ISO help w/lunch for 150 teens

[tenspeed]

You might want to consider cooler corn - corn on the cob cooked in a cooler. Put shucked ears of corn in a cooler, cover with boiling water, and let sit for 30 minutes. Keeps for a couple of hours. I've had it a number of times at catered events, often in a cheap styrofoam cooler.

Cooler Corn Recipe - Food.com

 

[Aunt Bea]

Not sure what you are planning for drinks, if money is tight I would go with some type of powdered drink mix instead of soda. It is usually cheaper, easier to transport, etc... Using smaller 9 or 10 ounce glasses can help to slow the rate at which it disappears.

A agree with the others on hitting up your local merchants for a donation of food or cash in exchange for a few kind words in a church bulletin or camp newsletter.

After the event if you have unopened packages of hot dogs, rolls etc... consider selling them to your organizers at cost, it will help replenish the funds for your group.

Good luck!

 

[gerria]

Good suggestions

I think it will be 50/50 or close boys to girls, so maybe 2 a piece?. I may not have enough time for the store donations for the chain stores as they usually like 2 months, but I will try that approach. Now I need to get my volunteers on board and figure the best way to cook those 300 plus hot dogs.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I think it will be 50/50 or close boys to girls, so maybe 2 a piece?. I may not have enough time for the store donations for the chain stores as they usually like 2 months, but I will try that approach. Now I need to get my volunteers on board and figure the best way to cook those 300 plus hot dogs.

Doing them on a couple of grills would be ideal or see if you can find a NESCO roaster and steam them.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7723988_cook-hot-dogs-nesco.html

Good luck!

 

[gerria]

Aunt Bea, I don't know if we will have access to grills and transporting them will take way too much room. How many dog will fit in the Nesco? Do they go in standing up like I've seen some do with slow cookers? Is there a problem with the ones in the middle steaming to temperature. Food safety is of course top priority.

 

[tenspeed]

I have no experience with this, but it seems to make sense to do it in a cooler if you don't have access to a roaster. Hot dogs are usually pre-cooked when you buy them.

The Neighbor's Blog: Tuesday Tried It -- Cooking in a Cooler

If you can cook a raw steak in a cooler, you should be able to keep hot dogs warm in a cooler.

Cook Your Meat in a Beer Cooler: The World's Best (and Cheapest) Sous Vide Hack | Serious Eats

Do you have access to a propane burner (aka turkey fryer) and a big pot?

 

[Aunt Bea]

Aunt Bea, I don't know if we will have access to grills and transporting them will take way too much room. How many dog will fit in the Nesco? Do they go in standing up like I've seen some do with slow cookers? Is there a problem with the ones in the middle steaming to temperature. Food safety is of course top priority.

The good news is that hot dogs are fully cooked so you should not have a problem unless you hold them at an improper temperature for an extended period of time. It might be a good idea to take an instant read thermometer with you so you can check a couple of hot dogs just to be safe.

The NESCO has a temperature dial so you can set the desired temperature. The link I provided says that an 18 quart NESCO will hold 10 packages of hot dogs. You could lay them in the roaster or stand them up. My concern about cooking a large number is that they may begin to split if they get overcooked, it won't hurt them they just don't look as nice.

If you don't have a NESCO you could use a large roaster, clam steamer of waterbath canner on top of the stove. Add a rack to the bottom of the pan, a couple cups of water and steam away.

Another possibility, if you have enough electrical outlets is to use electric pancake griddles to "fry" the hot dogs. You could also use two cast iron pancake griddles on top of a four burner stove and keep them warm in the oven or in crockpots.

Good luck!

 

[Aunt Bea]

Another tip from the good folks at Oscar Mayer, heat the hot dogs on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for approx. 10 minutes or until heated through.

How to cook the perfect Hot Dog | Oscar Mayer

 

[Dawgluver]

All the churches I've ever been to have had large Nesco roasters. Seems it's standard church kitchen equipment. You may want to ask your church if they have one or more you could use.

 

[Chef Munky]

The roaster idea is a good one. Just in case they don't ask around somebody is bound to have one that you could borrow. Stop by my house. I'll fix you up.

You could also cook the hotdogs in a crock pot. Load them up. Don't add water. The steam of them is all they will need. Another one for chili if you want.

If you can get a hold of a rotisserie that has the spits, Ronco's have 6. Each one can cook 2 at a time.

A local butcher could probably help out with the hot dogs. Some will give you a discount on the cases. Buy Kosher if you can.

 

[Farmer Jon]

I don't have experience feeding large groups of people. I do however have much experience feeding teenagers. Especially teenage boys. They eat a lot.

If you go with the Hot Dog bar. Figure 3 hotdogs per teen age boy. The girls will probably eat one but I will bet most will eat 2.

2 teenage boys will devour a large Pizza. (if you want a piece you better be quick. You may lose a finger)

2 teenage boys will eat a pound of hamburger with buns and all the fixings.

2 teen age boys will cost you over $15 at Mcdonalds using the dollar menu.

 

[gerria]

Would teen boys eat pasta or macaroni salad or Santa Fe salad (black beans, corn, jalapeños and tomatoes with a lime dressing)?

 

[Aunt Bea]

Would teen boys eat pasta or macaroni salad or Santa Fe salad (black beans, corn, jalapeños and tomatoes with a lime dressing)?

Who knows!

Teenage boys and girls will surprise you when it comes to food. These kids are going to be in a leadership position at your summer camp so I would expect that they would be adult enough to try the food that is offered.

The kids I know would wolf down a basic macaroni salad made with mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs etc... or an Italian antipasto style pasta salad with bits of salami and cheese mixed in. I think they would eat everything in the Santa Fe salad with the exception of the black beans, I would go with dark red kidney beans instead of the black beans.

Good luck!

 

[Farmer Jon]

Keep it simple. If one kid says yuck half of them won't even try it.