How Many Recipes Do You Make at a Cooking Show?

[turtle15]

How many recipes do you typically make at a normal cooking show?

 

[ahinchey]

I have been doing two (one longer one) and a short one link cookie kisses... but I am thinking about cutting back to one. I have found most people want a quick show-- so I try to keep all my demo/talking to under 45 min.

 

[babywings76]

I typically do one. I have done a microwave cake in the fluted stone to cook while I'm demo-ing the main recipe though. One time I had a host who wanted to serve an appetizer as well as the dessert recipe we were doing. So she bought the stuff to make the Hot Pizza Dip and she assembled that on her own while I was getting set up. I tried doing 2 recipes once and it just made me flustered and took longer than I wanted. It's hard too, because you sometimes run into where each recipe needs some of the same tools and then you have to wash things real quick, or you have to get the timing right if they both need the microwave at certain points in the recipe.

 

[hollye44]

Sticking to one recipe is best so you don't overwhelm yourself and your guests (remember they are watching, and if they think what you are doing to be a consultant is too hard, they won't want to do it either). Now if you want to have a guest mix up a drink in the Quick Stir Pitcher or make a micro-cooker cake, that's fine. It's a great way to sell those items as they are inexpensive.

 

[susanr613]

One unless the host really pushes for two. In that case, I start the other recipe when I'm setting up the show, and just do the finishing touches during the show, perhaps during a break in preparing the main recipe.

 

[jrstephens]

One! I did two the first few months when I started and then saw that others were only doing 1 on here, so, I changed. Has been no problem whatsoever.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I've done one - but I'm back to mostly doing two.

One is the main recipe, and the 2nd is usually a drink or really quick dessert to go with. When I do the Fajitas, that is all I do, but when I do the 30 Minute Chicken, I also do garlic biscuit bites. I'll often do the biscuit bites as either a savory to go with a salad or main dish, or I'll do them sweet w/ caramel or cinnamon sprinkles. It's a quick, easy demo - and I sell sprinkles and cookware whenever I do them!
My demo is always done is 45 minutes or less.

 

[Sheila]

I only do interactive shows. So it depends on the number of guests. I don't like to have more than 8 people working on one recipe. So if there are going to be 10-12 guests, we do 2 recipes. I've only done 1 show with a 3rd work station & that was helping my director at one of her shows with 20 guests.

The last two shows that I did had less people show up than RSVP's received. Both shows we were doing the Turkey Cranberry Wreath (since it was Nov/Dec). At the first show, we did the Chocolate Cake with strawberries while the wreath was in the oven. At the other show, we were doing the Candycane Brownie Lollipops. We cooked the brownies first, while they were cooling we assembled the wreath. While it was cooking, we finished the dessert recipe. We finished up with those just in time to pull the wreath out of the oven & slice it. Timing worked out really well on both of those shows!

 

[PamperedK]

One! The only time I'll ever do a 'second' recipe is during the summer when I do lemonade or margaritas. But then it's just throwing some things in the quick stir.

 

[raebates]

I usually don't do a recipe. When I do, it's only one. sometimes I have hosts who say, "Oh, my last PC lady did two," [or three, or four, or, well, you get the idea]. I tell that host that, "One of the things I love about PC is that we each have the opportunity to do whatever works best for us. In my experience, one recipe is best."If the host insists, I explain that she (or he) is welcome to make additional food to be served with what I'll be making. Frankly, I don't give any inkling that this is negotiable, because it's not. If the expected crowd is too big for "just one," I offer to double the one recipe.