How many people do you cook for?

[Nate52]

I have 5 people living in my house. Me, my wife, a 4 1/2 year old and two almost 2 yearOlds. With that being said, I generally cook for two people.

The kids eat a rotation of pasta, pb and j, pizza, and chicken nuggets.

 

[bmudd14474]

6 here in the house but when I cook I usually cook for 20 ish and we freeze leftovers for other meals. Also usually do more than 1 thing so we are meal planning for the week.

 

[clifish]

Only two of us at hime but 99% of my cooks will feed at least 12 lol. I just don’t know how to cook a little and love to share my passion.

I always wondered how many kids you had, every time you post a cook I have to cut the recipe in half or quarters...lol

We are only 2 - 95% of the time. 23 yo son now lives in NH and 20 yo daughter is in school in NC. Even when she is home we don't see her 95% of the time. I like to get at least 2 meals out of every cook. I really need to make larger portions and just vac pack for later when I really don't feel like meal planning. I really wish I could just step up to the counter at 5 pm and throw together a meal...that is just not me. I like to plan out in advance (ie search here) to find a cook.

 

[thirdeye]

Just the two of us, but we make some freezer portions or cook enough to gift a meal to a neighbor.

When I was a little boy, a Navy family lived in our neighborhood, with 6 kids but they had a dining room table that seated 10 or 12. All meals were eaten at the table (or not at all) and kids could invite friends because Mom cooked in such huge amounts. She had a two-week dinner menu on the fridge and was an excellent cook. What saved their bacon was shopping at the Naval station commissary and the stores in town that offered discounts to servicemen.

 

[SmokyMose]

Just the two of us and it's good that we don't mind leftovers for a day or two. What makes it worse is that we're not large people and don't have huge appetites.
We don't get a lot of company. When the grandkids are here (rarely), they would just as soon have hot dogs or tacos. I usually do a couple of packers every year and a couple of butts for P.P. We still have vac-sealed packages of both from last year LOL!
Same goes for sausage. Before I retired I used to take sausage to work and share with others but now a 5# batch lasts a long time.
I have one neighbor who likes my Sweet Italian but everyone else thinks everything is "too spicy".
I can't really complain. Our grocery bill isn't off the charts....

 

[Gonna Smoke]

We are blessed and fortunate to have most of our family close by and our house is the gathering place for them. As I said earlier, it's 6-8 almost every night and as many as 15 -20 or so on some days/nights/weekends. Our daughter, her husband and their girls live just a couple of blocks away and my wife's mother is about a mile or so away. It's always them and then our nephew and his family come many days, our best friends come on Mondays and occasionally some other nights. Their oldest daughter, her husband and their 4 kids come on most weekends. It's the opportunity for us all to be together as a family and influence our grands' lives hopefully in a positive way, plus it saves our children some money. My mother-in-law is in her mid 80s and lives alone. It helps her, too and she gets to spend a lot of time with some of her great-grands.

It can be a zoo around here sometimes, especially when they all bring their dogs over, but we wouldn't have it any other way...

 

[SmokinGame]

Like many others, we are empty nesters, so it is normally 2 that I am cooking for. But I struggle to remember to downsize some of the cooks and I might as well be cooking for 4-5. When I put a brisket, butt, or standing rib roast, we may have to invite the neighbors.

 

[noboundaries]

2 here, but when our kids were home they were both year-round competition swimmers in the practice pool 4 hours a day. Leftovers didn't exist. They were two calorie black holes from which no consumables could escape. When they left for university, our grocery bill dropped from $600/wk to $600/mo!

I still cook like they're home but enjoy leftovers for days!

 

[mneeley490]

Three of us here, the wife and I, and our 30-year old son. He has autism, so will be with us for life. He'll eat anything, as long as it's free to him. If we're at a restaurant, and he has to pay for his own meal, he'll always get the cheapest item. But if I'm paying, then he thinks the sky's the limit. But my wife has had stomach-stapling surgery done recently, so she eats like a bird now.
My daughter's family lives about 1/2 mile from us, so when I smoke, I always make extra to deliver to them. Heck, it's almost always just as easy to make two butts (or whatever) as it is one. She used to tell me that she always knew when I was smoking, because her dog would sit in the backyard with her nose up in the air.
My two grandsons (4 & 7) are always grateful for Grandpa's bbq, as their father thinks he's some kind of Master Chef, but nearly everything he makes is inedible to everyone but him. (I hear the ingredients he's throwing together, and I just have to ask, "Good god, why?") Of course my daughter, well, the cooking gene in our family seems to skip every other generation. My grandmother was a terrific cook; my mother, not so much. So I have high hopes for the grandsons to be able to cook for themselves soon.
And since Costco always packs their babybacks 3 to a pouch, I sometimes deliver a rack & some sauce to my next door neighbor. He and I trade my bacon for some of his elk meat when he gets one.

 

[G8trwood]

Was two, now 6, cooking for a set of elderly parents and struggling siblings. Q never gets turned down along with soups and chili. Load up the smoker if I run it. Two butts, 12 sausages and 6 chicken breasts as we speak.

 

[sandyut]

Just two of us here, but I usually cook much more than needed so we can pull ready to eat smoked meats out at will.

 

[62veedub]

Also empty nesters here, but lots of kids, grandkids, and family friends. Prefer to cook for a few more than just a couple…but the vacuum sealer sure comes in handy!

 

[RoadRunner18]

Me, the Mrs, Sister-in-law, Mother-In-Law, and 5 Grand-Kids

 

[pineywoods]

Only 2 of us but I smoke, vacuum seal and freeze so we have quick easy meals when wanted. I think pulled pork tastes better reheated than straight off the smoker rested and shredded. We also seem to have people who want whatever I'm smoking either coming for dinner or getting it to take home with them

 

[Smokensalt]

Just 5 here. Me, my wife, 2 teens and a dog. I always overcook no matter what. I fire up the big boi, wings, drumlettes, steaks, burgers, chicken breasts, and that's for a random I "fancy a bbq" bbq. Nothing goes to waste. What's not eaten is used during the week for school lunches etc. When I go low and slow I always do what I can fit on the bbq, pulled pork, brisket etc. Vac pac the left overs and freeze for another day. Heaven.

 

[mneeley490]

Hmm, that's what's different. Since our dog passed away a couple years ago, we now have leftovers that don't always get eaten. She was always ready and willing to help out with those.

 

[Smokensalt]

Sorry for your loss, we still miss and "hear" our last girl Maisie who passed almost 2 years back. We had an American style fridge freezer with handle top to floor. Came down on 22nd Dec about 6 yrs ago She'd pawed the handle and pulled out a 3kg gammon I was defrosting. Luckily the door had closed behind her. Lol her face before me seeing the joint on the otherside of the room was I knew shed been naughty. I cut off one edge and cooked it and was amazing. Think was too salty for her and only found 2 gentle tooth imprints in it. Our current monster puppy would have devoured it and to heck with the consequences.

 

[rc4u]

well empty nester's also.. been living with wife since august 1975. same house since 1979.. every year we had family get togethers and reunion's till like 12-15 yrs ago. i brought my grills every time cooked so many dogs, burgers n sausage i cant count.. now every reunion is a funeral . and i have smoked 4-6 boston's several times for those.. the church volunteers love the leftovers, if any. and others bring saleds n drinks. much cheaper than the funeral home's hire outs.

 

[bbqjefff]

It's usually just me and my wife but sometimes my parents or her family. I occasionally throw barbecues to get some friends over and eat my smoked meats.

 

[Fueling Around]

now every reunion is a funeral .

We tried to do annual family reunions on my wife's side. That faded out after a few years
Discussion came up again as one of her cousin's funeral is next week.
I would love to smoke a couple butts, but no way to reheat