Do It Yourself Cooking

Do it yourself COOKING

Cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen and for a large group and with people you have never worked with before easily leads to delays. Portions are often too large or too small and not quite the taste you had hoped for.

Prepare early. Take the afternoon to do the shopping or order before you arrive. Albert Heijn and Lidl are nearby.

We have 3 kitchens. Each kitchen has a 4 point induction top, a refrigerator and a dishwashing machine. On the ground floor, the kitchen has an oven of the usual size. This is the baking and frying kitchen. The second kitchen is equipped for preparing salads and vegetables. The third kitchen is for big pot cooking. Think rice, soups or stews. This kitchen has a 25 portion rice cooker and a special soup heater.

Team 4 sets the table and team 5 does the disches!

We strongly advise that you do not all pile up in one kitchen: divide into groups and work in different kitchens. One group may do the dessert in one kitchen, the other may prepare a salad in the second kitchen, while the third group prepares the main course in the third kitchen. More than 3 persons in one kitchen are usually not productive.

Make the main course something that is easily cooked in mass, maybe a stew or something quick and easy like a chili con carne or spaghetti with a sauce.

Another trick of the pros: don’t try to do everything at the same time. Most chefs have their cold desserts finished long before they start on the main course. And they have cleaned and cut the food long before they actually start cooking. Or they buy washed and cut, potatoes peeled and pre-cooked, ready-made sauces, etc.

Start with a relatively simple meal like breakfast. If that goes well, try your hand with a not too elaborate lunch and then progress to dinner. You miss a kitchen appliance you need for the dish you have in mind? Ask us and we may be able to provide it from our own kitchen!

Supermarkets nearby are:

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Alternatively: do as my family does at Christmas time: make it an assignment that some group members make one large dish at home and bring it to your gathering. Most people know how to make at least one dish!