13p, Kellielabs wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people and
are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while we serve
all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook all the pasta
ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook individual batches,
it will take forever.

Welcome your suggestions!

Thanks.

Dunno about 200 people, but one Italian I used to go to precooked most of
their spaghetti, then gave required portions of it a brief bath in boiling
water just before serving. The only spaghetti they cook from the start when
ordered was for those who ordered "al dente".

--
Wayne Boatwright
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people and are
wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while we serve all 200
people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook all the pasta ahead of
time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook individual batches, it will take
forever.

Welcome your suggestions!

Thanks.

Oven warmed. Not the best. Prefer the same method as others have mentioned.

jim

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people
and are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while
we serve all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook
all the pasta ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook
individual batches, it will take forever.

Presumably you will have multiple large pots. Cook the pasta
beforehand to just short of doneness. Drain and reserve. As people
come in, finish batches of pasta by returning it to vigorously boiling
water for a minute while stirring well. Won't be quite perfect, but it
works well enough for your purposes. -aem

Or leave it in a large strainer in the pot in the still hot water; it will
finish cooking. Pull up the strainer when it's time to serve and top with
sauce. Might be helpful to have sort of a production-line thing where one
person dishes up the pasta and passes the plate; the next puts on the sauce,
the third adds some salad greens, the fourth adds a slice of bread and there
you go.

Or they could always rent those huge covered chafing dishes and mix all the
cooked pasta with the sauce and leave them on warm and let people serve
themselves.

Jill

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people
and are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while
we serve all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook
all the pasta ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook
individual batches, it will take forever.

Presumably you will have multiple large pots. Cook the pasta
beforehand to just short of doneness. Drain and reserve. As people
come in, finish batches of pasta by returning it to vigorously boiling
water for a minute while stirring well. Won't be quite perfect, but it
works well enough for your purposes. -aem

Or leave it in a large strainer in the pot in the still hot water; it will
finish cooking. Pull up the strainer when it's time to serve and top with
sauce. Might be helpful to have sort of a production-line thing where one
person dishes up the pasta and passes the plate; the next puts on the sauce,
the third adds some salad greens, the fourth adds a slice of bread and there
you go.

Or they could always rent those huge covered chafing dishes and mix all the
cooked pasta with the sauce and leave them on warm and let people serve
themselves.

Jill

"JimLane" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people and

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while we serve all

200

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook all the pasta ahead

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook individual batches, it will

take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

forever.

Welcome your suggestions!

What about putting the pasta in a huge pot in a colander with hot water
beneath.

I dunno, just a thought.

Elaine

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people
and are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while
we serve all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook
all the pasta ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook
individual batches, it will take forever.

Quoted message said:

Welcome your suggestions!

Thanks.

I cooked for about three or four such events when I was Mrs. Church Lady
(before they kicked me out of the church). Sauce was prepared early in
the week--no problem there. On the day of the dinner, I'd start cooking
the noodles an hour or so before meal time, drain them, pour a bit of
salad oil over them and mix, and put them in a large, covered
roaster-type pan in a 200 degree oven. When it's serving time, they
shouldn't stick together much, if at all. I do believe that this is
more efficient than dunking them in boiling water to heat just before
serving -- personally, I hate wet noodles under the sauce.

My fifty cents' worth.

Make some serious calculations about the amount of uncooked noodles
you'll need and what your serving portions will be. Do a test run --
cook two ounces and see what it looks like when it's drained. If you're
going to use one of those prongy spaghetti server thingies, see how many
scoopsful you need to achieve your desired serving. Make sure whomever
is slinging noodles stays at that amount and don't offer seconds until
everyone has been served once. Even the pastor/priest/vicar can wait
her or his turn. "-)

Here's the recipe I used to use; I believe it was originally a Betty
Crocker recipe that I increased for the dinners:

"Oodles of Noodles" Spaghetti Supper Sauce
4# lean ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 quarts canned tomatoes
3 quarts tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Cook and stir meat, onion, green pepper, and garlic in large heavy
kettle (8-12 quart capacity). When meat is browned, add tomatoes,
sauce, and remainder of ignredients; stir. Bring to boil; reduce heat
and simmer, uncovered, 3-4 hours to desired consistency. Stir
frequently to prevent sticking. Sauce may be used immediately or
divided and frozen for future use. Yield 24-30 servings, approximately
2/3 cup sauce per serving.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> Arizona vacation pics added 3-24-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Kellielabs said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people and are
wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while we serve all 200
people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook all the pasta ahead of
time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook individual batches, it will take
forever.

Welcome your suggestions!

Thanks.

Have all the pasta cooked and mixed with the sauce by 5 pm. Keep it warm
in an oven in the foil serving dishes that come with the wire frames and
cans of gel fuel. When serving begins transfer the foil dishes to the
frames and light the gel fuel.

"Kellielabs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Help. We're doing a spaghetti supper for church for about 200 people and
are wondering how to cook the pasta and then keep it warm while we serve
all 200 people. We'll serve from 5 to 6:30 P.M. If we cook all the pasta
ahead of time, it will get cold. If we wait to cook individual batches, it
will take forever.

Welcome your suggestions!

Thanks.

When I used to waitress in college, they would cook the pasta and then put
it into huge glass jars (I mean huge, think big, big pickle jars) with oil
and put it in the walk-in cooler. When they needed pasta, they just dunked
it quickly into boiling water.

Elisa

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Gregory Morrow"

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

Foo, if you're gonna toss it with oil might as well throw in basil,
garlic and pignolis - pesto rather than a red sauce.

Quoted message said:

Yup...and give the folx a choice of pasta - regular red sauce and a non -
red option...

Oh no you don't! The objective is to feed them and feed them quickly so
the program can start, be, and be done. Two choices: Take it or leave
it. And I'll bet the rest of the menu is a tossed green salad, bread
(maybe garlic, maybe not), and spumoni ice cream. :-) No one mistakes
these things for high culinary adventure.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> Arizona vacation pics added 3-24-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Melba's Jammin said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Gregory Morrow"

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

Foo, if you're gonna toss it with oil might as well throw in

basil,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

garlic and pignolis - pesto rather than a red sauce.

Quoted message said:

Yup...and give the folx a choice of pasta - regular red sauce and a

non -

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

red option...

Oh no you don't! The objective is to feed them and feed them quickly

so

Quoted message said:

the program can start, be, and be done. Two choices: Take it or

leave

Quoted message said:

it. And I'll bet the rest of the menu is a tossed green salad,

bread

Quoted message said:

(maybe garlic, maybe not), and spumoni ice cream. :-) No one

mistakes

Quoted message said:

these things for high culinary adventure.
--
-Barb

Yup, yup... country folks call it a "Church Feed"... wanna dress up the
pisghetti experience serve highbrow cocktail sammiches too, balogna n'
yallah 'merican on wonder white with yallah mustid and mayo.

Sheldon

Food For Thought said:

You do know how much hotter steam is than boiling water?

steam isn't hotter than boiling water.

A.C. said:

Food For Thought said:

You do know how much hotter steam is than boiling water?

steam isn't hotter than boiling water.

Do you know how much thermal energy is in live steam? ;P

Melba's Jammin said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Gregory Morrow"

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

Foo, if you're gonna toss it with oil might as well throw in basil,
garlic and pignolis - pesto rather than a red sauce.

Quoted message said:

Yup...and give the folx a choice of pasta - regular red sauce and a

non -

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

red option...

Oh no you don't! The objective is to feed them and feed them quickly so
the program can start, be, and be done. Two choices: Take it or leave
it. And I'll bet the rest of the menu is a tossed green salad, bread
(maybe garlic, maybe not), and spumoni ice cream. :-) No one mistakes
these things for high culinary adventure.

This is true...a whiles back I re - visited my old Methodist church, the big
kitchen in the basement is *exactly* as it was 40 years ago...they still do
wakes and wedding receptions and after - church dinners...man they can do
institutional cooking like nobody's bizness.

How many chili suppers and sloppy joe suppers did we have there over the
years I wonder...???

Also my mom gave me a big bunch of those spiral - bound church cookbooks,
many are from our Norwegian relatives in northern Iowa c. 1965...I'm sure
Barb you would be familiar with most of the recipes :-)

--
Best
Greg