Does cooking for a large group of people stress you out as much as it stresses me out?

It is stressful. Now I buy some of the things from a restaurant and cook some things. I don’t do it all myself. I try to have a couple dishes that I can cook ahead of time so I am not doing everything the day of. I try to make things that don’t need individual attemtion for each portion, or if there is something like that, they need to be easily prepared ahead of time. For instance some Mexican things I make are very labor intensive, like stuffing poblano peppers, or making quesidillas. Making a roast or casserole is much simpler. I usually pick some sort of theme. Mexican, Italian, etc. a couple of times I hired people to help out. They didn’t help with the cooking, but they helped with set up before and throughout the party and clean up.

It always helps me when I am cooking for a crowd if I plan foods that I can cook a head and freeze. Lasagna, eggplant parm, etc. I will often make the desserts ahead and freeze them too as well as garlic bread. Then I just have a salad and setting up to do on the day.

Get a partner you’re close too and make it a special process. My brother and I do this all the time at family gatherings. We get a few beers and treat it as a special time when he and I can talk by ourselves while we do the cooking. It can be exhausting but not so bad when you have a helper.

I have done it. That is a lot of people to cook for without any help.

Wow, way to go. That is impressive. The most people I’ve ever cooked for was about 80–100 at a soup kitchen on a day when no other volunteers showed up. It was a pretty simple meal: roast meat of some sort, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, green beans. But I had never cooked for anywhere near that number of people before, this was the only hot meal they were going to have for the day, and I was about 17, so it was super stressful!!

I think it’s helpful to have a game plan. Before you chop anything, figure out your order of operations. As @janbb suggested, think of what you can make ahead and freeze or keep in the fridge. Do all your prep at once so you are not scrambling looking for ingredients while stuff is already cooking. Be aware that sometimes it’s not as simple as multiplying quantities if you are quadrupling a recipe. Spice in stages, not all at once, so you have more room to maneuver if you make a wee mistake. You might want to experiment ahead of time—I wouldn’t recommend making a first-time recipe for a huge crowd. And be sure to make really delicious food so that your guests will be moved to do the cleanup for you ;)

I do it once or twice per year as a big outdoor picnic event for typically 70–80 people. I have grills going for hotdogs, hamburgers, and chicken and ask people to bring a dish to pass. It works out great. Yes it is stressful, but unless you are competing on Iron Chef you have to remember the food is not the most important part of the event. The guests, their conversation, and having fun trumps everything.
Ask people to help you. They will be happy (and honored) to do it.

Not stressed, but my mom had up to 35 people for parties when was in grammar school. I was her sous chef, did the prep and shopping trips on my bike. By the time I was in seventh grade I could make a cherries jubilee, make a potato salad or roasted leg of lamb. My dad taught me how to make chicken pâté, beef stew and killer chili.
Mise en place or prep and staging ( start schedule for cooking ), read any new recipes through a couple times. Know your completion schedule and any rest times.

Yes.

I enjoy it – most of my stress occurs in the days before: cleaning, buying all the necessary stuff, deciding what to make. I tend not to try out new recipes for large groups; I don’t want there to be a lot of pressure to perform, I want to have fun! That’s the whole point of the gathering, and I try to remember that.

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.

I’ve cooked as a job for probably around 6 years and twice a year three friends and I cater a music festival(we cook all the food for the bands) so I’m no stranger for cooking for large groups. Still when I’m outside the work environment I do find it a bit nerve racking to even cook smaller meals for people. I think most of this comes down to me always wanting to serve “the perfect meal”. It’s kinda like the plight of the artist. Everyone else thinks it’s amazing but you think it’s shit. When I start thinking this way I need to just remind myself that the food is still really good it just may not be as amazing as I envisioned and probably never will.

I used to run the kitchen in a Fraternity, and we occasionally had dinners for 150 people, and daily had dinner for 40 to 50.

The secret to planning for large group dining is to simplify the menu into manageable dishes. So no veal piccata sauteing pieces of scallopine in butter and lemon juice when you’re making 45 servings. But it’s easy to barbecue 50 chicken breasts on a large grill.

So plan an achievable menu and then plan your timing to have everything come out at the same time.

Yes, and I cook how I like to eat, but I am hesitant because I feel that others might not like what I like. Therefore, when I have a party, I buy meat and let people grill it and then I will make salads. Others are always welcome to bring stuff if they want to. Basically, you can’t go wrong with meats and salads.

Desserts are the “icing on the cake.”

I agree wholeheartedly with @LuckyGuy. People don’t attend any party for the food- it’s mainly for the company. The food is secondary.

If it was a 5 course meal, yeah, high stress, but…if it is simply a spaghetti feed, chili cookoff, soup and salad and bread, no.
I LOVE hostessing and am good at it. I enjoy entertaining and making my specialty dishes.
I prefer easy but delicious food with the focus on fun, entertainment and socializing.
I also hate hosts/hostesses that are so OCD that they have jump up the second people are done with their meals and start clearing and washing the dishes.

Jesus…just RELAX awhile, and in-joy the moment.
Clear the table but let the dishes wait is my mantra.

Coloma brought up dishes. One tip, make sure the dishwasher is empty before the party starts. Have it ready for dirty dishes to be put right in. Even if you are using paper plates there will likely be some dishes, flatware, and glasses used.

Sometimes, if making a big batch my alter the cooking time if you know what I mean. Like meatloaf, I can make enough for 4–5 people but for 10 I wouldn’t know how to cook it without ruining it lol

The anxiety of it all disappears with thorough planning. Write it all down in large print. Start really early , starting with choosing the menu. Is it formal or casual? Sit down, buffet, or walk-around food? Avoid dishes that require last minute close attention. Figure out if you have dishes on which to serve each dish you make.
Getting help is essential, if it’s group of over 25.
Next is planning ingredients. Chop for each dish in advance. Store ingredients for each dish together. Do everything possible to do ahead, ahead.
Carefully plan the day before and the day of the occasion, what cooks when, serving and plate service, cleaning up.
I enjoy the process, myself, but it’s not for everyone.

Yes, and probably more. Cooking for a small group of people stresses me out. I once managed to have a case of performance anxiety making a jelly sandwich for a three-year-old kid (not my own). Hosting anything always makes me frantic, although I truly have gotten better at it over the years.

Like others, I’d say that the more thoroughly prepared I am, the better I am able to cope, even if “relax” never comes into the picture. I trot out my OCD and let it have a field day with lists, schedules, rehearsals, and everything.

Maybe the major clue here is that I don’t even like big social events (“big” = more than about 6 people) and don’t enjoy attending them. Having to host one makes me want to run away from home, preferably in disguise and with false papers.

P.S. These things always turn out well, and I’ve never had a real disaster, other than in my mind. Knowing that doesn’t help much at all.