Efficient Power Cooking Show: Tips and Tricks for Quick Meal Prep

[riggs62]

Has anyone else done a Power Cooking show yet? This seemed to take me forever! My demos are normally under an hour, this seemed way longer. I started late, probably around 7:45, I wasn't in the car until 11pm!! ugh!

anyone else have this happen? I thought about prepping in advance, but here are so few tools used in those recipes that I left it so the guests could try out the FC and the chopper.

 

[JAE]

Check the Power Cooking thread. It is turning out to be a show that we aren't planning to keep doing. Not enough tools to show. I don't think it should take longer than any other demo. Sometimes things just take longer because of a late start and chatty guests. Taking orders takes lots of time too. That's a good thing.

 

[pamperedbecky]

I've had some very long shows lately, but I don't think it's because of the theme or the content. I just think the guests like to mingle, relax and take their time. My biggest predictor of if the show will seem to drag is whether or not I start on time. On time to me means by 7:20 pm if it's a 7 pm show. Now, having said that, I started at 20 minutes past the official start time both today AND yesterday and they STILL seemed to take forever. My demo sometimes is longer than 1 hour (maybe by 10 minutes or so) because of lots of questions, but even when I finish in an hour, it takes me forever to get out of there! And I'm BARELY taking any extra stuff. I need to better about getting people through the order process. Most of the delay is because people want to sit and chat and don't place orders right away. I'm all for that because I love when people know they can come to a show and take it easy, but it does slow things down and I get out the door later than I wanted to.

So, it may not be the power cooking show, in my opinion. It's actually one of the quickest demos I do because I prep just about any of the cutting, dicing, etc and the rest is opening cans and jars and throwing them in. I do a little walk through the catalog of the collections before I even start because there's really no cooking time to be able to cover all that. But I truly don't think my demos are longer than an hour usually.

Good luck!!! It'll get easier to do this power cooking. I've done THREE in the past week! I love this theme. It's becoming a huge hit for me!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Check the Power Cooking thread. It is turning out to be a show that we aren't planning to keep doing. Not enough tools to show. I don't think it should take longer than any other demo. Sometimes things just take longer because of a late start and chatty guests. Taking orders takes lots of time too. That's a good thing.

That's why I do a quick walk through the catalog about the SAs, cookware, stoneware and knives. I find it goes so fast after I start "cooking" that I don't have the usual down time to talk about those things. I wouldn't say that it's caused me to show less tools though. I cross sell a lot and throw in extra things I show (for example, I stand up the ziplock freezer bags - one in a stainless mixing bowl and one in a classic batter bowl and that's how I fill the 2 bags that end up getting frozen so that shows those bowls that I otherwise wouldn't use).

Anyway, my power cooking show from yesterday is at $1400 in sales and today's power cooking show is at $622 and growing! :thumbup: So obviously people ares still buying even if they're not seeing a ton of products. I like the fact that there are MUCH less dirty dishes to bring home in my crate to throw in the dishwasher.

 

[JAE]

Yes, I'm trying to find the "up side" to this show. Keep giving us tips, Becky G. Head over to the other thread about this, and help us out. I like what you shared above.

 

[pamperedbecky]

I don't even think I've started to read through that thread. Maybe I'll get over there now that I'm doing more power cooking shows. I get sucked into CS so easily, I pick and choose what threads to look at.

 

[JAE]

Yes, I am on here a lot, too. I'm watching t.v., my usual evening activity if I'm not at a show. Sunday's I'm on her a lot.

 

[wadesgirl]

Did you cook the meat before or during your show? I haven't done one of these yet but I think cooking the meat before the show would really help. Have your host help you so she can talk about it with the guests.

 

[pamperedbecky]

Did you cook the meat before or during your show? I haven't done one of these yet but I think cooking the meat before the show would really help. Have your host help you so she can talk about it with the guests.

I cook it ahead of time, then let them all know how I did it (talk about cookware, mix n chop, chopper, garlic press, etc). Today, the host actually had it done before I got there because she thought she was supposed to do it. I just switched it into the 12" skillet when I got there.

 

[dianevill]

Did you cook the meat before or during your show? I haven't done one of these yet but I think cooking the meat before the show would really help. Have your host help you so she can talk about it with the guests.

I cook the meat beforehand, as well, and chat with the host as you have mentioned.

I have done quite a few Power Cooking shows this past week and I'm already burned out (I've already posted in the other threads). I do have to say that I love the taco meat prepared as called for in the recipe. I always just added taco seasoning and water. The salsa and tomato paste make it "saucier".

 

[chefann]

I haven't done a Power Cooking show yet, but I have tried a few of the recipes. All 3 were REALLY good: tacos, Italian Hoagies and stroganoff. DH likes the stroganoff made with baby portabellas better than white mushrooms, but it's good either way.

 

[epimomma99]

I have done the power cooking show and the show & the quick talk about specials, bookings, opportunity and the pans takes me no more than 45 minutes. The thing that does take me awhile is the checkout, but that is because I am doing full-service checkout & guests are visiting. you can contact me directly if you need help.

 

[wadesgirl]

How about putting the other two recipes together for the freezer with the host before hand and only doing one recipe with the guests. You can show them all the recipe options and pull out the ones in the host's freezer. That way you are only doing 1 recipe during the show but still giving the guests options for their own house or their own power cooking show?

 

[riggs62]

I did the 4 pile system for checkout....in a room off of the LR. Worked really well. I had private time with each guest without people piling up behind them. I actually asked every guest about the biz, which is something I've never done. I usually pick and choose who I ask. Now I have signed the host and have two other potentials.
The delay may have been the questions. I had a lot of questions during the show. Which is good...but that may have been it.

 

[wadesgirl]

I did the 4 pile system for checkout....in a room off of the LR. Worked really well. I had private time with each guest without people piling up behind them. I actually asked every guest about the biz, which is something I've never done. I usually pick and choose who I ask. Now I have signed the host and have two other potentials.
The delay may have been the questions. I had a lot of questions during the show. Which is good...but that may have been it.

Don't let that discourage you! You are just doing your job by asking everyone! It's not our job to pick and choose who we want to offer the opportunity to. Keep up the great work. Sometimes my checkout lasts longer than the show does. Depends on the guests, how many, how much they mingle or if I can pull the host away to tell her current benefits.

 

[PartiesbyJamie]

I just did my first Power Cooking show yesterday. To add in more products for demo, I brought along a salad (romaine, carrots, celery, onion) and had a salad making station (spinner, salad chopper, serrated peeler, cutting boards, knives, measure, mix & pour, stainless mixing bowl). I love the show theme & so does the hosts. When I told my guests that they were going to be put to work they said "this is new" and jumped right in!

 

[pamperedgirl3]

I just did my first Power Cooking show yesterday. To add in more products for demo, I brought along a salad (romaine, carrots, celery, onion) and had a salad making station (spinner, salad chopper, serrated peeler, cutting boards, knives, measure, mix & pour, stainless mixing bowl). I love the show theme & so does the hosts. When I told my guests that they were going to be put to work they said "this is new" and jumped right in!

That's a really fun idea! Plus pretty much everyone makes salads at home, so they could really see themselves using these products.

For the meat question from before, I brown the meat when I get there, along with 2 cloves of garlic & 2 onions. I add the other onion & garlic after the guests get there so they can do it. I've sold food choppers & garlic presses that way. Plus mix n chops because they see me using it. The extra onion & garlic don't take that much longer to cook, but then the meat is all browned by the time I need it.

My problem is all of the grease that is in the pan when I'm cooking. There's no discreet way to get rid of it when everyone is helping cook!