Spaghetti Dinner for 200 - premixed salad?!
Answers: Hello, I'm thinking of premixing the Ranch dressing into our huge salad(s) just before serving. We could waste a lot of extra $$$ if we purchased seperate dressings and only 1 or 2 are used. What is your opinion on this?
Portion cups. Portion out about 50 at a time, and set them out. 2 ounce portion cups are fairly inexpensive, and it is much cheaper than packets. Or just pour the dressing on top, so people can pick out how much they want, or place a small hotel pan on the side with a ladle, so people can use what they want. The gallon is waaay cheaper than the packets. I switched to prepping my own 2 ounce portion cups at the diner I run, to save $$.
You can't do that the salad will get wilted.
Bad idea.
Not everybody will want dressing on their salad, so you could end up alienating your guests in order to save a few dollars.
if its just before serving its no problem if it sits to long it will wilt and be yucky good luck
only if you are going to pour as it is going out the kitchen straigt to the table and they will be eaten immediately. if not, it would be better to give each person a plastic container with the dressing in it if you can't put bottles out on the tables.
Do what I do...Go to Dollar store and get several types. I always pour them into bowls with a ladle...it looks fancy and they don't know it is dollar store! Get an Italian and French, Ranch. There are some strange people out there who will only eat one kind...my husband will only eat French...hmmmm, what to do with him? I like em all.
Is a good idea to premix it, however...I would not recommend Ranch dressing but Italian dressing...Ranch dressing is creamy and tend to quilt lettuce much faster than Italian dressing...Another good dressing for pre mix is Balsamic Vinegar mix with italian dressing.\
Now, ALWAYS leave a 10% of salad without dressing, for those that do not want dressing on their salad. ( 20 salads)
Why not just buy little gravy boats at a dollar store or something and put the dressing in there instead? I think if you mix the dressing into the salad too early it will make the lettuce mushy.
If you want to premix it you should make a Caesar salad. More fitting for spaghetti anyway.
Bad idea . . . bad idea.
Go to a restaurant supply and buy a gallon. Put it in a bowl with ladle, or a couple of squeeze bottles, or something.
Or make it from mix, and serve it as above.
And I'd offer 2 choices, like Ranch and Italian.
How about instead of drenching the salads with dressing, why not have large bowls of salad dressing at the end of the serving tables with large spoons, that way folks could get as much or little of dressing as they want? That would save you alot of hassle and maybe a few bucks? You could probably even add a third dressing if you do it this way! I love the idea of a spaghetti dinner with salad! Good luck!
Go to Sam's Club or Costco... they have the big containers of the ranch dressing mix that you put together with buttermilk and mayo. You may need to get several of these and all the stuff to make it together with. Use a blender and then store it in 2-quart pitchers.
I would also suggest making a good vinaigrette (Italian) dressing as well.
Do NOT put any dressings on the salads until the people line up because it will make the salads wilt.