Aside from my inability to properly scale back to cook an appropriate amount of food for my guests (I just worry too much about anyone going away hungry or not finding something to like) I don’t have any stress about preparing a meal for a large group of guests. I host large family gatherings at least a few times each year (about 20 people, give or take..) and always cook enough to send everyone home with lots of leftovers. (So, I could easily have fed 40 people…but instead we all end up with lots of leftovers.)
My husband and I are a really good team in the kitchen, we plan out our menu and work on the dishes by counting back from the meal time.
Here’s what makes it less stressful for me:
1. Use advice like here to figure out what you should be doing each day in advance of the meal.
For example, I shop a few days before, then set everything out and double check that I’m not missing an ingredient the day BEFORE I’m prepping to cook.
2. Make in advance anything that can be chilled or re-heated easily. For example, if I’m making a jello salad or pie for dessert—I make those a day or two before the meal and put them in my second refrigerator.
3. Cook to your strengths. I’m a much better baker than I am a cook – so I always work at making especially good rolls or breads or pastries when I host a meal. My husband is much better at preparing meats than I am – whether on the grill or the roaster or the oven—I know he’ll do a better job getting the meat cooked just right. Pick dishes you do best and go from there. When left to my own devices entirely, I cook Japanese because that’s what I learned growing up..and at least where I live, very few people can have home-cooked Japanese meals, so they enjoy the change of pace.