Hanukkah for 12 guests
A buffet-style Hanukkah for 12: 6 dishes, about 740 g of food a guest (19.75 lb in all), 24 lines on the shopping list and around 46 drinks. 40% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 19.75 lb
- Drinks
- 46
- Shopping lines
- 24
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · We set food for 6 PM — change it if your timing is different.
Menu for 12
To start
- Cheese board with quince & walnut2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Mains
- Braised brisket2 batches · 16 servingsday before
Sides
- Latkes1 batch · 8 servingson the day
- Roasted potatoes1 batch · 8 servingson the day
Bread
- Challah2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Dessert
- Poached fruit in spiced syrup2 batches · 16 servingsday before
About 740 g of food a guest. 40% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Beef brisket6 lb
- Citrus for garnish3 ea
- Onion3 lb
- Pears13 ea
- Potato5 lb
- Assorted cheese2.5 lb
- Egg8 ea
- Flour2 lb
- Honey4 oz
- Matzo meal3 oz
10 of 24 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
OVEN — Watch
Oven is the busiest part of this starting kitchen.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 46
- Ice
- 21 lb
- Food, estimated
- $485
About $40 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The Hanukkah timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · Latkes are the usual fry. Brisket is a common centre, not a requirement.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
Hanukkah for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a Hanukkah for 12?
About 19.75 lb of finished food, or 740 g a guest across 6 dishes, with braised brisket as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a Hanukkah for 12 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
It usually runs buffet-style: guests help themselves, so not everyone needs a chair at once. Still count the seats you have; the planner never assumes them.
How many drinks for a Hanukkah for 12?
About 46 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 21 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and latkes are the usual fry. Brisket is a common centre, not a requirement.
What does a Hanukkah for 12 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $485, about $40 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my Hanukkah for 12
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.