Meat dishes served cold for a party? 30-40 people?!

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Having a party this summer with a spread of chilled salads and desserts? Serve it safely. Nothing ruins a party like a food-borne illness.The key is keeping the food cold, below 40 degrees F. (Bacteria do not grow rapidly below 40 degrees F or above 140 degrees F. So maintaining that temperature is essential.)

?Prevent food-borne illnesses, starting at the prep station. While preparing food, keep your work surfaces clean. Do not cross-contaminate raw meats with produce and ready-to-eat foods. Use separate utensils for cutting chicken breasts and broccoli florets, for example, or clean the knife well in-between if you have to use the same knife. Keep potable hot water and detergent nearby to wash food-prep utensils and surface areas.

?2
Do not leave food at room temperature for more than two hours (or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F); this encourages bacteria growth. Once the food is cold, keep it cold by storing it in a refrigerator or cooler packed with ice. Wrap raw meats separately and tightly if packed in the same cooler as ready-to-eat foods.

?3
Fill plastic bowls or containers with ice and set the dishes with food on top of the ice. This is especially important if the food is set up buffet-style for several hours. Monitor the temperature of the food as service progresses, and switch out the melted ice with fresh to maintain a temperature below 40 degrees F.

?4
Store leftovers quickly. Unlike hot foods, cold foods can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer immediately after service. Hot foods should not be sealed and set in the refrigerator or freezer while they are still hot, or bacteria may grow. Keep the leftovers separate from other raw meats and foods. Tightly sealed, the leftover cold items should reside on the top or second shelf, with raw meats and drippy items below.

My suggestion would be Corned Beef, but Pork, Chicken, Lamb or Beef would do, and cook them yourself as you will pay a fortune to buy deli-meats.

It you are prepared to spend a few extra bucks and to save you from the cooking you could order a tray of assorted cold cuts.



Read more: How to Serve Cold Party Food Safely | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2363364_serve-co…

Knowing what salads and sides you plan on serving would have helped pick a main dish. It is really easier to pick your main dish, then plan salads or sides around it, but here are a few suggestion.

A platter of cold cuts like ham, baloney, turkey etc. and bread usually work well with salads as would pre-made sandwiches. Other options that can be served at room temperature or cold are poached salmon, fried chicken or Veal Tonnato (veal with tuna sauce) if you're looking for a fancier main dish. http://italianfood.about.com/od/boiledbe…

You could also make a pasta salad which might include shrimp and/or crab meat as a main dish or just serve additional filling salad like egg or tuna salad.

I would definitely make sure to pick food you can make ahead of time, feeding that many people can be exhausting.

http://italianfood.about.com/od/boiledbe…

Cold roast beef is nice or a baked ham or a turkey - you can either buy it already sliced and on trays or you can roast them yourself and then chill them and slice them. Have a bunch of sliced buns too and mayo, mustard, cranberry sauce, and relish so that people can make a sandwich. I would roast a turkey and a ham or a beef. The turkey will appeal to people that don't eat red meat. The beef will have to be sliced thinly.

chef

It would almost have to be cold cuts...A platter of different meats and cheeses..then you need a condiment assortment...and some types of rolls or breads...Variety so everyone has a choice...Plenty of cheese just in case there are vegetarians in the crowd...maybe a vegetable platter instead of a salad..2 or 3 kinds of salad dressing for the dips...Serve it buffet style...less work for you...

Have fun......

you could make some thing like mini hot dogs
its small pieces of hot dog wrapped in a triangle of dough
all you have to do is wrap it and bake it
you can buy the dough used for croissants
i found this idea on a commercial