Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
Keeping The Numbers Under Control
If it's your first dinner party, keep the number of visitors to 4 to 6 people.
Check to see if any of your guests have any special dietary needs so you can create a menu that will please everyone while keeping things simple for yourself. Our recommendation is to keep as many courses as possible the same for your guests. For vegetarians, we normally prepare a starter and dessert that are good for both meat-eaters and vegetarians and then substitute a different main meal, so that our meat-eating visitors can still enjoy their main course while keeping things simple for you to prepare.
Carefully Selecting What To Cook
With so many recipes available on the internet, deciding what to make for your dinner party can be difficult. Themed menus help you focus by limiting your options and ensuring that the flavors of your courses complement each other. A menu theme can help you determine what to cook, drink, and even how to set the table.
Choose simple recipes, or if you must, make sure you can perform the majority of the preparation the day before to reduce stress on the day of the event. Simple meals are delicious, and the event is as much about mingling as it is about eating, so keep it simple so everyone can enjoy themselves.
Use dishes you've made before, or plan and make the recipes a week ahead of time so you've tested them and know how to prepare them. Cooking a recipe you've never tried before for a dinner party might be stressful, so keep it basic and cook something you're comfortable with.
Balance the menu by looking at each course and ensuring that you have the proper quantity of fresh, fat, sweetness, sourness, and the best olive oil. If you're serving a heavy main course, provide a light appetizer and a light dessert to avoid overwhelming your visitors. Make each meal a unique flavor experience.
Make it easy on yourself by carefully selecting your recipes; hosting your dinner party should be a pleasure.
Make A Schedule
Planning your time may seem apparent, but small details can add up quickly. Here's a list of things to consider so you don't have to scramble at the last minute.
Everything in your dinner does not have to be homemade; stores have a plethora of convenient shortcut products; take advantage of them. Once you've decided on your recipes, make a schedule of what you'll do and when you'll do it so you don't forget anything.
If you use a device to cook, scan and print your recipes or enter them into a spreadsheet. Change the proportions on your recipe because you can forget to multiply your ingredients if you get too busy.
Make a shopping list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Control The Ambiance Of The Party
You will still have less time than you expect, so prepare as much as you can ahead of time. Prepare the table the day before. Consider creating a playlist because you will require background music. Consider drinks, and if you're doing a themed party, make the drinks match the theme, and make sure there's something for non-drinkers.
Consider illumination; most individuals like to see what they're eating, but you also want to create a pleasant environment. Avoid fragrant candles by using a mixture of fairy lights and candles. If you have a large number of guests, make a seating arrangement to save time and confusion for your guests.
These four tips should help you to keep your stress low when hosting a dinner party. Do you have any others tops that may help? Please share some of them in the comments below.