Planning in the Kitchen Ensures a Successful Christmas Dinner

“Planning when shopping is a very important element,” says Panamanian chef Edna Cochez in a Panamá interview.   It is like a tool to avoid over-buying and then turning it into an unnecessary expense.  “First, I consider my guests’ dietary restrictions, which is very important nowadays because not everyone eats everything. So that would be one of the points I address in this planning challenge to be the best hostess,” Cochez highlights. Additionally, she states that “before making a menu, I examine a balanced option that has carbohydrates, some protein and vegetables.”  Setting a budget for dinner, according to the chef, allows the host to estimate how many people they can invite.

“The number of people is important, it is not the same to prepare food for many people as it is to have a small number of guests in your house and then you can buy a more specific protein that feeds them well without going over budget.” In addition to this, she also suggests considering the hours in which the meal will be held.  According to Cochez, a meal suggestion for a large group of people that is cost effective could be rice with chicken, since it contains rice, chicken and vegetables together, and is usually accompanied by ripe plantain or a portion of salad. If it is a small group, you can buy a protein, such as ham, and prepare four or five cheaper accompaniments, and “that way people won’t eat so much ham.” 

The chef highlights that this tool will help the host, because “if you invite people at 3 in the afternoon, they will not eat the same as if it were 12 noon; you have to organize your event understanding your hours and the number of people who will come.”  Cochez repeatedly stresses how crucial it is to know the number of guests who confirm their attendance at the dinner or event, since in his experience he has always calculated that at least 20% of the guest list does not attend and this percentage varies according to the time of year. He estimates that at the end of the year parties it is more common for fewer people to attend due to the number of commitments they may have. 

Another element that must be considered and is rarely taken into account is the type of food that is going to be prepared and how much is reduced at the time of cooking. To better understand this point, present the following example:  “Protein is reduced in size when you cook it, approximately 25%, and that is essential for people to understand. If you buy a protein with bone, such as ham, which has less meat, then you buy a three-kilo ham, you must consider the reduction at the time it is cooked, the percentage that is removed, such as the skin, will probably be one kilo less.”  “So, when I make a purchase, I take all of these points into account and, in addition, I consider, according to proven data, that people eat about four ounces, and by considering all of that, I get a clearer idea of ​​what I will buy.” 

Continuing with the considerations, it is highlighted that the amount of food a person consumes depends on their sex, since it is scientifically proven that a man eats more than an average woman; if we consider the ages, a teenager consumes twice as much as an adult or a child.  At this point, the menu is put together and the shopping is done. “If you go to the supermarket and don’t see the recipe, it happens that you get home, you bought a jar of guava jelly and then you realize that the recipe said two, so it’s a pain to go out again…

So, it happens a lot to people who don’t see the recipes, they don’t have reliable recipes and for me it’s very important to have a good starting point, which is a good recipe that works,” shares Cochez.  She says that when it comes to the preparation phase, her biggest piece of advice is to “get organized, plan every detail and prepare it each day, so that you don’t have to do everything on the same day. For example, prepare your desserts and you can freeze them; prepare your sauce, vinaigrettes, etc., certain things that you can do in advance so that on the last day you really have to reheat or put in the oven, like the main protein, which is what takes the longest.”