# Salad and dressing for 400



## treehugger057

So I was trying to figure out a way to transport my salad mix 30 miles to an event! I need to figure out a way to keep the salad cold during transit as well as the event! Any idea's? Also I will need to bring dressing and am concerned I am allowing to much per person. Is 2oz of dressing per person too much? 

So you know they will have 
prime rib and 
a chicken dish
grilled veg
roasted potato

I am sure not everyone will have salad so any tips would be great thanks
tyler


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## shroomgirl

Ice chest and mix there, if there is no fridge space keep in ice chest only dress when needed. 2 gallon ziplocks are your friend. Summer huge picnics I've put a smaller pebble bowl into a larger pebble bowl filled with ice. As it's fall it shouldn't be a problem.


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## ed buchanan

2 ounces is what I figure pp.(about 7 gallons) Now to salad, fill 2 large garbage bags with ice(heavy bags) Fill slightly smaller bags with salad mixture seal well and put inside other ice filled bags. Works for me many times + then have 4 more bags to throw trash in when they are empty.:chef: 
Another advantage no weight from bulky ice chest. But you could use plastic garbage can(new)


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## treehugger057

Well I already bought a new trashcan and thanks for the tip with the ice!


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## caterchef

I always use the Cambro Food Boxes 18x26in. They have colanders that fit inside.
They also fit in your transporters. I also use the Cambro Insulated Containers to transport salad dressing. I don't use garbage bags and cans except for their intended purpose. Although Rubbermaid makes "Greens Keepers" that look like garbage cans. 
I also think grilled vegetables for 400 people is a bit time consuming. I would not do it.:thumb:


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## ed buchanan

Cambros are to heavy for WhAT THEY HOLD. And are far to expensive for some startup caterers


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## caterchef

My Cambros hold 22 gallons and are 15in. deep
I use the colanders to hold the ice during transport and to drain and then spin dry before serving. The colanders cost about $25 and the boxes about $35, the cover are only $12. I would say reasonable for the purpose they serve. And they are great for holding and heating pasta, just run hot water over them drain and serve.:thumb:


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## ed buchanan

Plastic bags cost about 20 cents each and hold 40 gallons, and no covers, new garbage can $20.00. Different strokes for different folks.


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## shroomgirl

many different ways of getting the same result.
Thanks for sharing pros.


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## caterchef

Serving a Banquet of Prime Rib to 400 people is not what start-up caterers usually 
start out with. A Prime Rib Banquet is on top of most caterers list, right up there with Live Lobsters, King Crab, Chateaubriand, Foie Gras, Roast Tenderloin and a Suckling Pig. 
And a Banquet of Prime Rib for 400 people should bring in over $12,000. I would think a couple hundred dollars for Cambros would be well in the profit margin.
I know if I were paying over $30 for a Banquet and happened to walk by the kitchen and saw a server getting salad out out a garbage bag and dressing out of a garbage can I would be very upset. This is what I was referring to on my original post on this forum. Maybe I will do a follow up post.:thumb:


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## treehugger057

Caterchef if their is no grillled veg then what would you suggest?


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## caterchef

Any vegetable you that could put in the steamer ie. harcot verte ( whole baby green beans) it holds up better than broccoli, asparagus or cauliflower or a veg. medley of sliced zucchini, yellow squash and carrots with a sprinkle of tarragon leaves. A baked creamed spinach souffle with a little feta or cottage cheese is always nice. It is better to have a vegetable that the wife or the local restaurant dosen't serve. It gives the customer something to remember and talk to their friends about. Sometimes it is not what is on the menu that they remember, it's the extra effort or the little something extra like a granish that will set you apart from everyone else. And don't forget to have plenty of business cards out. Word-of- Mouth advertising is the best there is and it's free.:thumb:


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## treehugger057

caterchef I intend to pre grill the squash and zuchinni cooks some red peppers and onion toss it in hotel pans and hold in steam tables. Does that make this a more viable option ?


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## treehugger057

hey if anyone else has another way I would love to hear it! thanks again tyler


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## shroomgirl

roasted veg platter for 400.....wow that's ambitious.
I'm with the others on selecting one and going with that....typically "medleys" are not my style, something green like broccoli or green beans or glazed carrots as a secondary work for big groups.


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## caterchef

I just feel grilling any vegetable for 400 people is too time consuming and every restaurant is doing it. I feel it would be better to do a vegetable that they don't normally prepare like harcot verte, a spinach or fresh corn souffle. The veg.medley looks great if you use a waffle cutter and you can still add your red pepper strips. But, definitely not asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower unless you have a convection steamer on site. :thumb:


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## treehugger057

Crazy it may be! I am undertaking this with one prep cook! I must be gluttonous for torture.


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## shroomgirl

400, 2 guys......yeah that would be crazy.....just hauling shtuff around can be back breaking, but refilling the food?


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## treehugger057

Sorry If my post was misleading, I was in a rush earlier! I have a wait staff! I simply have one cook to help prepare this food! It shall be a long week! eace:


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## ed buchanan

How about Stuffed Tomato Monte Blanc or Zuchinni boats with julianne of carrot and yellow squash < or Japanese greenbeans tied with leek or carrot bundles tied with leek.
or ramen noodles with julianne of veges, Roasted beets and parsnips


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## just jim

Hmmm, a food storage bag (or proofing bag) and a food storage bin would look to the uninformed like trash bags and garbage cans, but would in fact be used for their intended purpose.


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## ed buchanan

Just Jim;286268 said:


> Jim , Reason I wrote double bags for a startup is because as you know in the beginning a start-up operation does not have the resource or luxury that established caterers do of having funds to buy every little thing they need. That comes from time and profits. In the beginning you have to improvise(that's what catering off premise is). And in some cases packing in double bags is better then cabinets because they are disposable where-as I have seen cabinets that the insides held last monthes dinner on their inner walls. I feel as long as handled in a sanitary manner they are fine, as does the health department.


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## just jim

I don't disagree with anything you stated.


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## treehugger057

40$ a ticket and this is arkansas! I can bring my salad n a brand new trash can and nobody will say a word! God I am going to miss living here when I go to Denver, but hey I like those mountains better anyway!
The party is friday and everything is set! Yes this is the first time this place has ever done catering, however I ran a catering company for 7 years. So this will not be easy but is well within my range! Thanks for everything.
peace n respect tyler


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## just jim

We used to store our lettuce and canned/jarred seafood in "garbage cans", double barreled the seafood with the inner one drilled for drainage of melting ice.
Also, you can take a barrels worth of salad mix, put it in a _food storage bag, _and squeeze all of the air out.
In this manner you can fit 4 or 5 barrels worth of fluffed up salad mix into one container for storage/transport.


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## shroomgirl

What is a barrel of salad? 
I've never heard of that measurement.


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## just jim

My apologies if I should have used precise language.
It's not an industry term.
I suppose crapload would've been a better description, as that measurement is more often used. :roll:
As I described the seafood container as "double barreled" I thought anyone would be able to decipher that a garbage can was a barrel.
If you fill it, it's a barrels worth, is it not?
It was merely an effort to describe a storage technique.
So for those I confused, we will stick to "garbage can".
If you take a "garbage can" full of salad and compress it as I described, you can fit 4-5 "garbage cans" full of salad into one "garbage can" for transport.

Feel free to substitute any storage container you are familiar with, it's not relative to the procedure.

And before it starts, I prefer the term food storage bin, but I'm trying to make this more easily understood for those who may have a problem with my verbiage.


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## shroomgirl

sorry to be so dense....I kept thinking he didn't say case....what the hey is a barrel?
Got the insert reference....ice on bottom, food over it in another container.


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## just jim

Actually, the upper barrel is bottom drilled, the bottom barrel catches the run off.
Upper is filled with ice and the canned crab, jarred oyster, etc.
Haven't done that in years, haven't worked a place that does that much volume in those particular foodstuffs.

Ice in the bottom barrel wouldn't keep food above it cold enough.


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## ed buchanan

One Large Rubbermaid commercial cans holds enough for about 325- 375 -7 inch mesclin mix salads. Talk about portion control?:roll:


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## caterchef

Rubbermaid makes what they call a "Greens Kepper" It's a FDA compliant white
Perforated container that looks like a garbage can set inside of another with a spigot on bottom on wheels. They cost $200 for 20 gal. and $250 for 32 gal.size. 
I use them in the walk-in cooler but, would never take them to an event. :thumb:


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## ed buchanan

I looked at one years ago. Went to Home Depot bpought 6 rubbermaid cans 3 spigots and made 3 of them for $96.00. ou can even make salad spinners out of them. I do not ship interstate so need no FDA compliance.:chef:


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## treehugger057

Party went off without a hitch! ok that is not true, but nothing we could not handle! I haven't worked in catering since dec. 05. So it was actually a lot of fun, till we had to clean up the plates and silverware. The owners came to me and told me I made it look easy! I assured them it was not. coarse I am sure they are tired after cleaning that mess up. All and all it was a great success for being a first time for catering! It was also chamber of commerce, which should bring us great business next spring when all the tourist pile into these resorts looking for a nice place to go eat.
Peace of my Day
Tyler


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## shroomgirl

ou can even make salad spinners out of them
how?

Treehugger, thanks for coming back and sharing your experience. Welcome to Cheftalk Pro Catering.


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## ed buchanan

I used old billiard balls I had in garage in he bottom of outer can, put other can inside it( Holes Punched in sides)
inner can it now elevated then just turn it and keep turning it . most of water comes out.


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## shroomgirl

did you add a handle?


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## ed buchanan

At first no, but later on, the handy man made one out of plastic fencing.


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