Tips for cooking at someone's else's house, make meal preparation less stressful for you

July 11, 6:06 PMMinneapolis Cooking ExaminerRebecca Adams

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Minneapolis Cooking Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Visiting friends can be fun whether you
dine in or out!

I have often cooked at other's people's houses - if I am there more than a day, I try to treat my host to a night in without making them do all the "work."  Some of you reading this may have been given a glass of wine and ushered into your favorite chair so I have more space for my creations. 

So, based on several experiences, I'd like to share some insight and expertise I have gained from preparing food at many places other than my own kitchen. 

Before doing any serious cooking, make an observation on how your host's grill or stovetop heats food in relation to your own.

I often cook at my sister's house and I know their grill heats more powerfully than mine.  So, when asked to prep hamburgers, I made them a little thinner with breadcrumbs and eggs with a bigger dent in the middle and refrigerated them for a while to hold it together during a faster cooking time.  
 

Prepare your recipes as carefully as you would if you were trying something new in your own kitchen.  NEVER expect your equipment, pans and heating elements will react to food the same way as those in your host's kitchen. 

Watch the fried stuff, open the oven to check, use the meat thermometer and stay close to the actual recipe directions even if you let things slide a little in your own kitchen. 

Do not attempt more than one "gotta watch this closely" recipe in one meal - pair an intense prep item with a slow roast or do-ahead of time element.

I do this at my own house, actually.  If I am making risotto (a stand-there-and-mix-for-20-minute-thing) I am certainly not making steaks on the grill outside at the same time - I usually pair it with a slow-roasted chicken which is quite forgiving.  Cold salads of all kinds can be done well before everything else.  If you are grilling, salads and slow-cook side items (like beans, a slow-cook casserole or baked potatoes) are ideal dinner sides. 

Please write in with more ideas that have worked for you "on-location."

CROWD-FRIENDLY RECIPES: