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Hi Guys and Gals,
Just purchased a 10 quart propane fish fryer, it has 14" aluminum pot, and 3/4 gallon of oil capacity. I will also have two small fry daddy's.
Been fryin fish for a good many years, but never for such a large group. Any suggestions and tips would be appreciated. I have already purchased the peanut oil, have the fish too.:biggrin
Regards,
pescador
Now this is just for regular servings(a starting point) not big servings and double servings like I eat.:biggrin So you may want to double some of the best foods to have enough.
cooking for crowd groups planner | The Old Farmer's Almanac
FOOD SERVE 25 SERVE 50 SERVE 100 Meats Chicken or turkey breast 12–½ pounds 25 pounds 50 pounds Fish (fillets or steaks) 7–½ pounds 15 pounds 30 pounds Hamburgers 8–9 pounds 15–18 pounds 30–36 pounds Ham or roast beef 10 pounds 20 pounds 40 pounds Hot dogs 6 pounds 12–½ pounds 25 pounds Meat loaf 6 pounds 12 pounds 24 pounds Oysters 1 gallon 2 gallons 4 gallons Pork 10 pounds 20 pounds 40 pounds Miscellaneous Bread (loaves) 3 5 10 Butter ¾ pound 1–½ pounds 3 pounds Cheese ¾ pound 1–½ pounds 3 pounds Coffee ¾ pound 1–½ pounds 3 pounds Milk 1–½ gallons 3 gallons 6 gallons Nuts ¾ pound 1–½ pounds 3 pounds Olives ½ pound 1 pound 2 pounds Pickles ½ quart 1 quart 2 quarts Rolls 50 100 200 Soup 5 quarts 2–½ gallons 5 gallons Side Dishes Baked beans 5 quarts 2–½ gallons 5 gallons Beets 7–½ pounds 15 pounds 30 pounds Cabbage for coleslaw 5 pounds 10 pounds 20 pounds Carrots 7–½ pounds 15 pounds 30 pounds Lettuce for salad (heads) 5 10 20 Peas (fresh) 12 pounds 25 pounds 50 pounds Potatoes 9 pounds 18 pounds 36 pounds Potato salad 3 quarts 1–½ gallons 3 gallons Salad dressing 3 cups 1–½ quarts 3 quarts Desserts Cakes 2 4 8 Ice cream 1 gallon 2 gallons 4 gallons Pies 4 9 18 Whipping cream 1 pint 2 pints 4 pints
Thanks scrat
My concern is, how to keep the fish hot for serving maybe 10-15 people at a time, I know I won't be able to serve all 30 people at once.
suggestions and comments welcome.
It's been a while but I think I use to figure about a 1/2 lb of fish per person if I thought their was a lot of big eaters. Use to use bigger fryers than you have there for that many,your may be pressed some. If you overheat the oil or get too much breading in it you may have to change the oil part way through.We use to put the fish in coolers lined with a lot of paper towels if the crowd was outdoorsy enough types. I prefer laying them out on large pans with paper towels on them and then lightly cover with more towels and hold in an oven about 175 or so. You can also use an outdoor gas grill if you have one to hold it just use like a warmer. If you seal them in anything to tightly they will get a little soft from the steam.
I use to commercial fish and sale it for fish frys but it's been a while....I think light eaters you could get by with a little less fish per person if you have a lot of sides. But I have seen some big guys swilling beer gobble up a 1lb per person or so.
It has been a while though I forget stuff sometimes these days.
Thanks doggone, appreciate the reply. Will ask the guests to be patient with me! Definitely will have enough fish.
Have everything ready but fish. Start cooking and have them start eating as fish comes out of grease. I will not stockpile fish. It will lose flavor quickly, even worse if you try to keep it warm. Instead of fries I cook skillet fried potatoes and keep warm in a crockpot.
I would suggest another cooker for that many people.
Thanks speckfinder, lots of good info. Think I will purchase another cooker too. We will have potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, dinner rolls, and of course the fish. :ThumbsUp
I have one of these...works great..Attachment 232844
NICE!
At our Church we fry catfish every 4th of July and sometimes around fall harvest. So to keep the stuff( fish,fries chicken,ect.) warm we made a homemade warmer. It is just a big plywood box with a 2x4 in the center with 3 heat lamps(flood lights) to keep everything warm. The ladies of the Church lines the bottom with tin foil(helps reflect the heat and makes cleanup easy also) and then places towel paper in the bottom to soak up the excess oils. This has worked for us and may help someone else. I drawed a picture the best I could to show how it is made. Side view and top view.
Attachment 232874
Great idea scrat, thanks!
This will save you a lot of time cooking. We will cook for a group of about 150 every February. I get Andy's regular coating and mix with corn meal and corn flour then add garlic salt to taste. Thaw out the fillets early and coat with breading. This is a good time to check for bones if fish was donated.Lay out in aluminum pan without letting the fillets touch. Cover with cellophane and add additional layers of fish covering each layer with cellophane as needed. Place back in freezer until solid. (Must be completely frozen) then remove from freezer and separate with a table knife. Place in gallon ziplock bags and put back in freezer until ready to cook. These will keep for 2 to 3 months before freezer burning. Place frozen filets in 350 degree grease until they float for 1 to 2 minutes. We cook in roaster pans on turkey fryers and can add about a gallon of fillets at once. Line pans with paper towels and cover with foil. If needed place in warm oven until all are ready. If you leave them out while cooking you will run out of fish before time to serve.
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You might want to reconsider using peanut oil. Some people are highly allergic to peanuts. We prefer canola oil. It still holds up to the heat but no issues with allergies.
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Rice bran oil is really good also.
Agree on the peanut oil. Have run into problems especially with kids.
at least put a sign up stating that your using it.
maybe you can teturn it and save some money.
I have read in cooking forums that processed peanut oil like we use in frying is non-allergenic.Quote:
Originally Posted by jigfisherx
I have seen that too.
but parents that have had problems won't take a chance.
I should have replied long before this. Anyhow the Fish Fry was a HUGE success, I appreciate all the suggestions and tips.:ThumbsUp :biggrin
Ended up buying two of the outdoor cookers and they worked great, but you do have to watch the oil temps closely. I was able to fry 8-9 filets at a time in each fryer, only took about 3 minutes per batch. Had a real good assembly line type set up. Fish were thawed out in the fridge, it took two days for 25 pounds of fish. One person was dipping fish in egg, the next was breading and I was doing the frying. We had all 29-30 people served in one hour. As soon as two batches were cooked people were served, so everyone's fish was HOT.
We had such a great time and it was fun for me to share my catch. I did notify people in my invitations, that I would be using peanut oil.
Some things I found out:
1. 1/2 pound of fish per person would be plenty. I estimated 1 pound and had a lot left over!:bash
2. I bought a vacuum sealer, after I had used Ziploc bags, for about half my fish. What I found out was, that the vacuum sealed fish thawed out much, much faster in the fridge than the Ziplocs.
3. A long handled wire strainer, really is helpful in removing the breading that falls off and floats. Luckily I had purchased one, worked GREAT.
4. :biggrin Does your heart GOOD to share!!:biggrin
5. Depending on my catch, this could be a yearly thing?????:dono :woohoo:fish:cheers2
Nice. Thanks for the detailed reply.
I'll be doing a big one the end of June. Also will have hush puppies.
I plan on 1/2 per person . Get you a thermometer because with thin aluminum pans it is easy to over heat and burn oil ( 325 to 375 range ) . I changed my pan for a cast iron dutch oven which holds heat better . Also drain fish in a colander and then lay out on paper towels and pat off excess moisture to save on meal (breading ). I use a gallon zip lock type bag to shake fish in breading . Then when your finished left over breading goes in the freezer for next cook out .
To keep things moving, you might have a helper prep your fish for the bath.
Dont use paper towels to line your pans. Buy some cheap sandwich bread to use. Pulls the grease from the fish and fries for a less greasy fish fillet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abu65
This oil has one of the highest scorching point and one of the FEW if ANY that does not transfer taste to your food!
And pat your fish dry with a towel BEFORE you apply cornmeal. It will not look like the cornmeal is on the fish but drop it in the grease and it will make a beautiful crispy fish filet AND....... you will not get as much meal in your oil as your cooking.
Lots of crappie