"enuff" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jackie pace" > wrote in message
> om...
> > just like to thank everyone for their very helpful responses, and say
> > that I've got 2 months to prepare, I am dealing with the hygiene and
> > safety issues (course booked up), and will do a dummy run on chums.
> > Breakfasts will be staggered according to when guests come down so I
> > must be prepared. I will also consider black pudding and any other
> > suggestions, and will prepare a ticklist for guests to complete the
> > night before. it's the eggs that are gonna challenge me as they are so
> > time critical.
>
> Hi Jackie
>
> I missed your original post but will have a look back. I run a youth
hostel
> and spend most of my life cooking breakfasts for 20-70 people. We have
about
> 8 different cooked breakfasts on our menu, luckily with large groups most
> people choose the night before, its the odd few that just turn up and want
> breakfast that can throw things.
>
> Eggs are the easy bit, once you get the knack ;-)
>
> First, get a good pan. Don't try and save a few quid, get a good catering
> grade pan, anywhere up to £60 is probably about right. I use a paella pan
> that will hold about 10 eggs. Put in about 1/3" of oil and heat gently for
> ten minutes before you plan to start your first egg. The oil should be
very
> warm as opposed to *hot*, just enough to set the egg white. In a very low
> oven (or a hot plate warmer) have several baking trays. Start you first
> batch of eggs 15 mins before the first breakfast is expected and cook just
> enough to set the outer white and make the egg stable, the white around
the
> yolk should not be cooked at all. Put these on the bottom tray in the
> warmer. Repeat the process cooking the whites a little more with each
batch
> to compensate for the reduced oven time as servery picks up.
>
> Also, sounds pedantic, but remember what order you put your eggs in the
pan
> and remove in the same order. If it takes 5 seconds to get an egg in or
out
> of the pan and your doing 10 at a time the first one could be cooked for
an
> extra 50 seconds which on a 2 minute egg is a lot of cooking!
>
> The trick is to practice, lots! Took me a while to get the knack and it
> takes a few mornings to get back into the swing of it each year so don;t
> expect it to be perfect to begin with.
>
> Other things we do is to tray up bacon and cook in the oven, same with
> sausages. We do this in batchs of 10-15 per tray and put them in 5 minutes
> apart so we get a "perfect servery window" of about 20 minutes, after this
> they're kept in a warmer. Beans we microwave, quick, easy and less hob
space
> taken up. Same with scrambled eggs. We don;t do boiled eggs, too fussy
time
> wise and takes too much attention. Kippers with scrambled eggs and oven
> grilled tomatos is a firm favourite and very easy. Just chuck it all in
the
> oven for 15 mins, toast and eggs and its done.
>
> If I can be of any help just post and I'll give you a more detailed
> breakdown of breakfast servery.
>
> Tony
>
>

Just googled, 12 for a week isn;t too bad. You'll survive, just keep the
ovens hot and bacon cooks in 10 mins, sausages in 20. Fry your eggs on
demand (keep the pan warm) and they'll only take 3 mins. Beans keep in a
bowl and nuke, do toast on demand. Toms can be done in the oven. Trick is to
plan ahead. Write a timeline for one breakfast, then two, then three and
you'll get a clear picture in your head of when and how to cook things.

Then practice, live on fried breakfasts for a few days and you'll soon get
the hang of it (out of necessity!)

HTH

Tony