[Sca-cooks] Intro and Newbie question - estimating meat portions

Antonia Calvo ladyadele at paradise.net.nz
Wed Mar 12 15:16:43 PDT 2008


Terry Decker wrote:

>>Dragon wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Typical 3-pound whole chickens I get at my local restaurant supply I count
>>>on using two per table of eight people.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>I tend to go with just one of those per table of eight, but I'm often
>>serving several meat dishes.
>>
>>    
>>
>
>Much will depend on what dishes are served with the bird.  If there is a 
>good range of additional food, a single bird can be parted out between eight 
>people.  A more meager course will require about 1/4 bird per person.  I've 
>done it both ways.  My preference is to avoid whole birds and work with 
>pieces, thighs, breasts, drumsticks, where I can better control the 
>portions.
>  
>

In my perfect world, any time a whole chicken (duck, goose, etc.) was to 
be served to a table, there'd be a server with a large, sharp, knife 
capable of carving it neatly.  Sadly, it doesn't always work that way. 

I would typically have something like 2-3 meat/fish/poultry dishes + 2-3 
vegetable dishes + 1 carbohydrate + condiments + 1 wildcard  in a second 
course, so if one of the meats is a chicken, it doesn't have to go all 
that far.  

-- 
Antonia Calvo 
(formerly known as Adele de Maisieres)

-----------------------------
Habeo metrum - musicamque,
hominem meam. Expectat alium quid?
-Georgeus Gershwinus
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