Many fond holiday memories occur around the dinner table during meals with friends and family.
Holiday foods tend to be rich, flavorful, and time-consuming to prepare. However, all the effort is usually worth the satisfied smiles on the faces of loved ones.
Planning holiday meals is challenging, and hosts may worry about having enough food for everyone. No one wants guests to leave feeling hungry, nor do they want to have tons of leftovers, much of which will inevitably end up in the trash.
Determining how much food to serve involves figuring out a few key items, including the mix of guests (ratio of children, women, and men), the length of the occasion, the timing of the event, and the type of meal one plans to serve. For example, if the holiday gathering is an after-dinner cocktail party, hosts can get away with offering less food. However, hosts of holiday dinners have a lot more food to prepare.
To get started, general guidelines are available courtesy of Allrecipes.com and The Spruce, a home living resource. Hosts should think about which foods they plan to serve. Popular foods tend to go more quickly than other items, so serve more than the general portion guidelines suggest. Shellfish appetizers, roasted or mashed potatoes, wings, and slices of rich meat are examples of popular fare.
The more foods offered, the smaller the portion sizes can be. But because guests will likely want to try all the offerings, expect the average person to consume more food per individual when several foods are offered.
Most people will eat two to three portions each of appetizers or snacks. In fact, appetizers may be consumed in greater abundance than subsequent courses.
The average portion sizes for each guest include three ounces of dips, three ounces of salad, six ounces of meat or main entree, five ounces of starch, and one-and-a-half pieces of dessert. These estimates can be used to calculate how much food will be needed.
Hosts are encouraged to think about adding "safety" items to the menu that can be pulled out in a pinch and do not require much prep work. These can include cheese and crackers, extra bread, nuts, olives, or pretzels.
Hosts who are overly concerned that guests may go overboard can tame portion sizes by hiring servers who can oversee buffet lines. Otherwise, guests can be served plated meals directly from the kitchen, from which hosts can dole out the right amount of food to ensure everyone gets enough to eat.
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