Pot Stickers & Fried Rice for 50

16 years ago

Hi Everyone!

I need to make Pot Stickers and Fried Rice for 50 adults.

I found this Fried Rice Recipe For 50 on-line that looks pretty simple Â but IÂm open to any/all suggestions from all of you. Otherwise, I will make this Friday night to reheat the next day at the event.

My main question is about the Pot Stickers. I plan to purchase Pot Stickers from CostCo. I usually make my own Â but not for 50! Anyway Â the way I usually cook my homemade pot-stickers is to brown the flat side in a bit of oil to desired color Â then add a bit of water and cover. I let them cook/steam until all the water is gone. How do I translate this into a large amount at a make-shift kitchen in a school parking lot?

Here is my plan. Please feel free to tweak this.

What if I brown all the pot stickers (100) at home Friday night Â but do not add any water. Then, the next day Â I will have a sterno setup so I can put some water into a tinfoil type pan, let it heat, add the pot stickers, cover and let cook until hot. Pour off any remain water. How does that sound??? IÂm worried they will fall apart Â but maybe that is unfoundedÂ

Thanks!

Jeri

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Comments (11)

User
16 years ago
jeri what a big undertaking! I hesitate to offer an opinion because I have never cooked so many pot stickers at once!

What I would be worried about with "Plan A" is that the pot stickers will not have cooked trough with the Friday night browning and I'm not sure that Sterno could get up enough heat to finish the cooking properly...but I don't know.

My thought would be to brown and steam on Friday night and then reheat in the foil pans, over Sterno, with a wee bit of chicken broth to keep moist.

I have warmed "leftover" pot sticker many times and have never had an issue with them falling apart as long as they are well sealed to begin with.

Good luck!
deborah_ps
16 years ago
My 2 cents is to use chicken stock instead of water. And it's not like you're going to boil them, so falling apart wouldn't be an issue.
Besides, when I've made even the costco ones, the leftovers are nice microwaved the next day.
The print on the fried rice recipe was too small to read, will you be making the rice a day or so ahead and then frying it?
Good luck Jeri!
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jeri
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much Â I really appreciate the helpÂ :-)

IÂve never tried to re-warm already cooked pot-stickers Â but it sounds like it will work. So, my new plan will be to cook them all the way and then reheat with the sterno pans the next day. Use chicken stock instead of water? Now why didnÂt I think of that! I would never cook rice with water Â why would I cook pot-stickers with it??? :-)

Re: Fried Rice Â That recipe I linked to actually bakes the rice. You heat oil and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add eggs (all 26 of them Â yikes!) and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Combine this with the pre-cooked rice, peas, carrots, and soy sauce and pour into 2 steam-table pans. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. My plan is to use my food saver to package the rice (I read somewhere this will keep it moist) and then just re-heat over the sterno the next day.
deborah_ps
16 years ago
Jeri,
The reason I ask is because any of the Fried Rice recipes that I use, highlight that the rice be cooked and cooled prior to putting it all together. Usually the rice is cooked and refrigerated the day before. That way it doesn't stick together in a big glob.
I'm sure you know what you are doing... just a thought.
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
Jeri, I think that I would brown, steam slightly, not until the wrappers are transparent..then take out and layer into single layer foil..cool enough to not over heat your fridge, and then get the sterno cranking..add the trays, pour in some water and let'er rip.
My husband reheats his potsticker in the micro..I like them cold. LOL

I didn't look at the rice recipe, but the way you describe..sounds good to me!
jeri
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm sure you know what you are doing.

LOL Â Deborah! I wish I did! If it wasnÂt for this forum and all of you with the experience and knowledge and willingness to share Â I would never volunteer for these jobs! :-)

Thanks Terri Â I will follow your advice and like you said Â they are good cold too Â so whatÂs the worse that can happen?

I was thrilled to Google "Fried Rice for 50" and actually find a recipe for that exact amount! And, even though traditional "fried" rice is not baked Â how else could a normal kitchen pull it off for 50 or more? If it comes out decent Â I will for sure save the recipe for future events. My daughter is a freshman and this is just the first of 4 years of fund raisers and band & drum line competitions. And I have another one just 5 years younger that will likely follow in her sisterÂs foot stepsÂ :-)

Thanks!

Jeri
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
I'm guessing this is more of a tasting thing right? There will be lots of other options? Because My husband and teen son can put away a dozen atleast each! 2 per person won't suffice..LOL
I just think that if you "almost" steam them done. Then they'll be less soggy at the end of serving, but you'll still know they are cooked through.

right???~just an unedjamacated guess really..LOL
steelmagnolia2007
16 years ago
Jeri, just a thought in case it would help any with your scheduling (and sanity) -- fried rice can be fully prepared, cooled and then frozen. It reheats just fine. Also makes it very easy to transport since it's not hot, there isn't any liquid sloshing around, etc.

Been there/done that, and I loved working on those big school projects back in the day. But it's a real challenge since things are already unbelievably hectic at that stage of your life. It sure cuts down on both the physical exhaustion and the mental stress if you can have one major dish completely finished a week or more in advance.

Sounds great. Good luck!

sm
Terrapots
16 years ago
I've had very little experience in "catering", just in eating. I recall one event where they relied on sterno warmers to reheat the food but the food was still not warm enough when eaten, actually stone cold. Hopefully, there is some way to preheat food before depending on sterno warmers to heat to the proper temp. Just my 2 cents.
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
Oh that is true terrapots..sterno will "help" hold the temp..but won't necessarily bring it up to a safe temp before serving...
good thought..I forgot that one!
Gina_W
16 years ago
Jeri, I just saw this - I bought potstickers for a party, and they kept warm and even crispy in an electric skillet. I lined the skillet in foil and after each layer of potstickers I used another layer of foil. If you can get the sternos and some aluminum pans set up like this I think it will be similar.

Pot Stickers & Fried Rice for 50

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