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ELLEN'S KITCHEN Cook Talk

Taco Bar and TexMex Buffets
Amy amymslife@hotmail.com 09/25/05	How much hamburger and black beans do I need to serve 50 people tacos? (When this is being served with all the taco fixings and spanish rice, as well)
ellen 09/25/05	I have sent a page that may help by email.
joanne lilprtyone@aol.com 10/06/05	how much meat will i need to feed 30 people a taco bar. rice and beans and appetizers also
ellen 10/06/05	Only about 6 pounds of meat-
Miguel miguel.loya@tstc.net 10/12/05	We will be making a combination plate for 100 people the middle of next month. The plate will include beef fajita,chicken leg or thigh, sausage, mexican rice, beans, and 2 slices of bread with 1 jalapeno. How much of each will we need. This is for our Computer Drafting Club. Thank You Club President
ellen 10/12/05	Hey, Miguel, allow 3 ounces ready to eat beef (5 people per pound, 2 ounces of sausage, 1/2 cup each rice and beans, 10 pounds of chicken quarters is about 18 pieces (6-7 ounces with bone), and the usual pack for a case of chicken is 40 pounds. Suggest tortillas instead of beans- alow 3 to 4 each.
Miguel miguel.loya@tstc.net 10/14/05	Hi again Hellen, Thank you for responding to my e-mail. I forgot to ask about how much raw rice and beans for 100 people. Or how many servings per pound of raw beans and rice. Thank You
ellen 10/14/05	Miguel, look in the recipes from Big Pots for rice and bean recipes. There are lots of different recipes for you.
Kaye kdill@integrity.com 10/25/05	Ellen, I am in need of figuring out how much taco meat, lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce for 400 tacos. I would appreciate your help with this. Thanks so much! Kaye
ellen 10/26/05	Well, I put the page up but the link can only be found on the "New Pages" page, go there and the link will take you to the recipes for your exact info.
Sue sue@floristintheforest.com 11/10/05	Would you suggest a spanish rice recipe that I could bake for 40 people? Maybe with some green chiles and cheese. I'm open to any suggestions that you might have. Thank You!
ellen 11/10/05	Go to the new pages page and use the link, it will give the amounts for the pink kind with vegetables. For green chiles and cheese rice, here is a family-size recipe. What might be handy about this is that the rice is cooked ahead, mixed and reheated, as opposed to the Spanish rice recipe which is made from scratch at the time of use. GREEN CHILI RICE CASSEROLE-4 servings 10 times this recipe would fill about 4 9x13 casseroles. 3/4 c. cooked rice 1/2 pt. sour cream 1/2 can cream of celery soup Salt as desired 1/2 lb. (2 cups)grated mild Cheddar cheese or Jack cheese 1 sm. can green chilies 1 tbsp. butter Combine first 4 ingredients. In small greased casserole, make layers of rice mix, cheese and green chilies. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Dot casserole with butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
linda iamlkbd@yahoo.com 01/17/06	How much sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, ground beef, diced chicken for 250 soft 6" taco's
Renee 02/06/06	Taco Bar Hello I'm serving taco's for my sons 1st birthday party for about 25 people. How much hamburger, tortillas, shells, etc. will I need? Thank you!
ellen 02/06/06	Renee, all these items are alreadt covered in the TexMex pages- several different kinds of tacos.
laurie 04/28/06	We're doing a fundraiser, how much of taco meat, dorito's, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sour cream do I need. Each dorito bag is 1.25 oz and the taco meat comes in 5 lb bags. How many bags per 5 lb bag of meat? Thank you, Laurie
ellen 04/28/06	Laurie, are you making taco salads? Frito/Dorito pies? Nachos? What is your serving size and how many people are you serving? Please send more info. Most of these dishes have some beans included when used as fundraisers.
Laurie 04/30/06	We are making Walking Taco's.... 100 people each would include, 1 dorito (snack size)bag of chips, precooked Taco meat, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese and salsa. I need to puchase at least 30 pounds of Taco Meat. It comes in qty 6 - 5 pound bags frozen. Shredded cheese and lettuce comes in 5 pound bags.
ellen 04/30/06	1 1/2 ounces meat, 1 0unce (3-4 tablespoons) dheese, 2 rablespoons salsa, 1/2 ounce salsa per bag would be plenty
ellen 04/30/06	1/2 ounce lettuce I meam
Wanda Russell 05/16/06	We are making walking tacos at work, how much doritos, hamberger, lettuce, salsa, cheese, etc do I need? About 150 people Thank you so much, Wanda
katrina hightower 06/06/06	I am planning to make fajitas (buffet style) for about 40 people. I calculated about 8-10 lbs. fajita beef and chicken based on the previous posts (does it matter if the posts were about taco beef (ground) vs. fajita beef (would I need more for fajita meat?) Also, how much cheese and pico de gallo?
ellen 06/06/06	Since you have 2 choices, people will eat a little more, so go with the 10 pounds- maybe even 12 unless you are serving rice and beans as part of the side dishes. For the toppings, this will make you laugh, but use the servings for the Baked Potato Bar toppings. Be sure to allow at least 3 tortillas per person- people usually make 2 fajitas, but eat a 3rd with butter or guacamole or other toppings.
Robin Richter 06/21/06	WOW! You are a lifesaver!!! Robin
Zoe 06/23/06	Hosting a party for approximately 60 people, 1/2 are kids. want to do 'walking tacos', but i don't know how much ground beef taco filling i need, and the assorted condiments(salsa, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, etc.). We will have plenty of other side dishes and dessert. Please help me, i don't want my first block party to be a disaster. Thanks, Zoe
ellen 06/23/06	www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/texmex100.html s the page for general taco info. You will be surprised to learn that the topping amounts on the baked potato bar work pretty well for tacos and walking salads. One potato=1 walking salad or 2 to 3 tacos, depending on size of tortillas- smaller tortillas or crisp shells, hold a bit less.
Gina Robinson 06/28/06	I am making faitas for 50 ppl for my son's rehearsal dinner. We will have chicken and beef with all the fixings. Rice, beans and chips. Okay you have answered this so many times but will 8 lbs of each meat cover us,150 torillas, how many avacodos for guacamole? Pico de gallo? chips and salsa? Thanks a million. G
Gina Robinson 06/28/06	Oh any easy good ideas for a dessert?
Ellen 06/28/06	Gina, as long as you have some grilled bell pepper strips with the meat, that shoul be fine. 3 tortillas each is OK, but they are cheap, so you could have some extra. Pico de gallo, sour cream, etc, check the Baked Potato Bar page and use 1/2 the amount for 100. Chips and salsa on the appetizer planning list. Avocados depends on the recipe. I would by a case at a big produce market (wholesaler) a week ahead. Tell the produce man when you plan to use them and he will sell you a case that will ripen perfectly, no bruises, and you will have plenty fresh, ripe avocados for your dinner. If they get ripe a day ahead just refrigerate. If they are too slow, bury in flour for 24 hours the day before. Desserts? Fresh cold watermelon, or a fruit salad with mango and papaya, and a good poundcake to ladle it over. A pourable custard sauce on the side if you like.
Kelly 06/28/06	I am having a grad party. 100 people. We are doing Taco Salad. (variety of chips instead of taco shells) I nee to know how many pds of hamburger, cheese, tomotoes, how much lettuce sour cream I will need. HELP!!!!
ellen 06/29/06	If you are mixing it in large bowls, use the trash bag taco salad recipe for 25 and make 4 times the amount. If people are putting them together themselves, use the figures from the baked potato bar toppings- plus 8-9 pounds of chips. If it is teens or there will be alcohol, add another 10% for a fudge factor- more gets eaten.
Julie 07/12/06	Boy Scout BBQ for 30 people how much hamburger meat will I need to feed 30 people 15 Adults 15 Kids and Hot Dogs
ellen 07/12/06	Hi Julie, I allow 1 full burger (3 per pound)plus 1 hot dog or preferably Polish sausage or kielbasa per person. The grownup sausages taste better, even to the kids, and are more satisfying and if bought at a warehouse store are not much more expensive.
mardi 07/25/06	chicken salad croissants How many chickens should I purchase for 300 small croissant sandwiches of chicken salad?
ellen 07/28/06	see the chicken salad section on the sandwich events page. 1 pound chicken is 2 cups, and a whole chicken makes just about 1/2 its original weight in meat.
Hailey 08/10/06	Hi I need to know about how much meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa I would need for about 50 people. I'm in charge of a church dinner and this is what we're planning but I don't know how much to buy-
ellen 08/10/06	It takes about the same amount per person as the baked potato bar- so you can use this for estimates. You want 2 shells and 2 soft tortillas for each person, and you will save money if you also serve rice and beans- see the tex mex page.
Julie Ross 08/17/06	Can't find the recipe amounts for taco salad to feed 100. Would appreciate the help as it is to be served 8/18/06 :)Thanks!
ellen 08/17/06	This is it: www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/texmex1.html. It makes lunch for 25, make it 4 times for 100
Bobby 09/05/06	Hello, Im cooking beef taco for about 50-60 people can you tell me how many pounds of hamburger meat to buy? Thank you
ellen 09/06/06	2 tacos apiece, 3 ounces of cooked ready to eat taco meat. That is about 2 pounds of raw regular hamburger for 9 people.
JoAnna Wilson 09/13/06	How many lbs. of beef & chicken fajita meat are needed for 11 adults & 7 children?
ellen 09/14/06	Fajitas are a meat heavy meal, but fajita tacos are not so much. It is usual to allow 5 ounces cooked beef, PLUS 3 ounces cooked chicken meat per adultperson- so 2 pounds raw beef for 5, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken for 4. Kids 6th grade or under, about 1/2- teens same as adults or a bit more-
LuAnne 09/15/06	Walking Taco Amounts could someone please help me determine how much ground beef, lettuce tomatoes, cheese, etc. that I would need to feed 50 people walking tacos? Thanks for your help.
ellen 09/16/06	Answered in this thread 4/30/06
Kathryn 09/17/06	I'm serving nachos/taco salad to a group of about 50 mostly kids. I'd like to have chips and cheese plus ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes etc. so they can either make a taco salad or just have nachos. About how much food should I buy?
ellen 09/17/06	Count the adults as 1 and the kids under 12 as 1/2, and get the amounts for that number of persons. You can use the trash bag taco salad recipe anbd just not mix it up- You want 1 ounce of chips per sperson, even the kids- everyone eats lots of chips. I getthe Fritos scoops or the tortilla style chips.
monica 12/12/06	hi i need to see how much spanish rice i need to feed 400 people
ellen 12/13/06	Start with about 30 ppunds dry rice. See the various recipes for 100 on the website.
Anna 01/23/07	We are planning our wedding, and I was wondering how much ground meat would I need to buy for about 300 people. I would also like to know how much lettecue and tomato, and cheese how many pound would I need.
ellen 01/23/07	Please see the texmex pages for taco gudance, but also, the toppings are almost exactly the same as is needed for a baked potato bar. There is a very comprehensive page on baked potato bars, take a look at that.
Sandy 02/01/07	How much shredded cheese will I need for fajitas for approx. 50 people.
ellen 02/01/07	about 3 pounds at a minimum.
Mary Jo 03/22/07	kielbasi for 100 How much kielbasi or if I chose to serve BBQ ham sandwiches would I need to serve 100 people?
ellen 03/23/07	About 2 pounds for each 5 people for the sausage, or 2 pounds for each 6-7 people for the ham.
Linda Christmas 04/12/07	I am making a taco bar for 100 people for a graduation open house could you please tell me how ground beef ,diced tomatoes.cheese lettuce and all the goodies i would need. thank so much LInda Christmas
ellen 04/12/07	Hi, Linda, use the baked potato bar page to estimte the toppings- it is almost exactly the same for a taco bar as for a baked potato bar.
Mike 04/23/07	How much spanish rice will we need to feed 50-60 people? Thanks in advance
ellen 04/24/07	I have several different recipes for Spanish rice for 100, use 1/2 for 50 or 2/3 for 60+. You can use the search feature to find the recipes.
Dolores 05/15/07	Lbs of beef for tacos 100 persons? How much beef filling do I need for 100 person taco bar? Thank U
ellen 05/16/07	Allowing 2 tacoes per person, 18-22 pounds, assuming you will have beens and rice and shredded cheese. The amounts of topping for the baked potato bar are almost exact for taco bars, also.
Karrie 05/31/07	Meat How much meat would I need to feed 50 people? Last year I had 9 lbs brats, 8 lbs sloppy joes, 8 chicken breasts, 1 pkg of hot dogs, 8 pks of hamburger buns and 3 pkgs of hot dog buns and everything went!!! So this year I might do a 6 ft sub (feeds 20-25 people) and then sloppy joes or pulled bbq pork. Do you think the sub will be enough and then just make how much of regular meat for the rest to feed? Also how many buns? I also had 5 salads and 2 batches of cheesy potatoes and that all went too. Any suggestions on how many salads or potatoes to feed 50? Thanks for all your help in advance!
ellen 05/31/07	Karrie, I have a recipe for the giant sandwich on my site. This sounds like it was a very big eating crowd, teens or men predominating? Anyway, if you want to do the subs, you might just do 3 and forget the other. Or use your experience from last year for a meat menu and increase everything by 1/3 with 24 chicken breasts. As to the sides- The cheesy potatoes , you want an electric (nesco) roaster full, 12- 15 quarts. I would also add 2 gallons of baked beans (2 #10 cans plus fixings). You want at least 4-5 gallons of salads.
Karrie 05/31/07	Thanks Ellen! Yes its mostly my cousins (teenagers) and mostly men. I just couldn't believe how much food they ate!!! I felt bad when I ran out of hot dog buns too! Thanks for your advice :)
Ann 06/19/07	Will 15 pounds of hamburger be enough to mix with the taco mix to prepare for approximately 60 people.
Ann 06/19/07	I did not say what I was making with the hamburger, Ellen, but I am trying to make walking tacos.
ellen 06/19/07	I have a walking taco salad recipe on the site and that should be fine if you are assembling them. If it is self serve, add a couple of pounds.
Rhonda 06/23/07	sloppy joes do you have a good sloppy joe recipe for 100 please
ellen 06/23/07	Hi, Rhonda, Sloppy Joes have a lot of family/regional variations, so here is a basic recipe with several variations you can use depending on your crowd (for example, teens usually like chili powder, kindergarteners don't). You can reduce costs and fats by using up to 1/2 regular ground turkey as part of the meat. You can make a vegetarian variation using lentils or black caviar beans or TVP. This is very easy to make in an electric roaster (Nesco, etc). 1 recipe fills 1 roaster and serves 100 regular eaters (about 9-10 dozen buns). Sloppy Joes for 100 12 quarts, serves 100 regular eaters. Increase about 1/3 if serving teens only. This recipe fills one electric roaster. non-stick cooking spray 22 pounds ground beef (may use 1/2 ground turkey) 4 large onions, chopped 4 large green peppers, chopped OR additional onions 4 cups chopped celery OPTIONAL 1/4 to1/2 cup chili powder OPTIONAL 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 1 to 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup spicy brown mustard 2 tablespoons black pepper OPTIONAL1 1/2 cup cocoa powder PLUS 2 tablespoons cinnamon 4 cups ketchup OR barbecue sauce* 2 cans (12 oz each) tomato paste* 4 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce* 6 to 8 cups water* 1 cup vinegar 1/4 to 2/3 cup worcestershire sauce check salt before serving To serve: 112 hamburger buns CONDIMENTS pickles, mustard, ketchup, relish, barbecue sauce, tomato slices, onion slices, or other condiments and toppers Cheeseburger variation: Omit cocoa. 1 hour before serving, stir in: 6 pounds velveeta, cubed 1 1/2 cups milk 8-12 cloves garlic, crushed *You can substitute 1 #10 can ketchup for all these products. On top of the stove, start the onions in about 2 cups of water, cook until tender but not colored. Add and brown the beef, optional garlic, optional chili powder, peppers and celery in batches until all meat is browned. Roaster: Set your roaster to 250 degrees, spray the liner with nonstick spray. Remove meat to the roaster withwith a slotted spoon to a roaster, leaving behind much of the grease. Add the sauce ingredients. Cover and simmer 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Turn down to 180 degrees to hold for serving. Oven: Set oven to 300 degrees, cover pan tightly with lid or foil. Cook 2-3 hours, turn down to 180 degrees to hold for serving. Serve on buns with condiments on the side (see the sandwich event page for amounts of condiments).
ellen 06/23/07	By the way, this can be made ahead and frozen in freezer baggies, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
ELIZABETH 06/25/07	Feeding 100 people hello ellen, i am having a birthday/anniversary party and will be having a bar-b-que style party. i am not sure how much food to buy to serve 100 people; here is the following menu, i hope you can help me out: hamburgers hot dogs potato salad bread/rolls beans salad corn -n-cob macaroni & cheese cole slaw thanx elizabeth
ellen 06/25/07	I allow 1 burger (4 to the pound) PlUS 1 hot dog per person, and always have enough. ALL the other items are covered in the plan for 100 page, the brisket and BBQ page and condiments are on the sandwich events page, and those pages are linked to the buttons at the top of the cook talk page. When you prepare your estimate from the tables, I will be glad to check it if you post it. It takes two people working a very large grill (and doing nothing else) to handle the grilling for this size party.
Janae 06/26/07	I am planning a luncheon for work. There will be about 125 people. I will be cooking all the taco meat. I will be assigning out the following items to various groups who will be attending. Could you help me figure out how much of everything will be needed, so I can communicate it correctly? Taco Meat Various Taco Shells Tortilla Chips Salsa Nacho Sauce Beans (refried and/or black) sour cream guacamole shredded lettuce diced tomatoes olives Spanish Rice Drinks Dessert Thanks for your help.
ellen 06/27/07	Interestingly, the toppings and quantities for a taco bar are just the same as for a baked potato bar, and there is a whole section for that- includes nacho cheese- button at the top of the main cook talk page. If you have 1 1/3 times the amount for 100, you will have plenty for 125. Beans 8 pounds raw or 20 pounds cooked per 100. Taco shells and tortillas, about 2 crisp and 1 soft per person. I recommend corn. For the rice, you want about 9-10 pounds of raw rice- see the various oven rice recipes for 100- 8 pounds corn chips per 100 people allows for snacking and taco salad makers. Beverages are covered on the beverage planning page. Desserts are covered on the dessert planning page, but basically you need 1 9x13 pan of whatever for each 10-12 people.
Janae 06/28/07	Thank you for your help.
Linda 07/18/07	BBQ Benefit how many onions, pickels to I need for hamburgers for 800 people
ellen 07/19/07	There is a condiment table for 100 on the sandwich event page- you will find what you need.
tamera 08/09/07	I am cooking tacos for 60 people how much ground beef do I need?
ellen 08/09/07	About 1 pound of regular 70/30 hamburger for each 4-5 people- less with beans, more with no beans.
Tamera 08/13/07	Thank you so much for your help.
Amy 08/26/07	I am having a nacho dinner night for about 60 people. I just want to serve chips, cheese, hamburger, and salsa. How much of each do I need? Thanks!
ellen 08/27/07	Hi Amy, You will save money if you add beans, salsa and jalapeno rings to the meal- assuming these are pretty good eaters, this is about what I would use: This is about what I would use for 100 people: 10 pounds chips #10 can jalapeno rings (we like them around here) Tomatoes, fresh,diced/finely chopped 6 lb 6 oz 3 1 / 4 quarts Cheese, shredded Cheddar or American, Swiss, Mozzarella or Monterey Jack 7 pounds 7 quarts If you use nacho cheese sauce, you need 3-4 #10 cans (the great big ones) beans 1 gallon refried Meat 1/4 cup per person 13 pounds Sour cream 6 1 / 4 cups salsa or pico de gallo 3 1/4 quarts
Melissa 09/11/07	Ellen, I've been trying to decode information from both the TexMex and Potato Bar sections to gather my shopping list for a Taco Bar party for 50 adults and 20 children. I am counting for 2 soft shell tacos pp and would also like to provide chips in case people want to just make a salad. Can you help me verify the following amounts? 8 lbs beef, 6 lbs chicken 7 lbs shredded cheese 42 ounces shredded lettuce 21 tomatoes 5 onions 36 ounces black olives ? black beans? 30 ounces jalapenos 14 cups sour cream 7 cups taco sauce 4 bottles of french dressing for salad ?? chips for dip and/and or salads ?? salsa for dip ?? Rice for a side ?? Refried beans
ellen 09/11/07	8 lbs beef, 6 lbs chicken ~ok. you could go 10 on the beef 7 lbs shredded cheese ~ok 42 ounces shredded lettuce ~ok 21 tomatoes ~ok 5 onions ~ok 36 ounces black olives ~ok ? black beans? ~1/4 cup per person, 1 gallon cooked 30 ounces jalapenos ~ok 14 cups sour cream ~ok 7 cups taco sauce ~ok, add a quart green sauce also 4 bottles of french dressing for salad ~ok ?? chips for dip and/and or salads ~5-6 pounds ?? salsa for dip ~1 gallon ?? Rice for a side ~4-41/2 pounds dry ?? Refried beans 1 gallon You will have some beans left
Melissa 09/12/07	Thanks so much for verifying those amounts for me. You are a special find on the internet to be so responsive! I'll be sure to visit more often for good recipes :)
Sally 09/14/07	I agreed to do a taco bar for my daughters 8th birthday on Sunday. I have 31 adults/teenagers confirmed and 10 elementary school aged children. I planned to do ground turkey for the meat and then the vegetables, beans and flour tortillas and chips for those that would prefer salad. I was going to cook 10 lbs of meat, does that sound right? The party is at noon and we will have cake & ice cream also. Thank you so much.
ellen 09/14/07	Ground turkey is an excellent choice and 10 pounds should be plenty, unless there are a huge amount of teens- the 8 year olds eat very little, actually.
Carrie 09/15/07	Hi Ellen-I just discovered your site: wow! We're having a fundraising lunch with 100 guests, serving 1 fajita (chicken for 87 guests; 13 veggie only), one cheese tamal(pre-made), black bean salad, and Spanish rice. I'm planning about 21 lbs of chicken, 50 each peppers & onions; 130 tortillas (to allow for breakage); 1gal of salsa, 20 lbs of beans & of rice. Do you think I'm in the right ballpark? Also, how much sour cream? And I usually think of fajitas as NOT having cheese--do you think people will expect it? Thank you for such great information!
ellen 09/16/07	Not nearly enough tortillas- I like corn better, have a choice- allow 3 minimum per person- people eat them plain as the bread for this meal. Tamales OK, salsa 1 3/4 gallons (you want 1/4 cup each, minimum)beans and rice OK if this is cooked weight (8 pounds each dry). You need a shredded lettuce salad, popele who don't eat much rice and beans will especially want this, see the salad section at plan for 100. Sour cream, 2-3 tablespoons per person, 1 to 1 1/2 gallons. You can do no cheese, it would be nice for the veggie fajitas, if it was refried beans you would want just enough to garnish the serving.
Ann 10/23/07	General thanks and notes on spag dinner No question actually, just wanted to say thank you. We did the big spaghetti dinner for 100, served in "to go" containers, Perfect lunch for right after church! The night before I panicked slightly about boiling that much spaghetti on site, but it worked out super. Somewhere I would add that for 100 people, you need 10 gallons of water just to boil the spaghetti. We have to buy our water here, and I would at my moms in Alabama too, so might be helpful to others to know that too. We live and work in Haiti, so our kitchen is very very limited but all your suggestions were a great help. Youth made money, everyone was thrilled and wants another dinner... So in two weeks we are doing super Nacho's with baked rice and giant cookie... After research today, I'm going to make my own sauce with a 5lb block of American cheese and save money in the end. Hope this one will be a little easier the night before! I'm going to start my rice the night before in my roaster, so I can unplug and go. Your site is amazing and now my new bookmarked "place to go" OH another note on the spagh dinner is that I cooked my sauce with 5 pounds bulk Italian sausage and 5 pounds ground beef with bread filler made into tiny tiny meatballs, I didn't hear any complaints on the lack of meat in the sauce. I ended up with about 4.5 gallons sauce. I put in all in my giant roaster and it cooked gently (the meat was precooked) for about 18 hours, I kept checking the temp to make sure it was 160 or higher, I had some "cooler" spots occur, but over all it was fine if I just stirred it once an hour. To take it to the church we transferred it to a sanitized 5 gallon bucket for safety of transport. I had the boxes numbered so as people came through the line, I knew where I stood on salad and bread sticks, Only placing enough for 20 servings at a time in the bowls the kids were serving from. That was a real peace of mind to do quick mental counts of zip lock bags used/versus what I still had left in coolers. We tossed the tongs with in 5 minutes and since the kids had gloved hands anyway, went to serving everything but sauce/noodles by "hand" One thing we did that was very well received was had helpers to carry meals for moms of lots of small kids/ elderly to their table. We used 6 volunteers for the serving line, plus me and 2 runners. I made garlic butter, but ended up serving very little of it. Next time I will skip it with bread sticks altogether. I had 3 salad dressing choices, next time I will do only the overwhelming top 2.. creamy Italian and Caesar both homemade. We had 104 served in less than 30 minutes. Thanks again.. Annie K
ellen 10/23/07	Ann, thanks SO MUCH for your note! It is cooks who take time to do feedback that keep me encouraged. Sounds like the event was perfect.
Jose Levario 10/25/07	hello everyone, i'm trying to figure out how much salsa to make for a wedding serving 170 ppl. i live in an area where people are salsa eaters so keep that in mind. Thanks and i look forward to your response!!
ellen 10/25/07	Ola, Jose. Is the salsa for a dip, tacos, fajitas, or a plate garnish?
Tonia L 11/11/07	Hi Ellen! I am catering a Mexican Fiesta for approx. 100 ppl next Saturday and am pretty secure on the beans, rice and taco bar "fixins", but am a little unsure about how much meat exactly. I am serving 2 tacos/pp with 1.5 to 2oz of meat each. I'm doing seasoned gr. beef and shredded (boneless, skinless) chix (half thighs, half breast?) I'm guestimating 9# chix and 13# gr. beef (both uncooked), this is taking into account a 30% loss. Does this sound right to you? Thank you in advance for your response. You have a GREAT website!
ellen 11/11/07	First, it is pretty much a waste of good chicken breast to shred for tacos. Dark meat is juicer, "chickeny-er" and hold better. It looks to me like you will be short of meat. Regular hamburger had a 40% cooking loss. Now as to quantity, if you are plating and everyone gets one of each, that is one thing, but if people are serving themselves, they will tend toward the 2+ side of two ounces and take beef above chicken about 5 to 3, so you would plan for 125 beef and 75 chicken, except that if self serve you need to add 10% to allow for crowd variation in choice and another 10% for the self service extra, which works out to about 150 beef and 90 chicken. That is 300 ounces ready to eat beef=19 pounds, allowing cooking loss, you need to start with about 26 pounds. Chicken, that's 180 ounces ready to eat, which is 15 pounds ready to eat, allowing for 30% cooking loss that is about 20-22 pounds. So that is the highest amounts you would need, if you plate it yourself, 1 of each you would use about 1/3 less beef, but in either case, you need more than you planned.
Tonia L 11/11/07	Geez, were is my mind!? I was dividing my meat by 2 instead of a total 4oz pp. I'm glad I asked you because it triggered in my mind that I had done something WAY wrong. My guests would not have been happy with one taco each. By the way, to control costs, I am pre-portioning the meat in the shells and setting up a bar with the toppings. Again, thanks for such a great website.
ellen 11/12/07	If you are using crispy shells, they wil probably split from the meat juice... You could get those little paper cups (not the smallest ones) and use those- or have someone stand there with tongs and serve- tongs not a spoon slows people down when they self serve, too.
Ruth 11/24/07	Mashed potatoes How many pounds potatoes to feed 400 people mashed potatoes
ellen 11/24/07	About 140 pounds. See the paln for 100 tables for all the usual foods.
Elizabeth 11/27/07	Frito Pie for 270-300 people ( young adults) Ellen.. We are planning frito pie for college kids. will be at least 270. we are planning on buy at least 20 (5 lbs) can of chili but how may large packages of Fritos should we buy.. and pounds of grated cheese.. Thanks....
ellen 11/27/07	For 300 college teens/ young adults, you want at least 24 pounds of fritos and 20 pounds minimum cheddar cheese- that is just a couple spoonfuls on top- you could do more.
Elizabeth 11/27/07	Thanks so much for your fast response..
Joi Gonzalez 12/11/07	How many pounds of lettuce to feed 400 people on an Italian Buffet, containing pastas, veggies, bread, etc.
ellen 12/11/07	See the salad for 100 at the top of the plan for 100 page, buy 4 times the amount.
Elsa 12/30/07	Hi Ellen: My grandson recently was married in the lower part of the state and is residing in the U.P. His Mom is planning a luncheon reception for him here. There will be approx. 200 and all of the family and a few other people have offered to make the salads which will include potatoe salad and pasta salads. We're telling them all to make "big bowls" but we really don't know how many should make what. So far there will be 5 big bowls of potatoe salad and pasta. In other words, how big is big? Maybe we should tell each one to cook so many "pounds" instead or tell them what size bowl to use. We figured we need at least 7 Big Bowls of each kind of salad. It's a little harder to allocate the dishes with so many involved but then again I would'nt want to do it alone. :-) Thanks for your reply.
ellen 12/31/07	You need about 12 pounds dry of pasta and about 70 pounds raw of potatoes to make the right amount for 200 people. So you can tell your 7 potato salad folks to use 10 pounds of poatoes and your 6-7 pasta salad folks to use 2 pounds of pasta and all will be well fed.
ellen 12/31/07	PS 10 pounds of potatoes makes just about 1 gallon of salad.
Nanci 01/17/08	Ellen, I am in charge of planning a Mexican Fiesta Carbo Feed for 30 HUNGRY girl basketball players. Is it smart to make "walking tacos" vs. soft and tostada shell tacos? Can you help me plan how much I would need of the following things? Shredded chicken, ground beef, shredded lettuce,diced tomatoes,shredded cheese,black olives,and spanish rice. I'd appreciate any help you can give me!
ellen 01/17/08	The walking taco salads are basically taco with fritos. For this group, assuming a few grown ups, I would make double the out-of-the-trash-bag taco salad on this site (1 recipe normally serves 25). For the rice, make for 50. I have several recipes on the site for Spanish rice for 25-100; any would do. If you are seriously carbo loading add a 6 quart crock pot full of borracho beans, refried beans, or pintos. If there is time, the make it yourself taco bar is more fun, but the taco salad bar is quicker to serve. DO have the meat separate; some of the girls will be eating vegetarian. Use the baked potato bar page for the toppings- they are the same as taco bars- allow for 50 people. I always add some plain corn and flour tortillas and butter as a bread side dish.
Nanci 01/17/08	Thanks VERY much! You are quick to respond and that is wonderful! I think we're going to try "tacos in a bag" and soft shell tacos. That way they can make their own. Have spanish rice on the side, with DQ Dilly Bars for dessert! Best way to cool them down after eating mexican, right? I'm hungry just talking about it! Thanks again! So glad I stumbled across your website and "Cook Talk". I'll be back again I'm sure.
debi 01/31/08	lettuce salads We are planning a spaghetti dinner for about 100 people, and will serve a simple lettuce salad on the side. How many heads of lettuce should we purchase?
ellen 02/01/08	Check the top section of plan for 100 (button at the top of the main cooktalk page) for 6 different salads and quantities, including dressings.
lenicep@triwest.net 02/11/08	Scalloped Potatoes How many people will a 18 quart electric roaster of scallpoed feed?
ellen 02/13/08	About 60 if filled to the 4-5 inch level, which is when it cooks this dish the best.
Derrie 03/07/08	I am plannning on a graduation party for 150 people want to do a taco bar. Have the ideas down for amount to purchase but need ideas to go with taco's
ellen 03/07/08	You want Spanish rice, borracho or refried beans, shredded lettuce salad with guacamole.
Dawn 03/17/08	Ellen~ Hi, I'm planning on having a taco bar for my sons graduation party. Along with the taco bar I will be serving,chips & salsa,7 layer dip,Mexican pinwheels, nacho dip, mexican meatballs and relish trays. How do I know how much hamburger, cheese, tomatoes, chips, etc... to purchase? I would really appreciate any help :) Thanks! Dawn
ellen 03/17/08	Dawn, nice menu. The amounts for toppings for a taco bar are about the same as for the baked potato bar- odd, I know, but true. 1/4 cup cooked ground meat is 2 ounces cooked, 1 pound raw will make about 5 servings this size.
ashley 03/17/08	I'm doing a Make Your Own Taco dinner for a bunch of friends (about 30 girls). I was wondering how many pounds of chicken and beef you recommend if most girls prefer chicken and will probably eat 2 to 3 tacos. Also how much of the sides (lettuce, diced tomatoes) do you recommend as well?
ellen 03/17/08	Hi Ashley, you want about 10 pounds raw boneless chicken and about 5 pounds raw ground beef. For all the other toppings, use the amounts on the baked potato bar and use 1/3 of the amount for 100.
J.DENNIS 03/28/08	need a good spaghetti recipe for 90. people
ellen 03/28/08	Look on the lotsa pasta page.
Ana 04/06/08	I am planning a shower for 150, wanting to serve chicken fajitas. I am debating on buying boneless, skinless breasts, marinating and grilling and slicing myself then freezing in air tight bags ahead or using a food service already prepared fajita meat. Either way I need to know how much meat per person. I've read you recommend 3 tacos per person. What about fajitas? I plan on peppers and onion and other taco type fixings, Spanish rice, refried beans and possible a few salads and cake for dessert.
ellen 04/07/08	For taco/fajita service, you can do 1 pound raw for each 3 persons as long as there are rice and beans on the side and plenty of grilled peppers and onions in the mix.
Amy 04/15/08	I am having a small get together for 20. I am having beef and chicken tacos. How much meat (beef and chicken) do you recommend?
ellen 04/15/08	Assuming 1/2 and half: for fajita style beef, you would get 5 pounds, for ground beef, 4 would be enough. For the chicken, 5 pounds boneless skinless ready to cook.
Teresa 04/16/08	potato sald We are having a dinner at church on saturday. I want to BUY potato salad (no time or anyone to make) how many pounds of potato salad will I need?
ellen 04/16/08	1 gallon weighs between 8-10 pounds. You need a bit less than 1 gallon for each 25 people.
ellen 04/16/08	You might also consider pasta salad, much faster (no peeling). Good recipes for 100 on this site.
Jenna 04/16/08	I am having an Anniversary party for my granparents and we will be serving fajitas with all of the sides for about 100 people. How much of the following will we need do you think: chicken beef shredded cheese refried beans rice chips salsa tortillas sour cream pico de gallo quacamole I would really appreciate your help. Thanks.
ellen 04/16/08	Jenna, since I posted all my tables in 2004, I ask folks to make an initial estimate and let me check it- I rarely do the initail estimates any more. For example, the question just 3 slots up on this thread, I gave estimates for beef and chicken fajitas for 20, so 5 times that would do for 100. For the toppings, cheese, guac, pico, sour cream, etc, they are almost exactly the same as the baked potato bar. Tortillas, 4 per person, some corn. Chips and dip/salsa, covered in appetizers. Rice and beans, recipes for 100 on this site; you might consider borracho beans instead of refried; easier to reheat and more traditional with fajitas.
ellen 04/16/08	Jenna, if you will post your estimates, I will be glad to check them for you.
Jenna 04/16/08	Okay - from looking at your site this is what I came up with: chicken - 35 lbs. beef - 35 lbs. shredded cheese - 6 lbs. refried beans - 7-8 lbs. rice - 7-8 lbs. (raw) chips - do not know. salsa - 7 lbs. tortillas - three per person sour cream - 5 lbs. pico de gallo - 6 lbs. quacamole - 5 lbs.
Jenna 04/16/08	I actually meant 20 lbs. each of the meats.
Shelley 04/16/08	Im in charge of a High School teachers appreciation taco salad bar. I need amounts including salsa, guac and sourcream for 100 people. Can you help me? Thanks!
Laura 04/17/08	For a teachers luncheon we are planning a semi-fiesta buffet. Chili (20lbs meat), Rice & Beans (4lbs dry rice/2 lbs beans), and for the timid we will also offer a penne/vodka pasta (12 lbs), tossed salad (10 lbs) and a grilled chicken (15 lbs). I'm thinking the grilled chicken can be served over the penne or over the salad for the carb conscious. We have bread, fresh fruit, and a dessert table as well. We will be feeding about 120 - 140 people over the course of the school day. Should I stick to the 100 serving sizes listed for each or should I make less/more of each because there are choices? We also will be serving at this buffet to cut down on waste (and expense). Any suggestions appreciated. I used your ice cream bar suggestions for another event and it was right on target. The kids loved it, the parents loved it, and we had little waste. Love this site.
ellen 04/17/08	Shelley, there is a recipe for walking taco salad for 25 on site, not from a trash bag taco salad. Use it times four for your basic quantities and allow at least 1 cup sour cream for each 5 people (I use 1 per 4). Laura, it looks to me like your rice, beans and salad are short- see the quantities on the plan for 100 page- if that is 12 pounds of prepared penne, that is is only about 30 people's worth, so you will need 100 each on the rice and beans. 15 pounds of chicken pieces is only about 20-25 people- 20 if it is quarters- at a school function I would suspect you will have more chicken eaters than that? Your chili meat is about right, but you need shredded cheese and chopped onions and crackers for the chili, see the chili page fopr help. Thanks for the feedback on the ice cream sundae page, I put a lot of effort into it.
ellen 04/17/08	Jenna, thanks for posting- I will get back t you by the weekend.
Elizabeth 04/17/08	Hey Ellen, I am making tacos (soft shell) with ground beef and shredded chicken for about 40 people. How many pounds of each should I get? Further, how much cheese, lettuce and sour cream would you suggest?
ellen 04/18/08	For the toppings, use the baked potato bar page and get 2/5 to 1/2 the amount for 100. You need about 7-8 pounds lean ground beef and about 7 pounds boneless skinless chicken; a bit more if you are not offering rice and beans.
Laura 04/19/08	Thanks for your reply Ellen. We're going to use the suggestions/amounts you have for your Church Chili (with the recommended toppings) and serve rice and beans on the side - if we up the rice to 6lbs dry and the beans (and there's already beans in the chili) to 3lbs dry would that be better? We'll up the penne vodka is 14 lbs dry pasta and we'll still do a tossed green salad at about 8 - 10 lbs because I forgot to mention that a favorite with our teachers is a bok choy salad. I'll be using about 10 -12 heads of boy choy for that. The chicken has me confused. I'm planning on buying the raw frozen bagged chicken breast strips (tenders) at BJ's and using them. They come in 6 lbs bags, and it is one of the more expensive items that we'll be buying. And I'm not sure how much to buy considering the other food we'll be serving. We'll also have fresh fruit and a dessert table. There will be nacho/salsa on the tables each lunch table. The food will be served buffet style with our members acting as servers. Even though this is a lunch we serve it over the course of the teachers lunch periods during the school day. We have 5 35min lunch periods starting about 10:30am and continuing thru to 12:50. So even though we may have 120 people or so they really don't get to linger very long. Am I going in the right direction? Thanks for all your help.
ellen 04/19/08	OK, if that is dry, precooked pasta, you have servings for about 60 people with 12 pounds dry! I use 20 pounds of cabbage to make slaw for 1200 people. Rice and beans- much better. Take a look at the borracho bean recipe, consider using black beans- a bit different from the chili, and really delicious. 6 pounds of tenders will feed 20 people, if yu use a recipe like my wedding chicken in orange dijon sauce, which can be made ahead and frozen. I really don't have a suggestion on the amount of chicken- but if you do chili for 100, you want at least 40 servings of chicken, just to make sure of enough entrees. I really hate school lunch schedules, always have, even back when I was in school myself. Inhumane.
Laura 04/20/08	Thanks again for the help and thanks for all the wonderful info on this site. Happy Cooking!
Rene 04/29/08	TexMex Cookout I am planning a graduation for 75 people. Can you please tell me how much beef fajitas, rice and beans do I need for this group?
ellen 04/30/08	Rene, there are multiple recipes for rice and beans for 100; use 3/4 of these. For the fajitas, there are many answers. Basically, for taco/fajita service, you can do 1 pound raw meat for each 3 persons as long as there are rice and beans on the side and plenty of grilled peppers and onions in the mix.
Lisa 05/21/08	I am having a taco bar for my boys' graduation party and I am trying to figure out how to keep soft tortilla shells hot for 150 people?
ellen 05/22/08	This question was just asked. I use large crockpots, stack the tortillas after initial oven warming.
Sheri 06/05/08	I am planning a mexican taco bar for my son's graduation. I am expecting about 90 people. Can you please tell me how much taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese to get? Thank you!
ellen 06/05/08	The amounts are basically the same as for toppings for a baked potato, plus beans and rice and 2 crispy shells and two soft tortillas per person.
Jan 06/07/08	I'm having a taco bar for my sons birthday. I'm serving both hard shell and soft corn shell. How do I keep the corn shells warm? Also, should I warm the hard shells? Thanks!
ellen 06/07/08	Soft: Warm in the oven, wrapped in a clean damp dish towel, keep warn in a 6 quart crock pot. Crispy, bought pre-shaped, are not usually reheated.
Colleen 06/10/08	Great website!! I'm having a grad party on June 20th. We're expecting 100-150 guests and are having a Taco Bar. I've already started to cook the meat - ground beef and chicken thighs and freezing it. I've found that it's easy to cook the thighs in my crockpot and shred it when it's cooled. Two questions: 1st - I'd like to have rice, but all recipes seem to call for uncooked rice. I thought I'd like to cook it ahead of time in my rice cooker then prepare it the day before with onions, peppers etc. Any ideas or recipes for cooked rice? 2nd - I can't seem to find your homemade taco seasoning recipe. Help! Thanks!
ellen 06/10/08	For a Spanish rice recipe with cooked rice, see www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/texmex100.html Several recipes there moght be of interest. For the taco seasoning recipe, see, www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/texmex1.html
Testtyq 06/16/08	Subject3 Hi G'night
Kelley 06/18/08	I've searched through all these posts regarding a fajita bar for about 100 people, but I am still having trouble figuring out a couple of things. First off, how many lbs. of peppers & onions should I get to saute for fajita toppings? Also, we are making our own salsa for 100 & wondering how many lbs. of roma tomatoes we should plan on? Thank you so much for your help!
Lil 07/06/08	I am having a 70th B-Day and mostley adults and seniors making a Walking Taco with Hmaburger and also will have sheedred chicken about ho many pouns of each and will be serving Spanish Rice as well. Can you give me any other ideas as to serve with this. Also will have a fresh fruit dish. about 80 people
ellen 07/06/08	When serving two meats with one beef, you assume abouy half will want chicken and about 2/3 will want beef. Yes, it adds up to more than 100%; when there are several choices self serve, people eat more, and some of each. So calculate for 40 chicken and 55 beef, allowing 1 pound cooked ready to eat meat for each 4 people for adult/senior tacos. Mkae the rice with 5-6 pounds raw rice, use the lesser amount if you add beans to the side dishes. Borracho or ranch beans and chips with salsa are the obvious additions. Consider using an aqua fresca, maybe watermelon, as your punch.

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