When you're entertaining a large number of guests in your home, a buffet is the perfect way to serve the food. Party at Home host Heidi Bohay says that an elegant buffet offers an opportunity to display your menu items in a creative manner that reflects your personal taste and style. Joining Bohay to offer advice on setting up your buffet table is Joy Shefter, food stylist, party planner and caterer. She explains the details to take into account as you prepare for your party. - First, decide exactly where in the room you want to place the table. Depending on the number of guests attending, it can be in the middle of the room or against a wall. If more than 20 people will be in the room, it's helpful to be able to walk around the table. If there are fewer than 10 guests invited, then the extra serving space is not so important. For this party, Shefter decides to place the table on the diagonal, under the chandelier (figure A).
- If you need to plug in a hot plate or coffeemaker, make sure there's an outlet available nearby and set the table against the wall to avoid tripping over the electrical cord.
- Set the table logically: group napkins, plates and silverware together on one end of the table so guests won't have to search for them.
- Candles are essential when creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere at your party. On the buffet table, candles should be positioned in a way that avoids potential burns when guests reach for food.
- Each menu item needs to have its own serving utensil, whatever is appropriate for the particular dish. If unexpected guests arrive, you can use smaller utensils to control the size of the portions of food.
- Shefter suggests using smaller serving trays so that the food looks fresh longer, as the trays will need to be switched out more often.
- Set your buffet table with careful attention to color, and remember that flowers always add elegance to a room.
Shefter explains that creating various levels on a buffet table adds a professional touch to your party. Lovely food doesn't deserve to lie on a flat surface: displaying colorful food and flowers in a three-dimensional tableau adds depth and beauty to the buffet. She demonstrates a few simple tricks that elevate your dishes to their proper station: - Use old boxes or cans underneath your tablecloth to add various levels to the buffet (figure B). Shefter says she isn't too careful about laying the fabric over the boxes or cans because the wrinkles and folds lend an elegance to the table.
- Another unique way to raise your dishes is to set one bowl upside down on the table, then place another bowl on top (figure C).
- If you don't have a large quantity of a particular item, such as nuts or shrimp, place some bunched aluminum foil in the bottom of the serving bowl to occupy the extra space.
- Place a bag of beans underneath one side of a platter to tilt it up at an angle. If you don't have a bag of beans, make your own prop by filling a zippered plastic bag with unpopped popcorn kernels. This is a beautiful way to display pies or any other dish that won't slide off the serving tray.
Finally, Shefter says not to be afraid to use store-bought items such as cookies on your buffet. It's easy to dress them up by adding some garnishes and fruit to the platter. She also suggests decorating the table with greenery and flowers found around the yard for economical elegance.
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