Toying with the idea of catering your own party? Cooking the food yourself can end up saving you a ton of money, and if done well, your guests won’t miss the professional caterer for a second!
At One Stop Rental in the greater Cincinnati area of West Chester, OH, we have plenty of catering supplies for rent to help you save even more money on your catering endeavor. Follow these tips on how to plan for your event.
Write a Plan of Action
First things first, sit down and figure out the details of your event. How many people will be attending? What’s your budget? What menu items would you like to serve? Will your event be buffet style or will you need servers? To the best of your abilities, create a time table of what you need to get done and when. Just remember to give yourself some wiggle room in your time table for any unforeseen mishaps.
Recruit Help
You’re not a superhero and no one expects you to be. If your event is particularly large, get some help in the kitchen. Family and friends can help you prep the ingredients and be in charge of cooking different items so you aren’t stuck running around the kitchen!
Food Preparation
Take a look through your menu and see what items you can cook in advance. Don’t have the right cooking equipment to cook in large quantities? You can rent grills, griddles, fryers and stock pots from One Stop Rental that are perfect for making all that food. They can also be brought to the location of your event for food that should be cooked day-of.
Serving the Food
If you’re serving the food buffet style, you’ll need chafing dishes to keep the food warm. Be cognizant of food safety issues, keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. The temperature danger zone is when food is left between 41 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you plan on serving food, you’ll need to recruit some help or hire a few servers to help get the food out to everyone in a timely manner. Rent plates and silverware to ensure that you have enough for every guest.
With these tips and a little help, you’re sure to impress your guests. If you can cook and coordinate, you can cater your own event. For all your party supply needs, from tent rental to concession equipment and everything in between, visit us at One Stop Rental. You can also give us a call or talk with us on any of our social channels!