What are simple foods that one can cook for a dinner party? There are a bunch of different things depending on what time of the year. Deciding what to cook for a dinner party should take several elements...
Deciding what to cook for a dinner party should take several elements into consideration including what type of party you are having, whether it's formal or informal, whether or not it is a theme or holiday party, or if it is just a friendly get together. Make sure you also know if any of your guests have food allergies or if anyone is vegetarian or vegan. You will want to have something available for everyone. It will also depend on the time of year and what your cooking abilities are. What some people would consider simple, may be more difficult for the beginner chef.
According to Brian Hay, a chef and culinary instructor at Austin Community College and a sommelier who also teaches for the International Sommelier Guild, "There are a bunch of different things you could cook depending on the time of the year. In the fall and winter time, you are probably going to do more roasted items like roast beef, roasted turkey, roasted vegetables, and things like that. When you get into the spring and the summer months, most people like to grill and barbecue."
A lot of what you cook depends on your own taste and your cooking abilities. Hay says, "My philosophy is that there is nothing that is too far out there and nothing that's too hard. The question is how organized are you? If you plan ahead and you have everything listed out and you know what you want to do with all the elements, then it shouldn't be that hard to execute it."
Cooking can be as easy or as hard as you make it. While some recipes have several steps, you'll find others that simply require you to throw several ingredients into a crock pot and let it simmer all day. If you are a beginner, stick with what you know or simple recipes. Once you gain more experience, you can move up to more and more complicated recipes if you choose.
Hay says, "I've done parties for 10,000 people and most of it is just organization and trying to figure out exactly what you are going to serve everyone. If you are not great in the kitchen, don't try something extravagant unless you've tested it before. I've had people come out to me saying, 'I want to do Beef Wellington.' It's pretty easy to do once you've done it the first time, but if you have never done it, it can be more difficult. So test the items beforehand, because you really don't want to test it for the first time at the party."
If you are having a holiday party you will be able to find all kinds of holiday cookbooks ranging from extremely simple recipes to those for the seasoned chef. The same is true for themed parties. If you can't find a cookbook for your theme, you can always search the internet where you are bound to find anything you are looking for.
