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Party Planner - Appetizer Buying Guide

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Party Planner - Appetizer Buying Guide

The role your appetizers play in your party plan determines the amount per person you will need to prepare. The following is a general servings per person guideline for a wine and cheese party, cocktail party or impromptu gathering that serves easy to prepare appetizers and beverages. Several tips and general guidelines are printed at the bottom of this page or click on More for additional suggestions.


Note that this buying guide is not intended to provide sufficient food for a full meal or food for a gathering lasting longer than 2 hours. Therefore, it is wise to adjust your buying with these factors in mind.

Enter the number of Guests: Reset

Select the appetizers to be served:

Meat and Cheese Tray Prepared Deli Trays
Vegetables Fruit
Crackers, Chips, and Snacks Dips and Spreads
Cocktail and Finger Sandwiches Salads and Side Dishes
Seafood Appetizers Breads
Hot Appetizers Condiments
Desserts Beverages Per 2 Hour Period
Meat and Cheese Tray Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Ham   Turkey   Salami   Sausage
  Pepperoni   Prosciutto   Brie   Cheddar
  Colby Jack   Pepper Jack   Swiss   Blue
Add your own meat to tray :
       
Add your own cheese to tray :
       
Prepared Deli Trays Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Meat and Cheese Tray   Fruit Tray   Vegetable Tray
Vegetables Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Asparagus   Broccoli   Carrots   Cauliflower
  Celery   Small Tomatoes   Cucumber   Jicama
  Mushrooms   Pea Pods   Zucchini  
Add your own vegetables :
       
Fruit Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Blueberries   Cantaloupe   Grapes   Honeydew
  Pineapple   Raspberries   Strawberries   Watermelon
  Mixed Fruit      
Add your own fruit :
       
Crackers, Chips, and Snacks Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Crackers   Chips   Pretzels   Snack Mix
  Small Toast      
Add your own snacks : (Calculation similar to Chips, Pretzels, and Snack Mix)
       
Dips and Spreads Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Vegetable Dip   Cracker Dip   Chip Dip   Fruit Dip
  Cracker Spread   Toast Spread   Veggie Spread   Tahini
  Olive Spread   Salsa    
Add your own dips and spreads : (Calculation similar to Dips and Spreads)
       
Cocktail and Finger Sandwiches Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Ham   Turkey   Salami   Sausage
  Beef      
  American   Cheddar   Colby Jack   Swiss
  Cocktail Buns      
Salads and Side Dishes Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Potato Salad   Pasta Salad   Coleslaw   Lettuce Salad
  Vegetable Salad   Fruit Salad   Baked Beans   Bean Salad
Add your own salads and side dishes : (Calculation similar to a salad)
       
Seafood Appetizers Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Cocktail Shrimp   Jumbo Shrimp   Caviar   Scallops
  Crab Cakes   Salmon   Mussels   Oysters
  Calamari   Crab   Seafood Dip   Cocktail Sauce
Add your own seafood appetizers : ( Calculation similar to cocktail shrimp )
       
Breads Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Dinner Rolls   French Bread   Sweet Breads  
Add your own breads : ( Calculation similar to dinner rolls )
       
Hot Appetizers Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Small Wieners   Meatballs   Chicken Wings  
  Mini - Quiche   Canapes    
Add your own hot appetizers :
       
Condiments Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Mixed Nuts   Olives   Pickles  
Desserts Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  Dessert Bars   Cake   Pie   Petits-fours
Add your own desserts : ( Calculation similar to bars, cake, and pie )
       
Beverages per 2 hour period Light Moderate Heavy View Grocery List
  White Wine Number of guests drinking white wine:
  Red Wine Number of guests drinking red wine:
  Beer Number of guests drinking beer:
  Soft Drinks Number of guests drinking soft drinks:
  Mineral Water Number of guests drinking mineral water:
  Fruit Punch Number of guests drinking fruit punch:
  Coffee Number of guests drinking coffee:
Add your own beverages : (Calculation similar to Soft Drinks)
  Number of guests drinking beverage:
  Number of guests drinking beverage:
  Number of guests drinking beverage:
Appetizers to Serve
Follow this standard guideline when determining how many types of appetizers to serve:
8 to 10 guests, serve 3 types of appetizers
12 to 16 guests, serve 4 or 5 types of appetizers
18 to 30 guests, serve 6 types of appetizers (include a minimum of 1 hot offering)
32 to 46 guests, serve 7 types of appetizers (include a minimum of 1 hot offering)
46+ guests, serve 8 types (include a minimum of 2 hot offerings)
Conversions
* 16 tbsp. = 1 Cup
* 16 oz. = 1 pound
* 32 oz. = 1 quart
Conversion Deli Style
1 pint = 1 pound, Serves 2-3
1 quart = 2 pounds, Serves 4-6
1/2 gal. = 4 pounds, Serves 10-12
1 gallon = 8 pounds, Serves 20-25
Helpful Hints
For items not listed, 4 appetizer pieces per person is a safe guideline for a host to follow.
Fresh vegetables can be prepared the day before your party. Store in storage bag or container and add several ice cubes to keep vegetables crisp until serving.
When it comes to beverages, adjust amounts according to the type of gathering and the drinking habits of your guests. Always remember to provide non-alcoholic beverages.
Keep a bucket of ice water handy to chill wine before serving.
To prevent misplacing of beverages, provide your guests with wine charms and/or personalized beverage holders.
Be prepared, it's always better to have too much food.
Serve a variety of hot and cold appetizers if a sit down meal does not follow.
Prepare as much as you can the day before the gathering.
Keep notes of what went right and what could have been done better, this will help in the planning of your next party.
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Party Planner - Appetizer Buying Guide Reviews

party planner appetizer buying guide

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Gama User
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"We are planning a wedding reception for about 200 people. We are just having finger food from 6:00 to 8:00. I used this Party Planner to get an idea of what we needed for food. I hope it is close. We will see what happens in a couple of weeks when we have the reception."
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