how to you make grilled cheese, tacos, pancakes, etc. for a family?

[Ottakee]

I can put together a roast, potatoes, rolls, veggies, etc. easier than I can grilled cheese or bacon and pancakes for my family.  Tonight it was tacos made with homemade corn tortillas.  The kids just all ate in shifts as the tortillas were done.  They just taste so much better than making them wait until I get 20 or more made so we can all eat at the same time.  Same thing with grilled cheese, pancakes, waffles, etc.

 

How do you handle it?  Do you keep everything warm (how) until you are done cooking?  Do you just let the kids line up as they are done and eat as it is ready?

[Annie G]

When the kids were little,  we let them eat pancakes and waffles as soon as they were ready. Then when the kids were done dh and I could enjoy breakfast together. 

Grilled cheese- I had a large griddle when all the kids were at home so I could make six at a time. 

Tacos- I never made homemade corn tortillas. But they sure sound good!!!!! Again, I probably would let the kids eat and then dh and I would enjoy our own dinner. Family dinners are great but it was nice to sometimes just sit down with dh and have a quiet meal. 

 

 

[fraidycat]

Ah, the good old days of eating grains. In shifts. :)

 

The first is always the worst, so I would usually munch on that while cooking the rest.

[Amy in NH]

We keep everything warm on a covered platter in the oven (waffles directly on the racks to stay crisp). 

 

Grilled cheese I do in a big rectangular electric skillet.  I can make six at a time in it.

[Ellie]

I can put together a roast, potatoes, rolls, veggies, etc. easier than I can grilled cheese or bacon and pancakes for my family.  Tonight it was tacos made with homemade corn tortillas.  The kids just all ate in shifts as the tortillas were done.  They just taste so much better than making them wait until I get 20 or more made so we can all eat at the same time.  Same thing with grilled cheese, pancakes, waffles, etc.

 

How do you handle it?  Do you keep everything warm (how) until you are done cooking?  Do you just let the kids line up as they are done and eat as it is ready?

 

Tacos:

• Prepare all the toppings (grated cheese, onions, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, sliced black olives, green taco sauce) and put in individual serving bowls
• Cook black-bean refried beans
• If I'm in a particularly good mood, or there are lots of people eating, Mexican rice, which I cook in the rice cooker
• Soft-fry tortillas, plop them on paper towels (four on each paper towel), stacked on a plate with paper towels between each four, put into a heated oven until we're ready to eat (when the last four are cooked, I turn the stack over so we're eating the first ones I cooked, if you see what I mean)
• Put everything on the table; pass the tortillas around first, then the toppings (if there are lots of people, then I'd double up the serving bowls, so there would be toppings at both ends of the table). We are gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Pancakes

Heat up syrup (either on a pan on the stove, or in a pitcher of some kind in the microwave)

Cook and put in a heated oven until they're all finished. We're all gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Waffles:

Heat up syrup etc.

Cook waffles, put in heated oven on a rack until all are finished. We're gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Even if I served waffles one at a time, there would be no lining up. People would sit at the table, talking amongst themselves and waiting for the next waffle to magically appear. I do not allow people of any age to line up or otherwise be in my face about food. :glare:

[ElizabethB]

We had an issue finding one of our griddle cords after a move, then got a really cool griddle as a gift...next move we found the cords and had 3 griddles!

 

Once, we had friends with several kids over for some kind of meal that was cooked on a griddle, we put our teo leaves on our giant table and served the food directly from the griddle on the table, we turned it to warm for the 2nds. You could do keep the griddles on a side table or counters, invest in another griddle or two. I think we are now down to 1 or 2 griddles and donated the excess to thrift shops during our Los Angeles move where we had less storage spsce.

[umsami]

We do serve as it becomes ready.  Like with pancakes, everybody may get one to start....and then we add pancakes as they are ready.

 

With grilled cheese, I can make two in my pan....six if I get out the griddle, but the pan works better.  So I do two at a time.

 

[zoobie]

Grilled cheese I bake in the oven. You can do pancakes in a big sheet pan too. Doesn't quite taste the same, but oh well. My people like the big puffy oven pancake better anyway, and I do one in a 9x13. I will probably have to make 2 soon. Waffles--our iron makes 4, and we keep them in the oven on warm. DH is the waffler. He usually does eat last. Tacos we are not that fancy! I heat the packaged corn tortillas in the oven in foil.

[Amira]

Waffles, pancakes, crepes, and hot sandwiches are eaten as they're made. But we always eat tacos together. I make three or four different fillings, then I make a stack of corn tortillas. They keep each other warm and pliant and I can get through a kilo of masa in about 10 minutes with a press. I couldn't hand-slap them as quickly, of course, but as long as I made them in the last half hour and they're kept warm, I think they're still really good.

[Pam in CT]

Tacos:

• Prepare all the toppings (grated cheese, onions, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, sliced black olives, green taco sauce) and put in individual serving bowls
• Cook black-bean refried beans
• If I'm in a particularly good mood, or there are lots of people eating, Mexican rice, which I cook in the rice cooker
• Soft-fry tortillas, plop them on paper towels (four on each paper towel), stacked on a plate with paper towels between each four, put into a heated oven until we're ready to eat (when the last four are cooked, I turn the stack over so we're eating the first ones I cooked, if you see what I mean)
• Put everything on the table; pass the tortillas around first, then the toppings (if there are lots of people, then I'd double up the serving bowls, so there would be toppings at both ends of the table). We are gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Pancakes

Heat up syrup (either on a pan on the stove, or in a pitcher of some kind in the microwave)

Cook and put in a heated oven until they're all finished. We're all gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Waffles:

Heat up syrup etc.

Cook waffles, put in heated oven on a rack until all are finished. We're gonna eat at the same time. That is all.

 

Even if I served waffle one at a time, there would be no lining up. People would sit at the table, talking amongst themselves and waiting for the next waffle to magically appear. I do not allow people of any age to line up or otherwise be in my face about food. :glare:

 

Like Ellie said.

[Guest]

My Husband likes dishing them as they're done, and I prefer prepping it all and keeping it warm in the oven. So we do it both ways :)

[KatieJ]

Nobody lines up . We all eat at the same time. Two griddles if there is a crowd. Finished ones are kept warm in the oven, to on a platter on an electric heating tray. Warm syrup always helps. I can't speak to homemade tortillas because I never made them, but they sound fabulous! I would probably keep them in a warm oven directly on the racks.

[SparklyUnicorn]

tacos...really I don't understand why this would need to be done in shifts

 

with grilled cheese you use a large griddle or more than one large pan

 

pancakes on large griddle and kept in oven on lowest possible setting

 

 

[TeenagerMom]

Pretty much everyone else has answered how I do grilled cheese, tacos, etc.  

 

Bacon is cooked in the oven on big baking sheets.  I can do a pound at time that way.  Heat oven to 400 & cook for 15-20 minutes!

[bensonduck]

Our family is still at the stage where the kids prefer their food to be lukewarm or cool, so I just make pancakes, put them on their plates to cool, then make DH's and my pancakes. I dont think pancakes taste any worse when they aren't piping hot. This is more of an issue for me with fried eggs, which I feel must be super hot to taste good. When I remove them to plates after cooking I use a sauce pan lid to cover the adults' servings to keep them hot.

[KungFuPanda]

I do large batches of grilled cheese and quesadillas in the oven. I also hold my pancakes and waffles in a warm oven until they're all cooked so we can eat together. If I were frying tortillas, I'd also keep them warm in the oven, maybe wrapped in a damp towel so they don't dry out? I bake bacon too. It's SOOOOOO much easier and you don't have to hover.

[Annie G]

tacos...really I don't understand why this would need to be done in shifts

 

 

 

The OP is an overachiever and was making her own corn tortillas and wanted her family to enjoy them as she prepared them.   I use store-bought so tacos don't pose any logistic problems for me. 

 

I sure would love some freshly made corn tortillas. I have tortilla envy.  In my small town in northern Illinois, all I have available is pre made tortillas from Walmart. Bummer. 

 

(OP, I was not trying to be mean with the overachiever comment. I actually admire your corn tortillas!)

[LaxMom]

I bought a tortilla keeper in the Mexican section of the grocery store (like they serve tortillas in in restaurants). I put a wet cloth napkin in and microwave it for a minute, then chuck the tortillas in as they're done.

 

Tortillas, pancakes, and grilled cheese go on the electric griddle. Waffles are still a bugger, though.

[LaxMom]

Dp

[busymama7]

We have 11 people eating daily and have discovered that serving buffet style is much better for our sanity. Passing food family style just didn't work out for us as we grew. We usually sit and pray and then excuse the older buddies to make plates for the younger buddies while the littles wait at the table with mom and dad. Then the olders go through again for themselves (this is about the only duty of a buddy BTW they aren't raising them...). And then parents. We do it orderly because 11 of us in the kitchen in a line wouldnt work either :/

 

In the instances mentioned we will sometimes pray around the serving counter when there are enough to get started at least for the littles and then I just keep going. If I still haven't eaten and a big person is done they will take over for me to keep cooking seconds, thirds etc. it works out ok as I just keep adding hot food to the stack.

 

I have a double waffle iron like they have at hotels that flips over but it has TWO sides. It cooks fast too. Its the best thing ever ;)

[*Lulu*]

Some meals I only serve when it is a come and go situation to start with.

 

Some meals, like quesadillas, I plan for family game night where nibbling is the expectation.

 

We are together a lot. I figure the stats about family meals are more about time together than food and just don't worry about it.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Dh will put everything in the oven (on LOW) to keep warm, I just serve it as I make it.  That way I stop when they're full.

[IfIOnly]

oven at 200 degrees is perfect for keeping things warm. 

[happi duck]

Everyone else hangs out at the table and while I cook we all visit. As stuff is ready it goes to the table and gets split between whoever wants some. I might nibble or stop and eat a plateful.

 

It's really casual.

[IsabelC]

Pancakes we cook them in three pans simultaneously, so we get a big stack really quickly.

I have never done home made tacos but am looking forward to trying, and given that we normally buy pre-made ones, I suspect the home made will be an improvement even if they are left warming in the oven for a little while before eating.

Grilled cheese is no problem because there are five of us but one child always asks for hers as an uncooked cheese sandwich, so we only need to make four at once to eat together.

[Mandylubug]

I scream order up when one serving is done and move on to next person's if using a pan. I do this more with items like omelettes. They are better fresh.

 

I do serve all tacos together but we buy store bought.

 

A large griddle is a life saver for pancakes and sandwiches.

[Ottakee]

The OP is an overachiever and was making her own corn tortillas and wanted her family to enjoy them as she prepared them.   I use store-bought so tacos don't pose any logistic problems for me. 

 

I sure would love some freshly made corn tortillas. I have tortilla envy.  In my small town in northern Illinois, all I have available is pre made tortillas from Walmart. Bummer. 

 

(OP, I was not trying to be mean with the overachiever comment. I actually admire your corn tortillas!)

They are SUPER easy to make.  REALLY.  I learned when we hosted young boys from Guatemala last fall. I also learned the benefits of fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice :-)  Those make a huge difference as well.

 

You go to Walmart and buy a bag of Masa---in a bag like flour but usually in the mexican section.  Then you add hot water and stir to make a playdough like dough.  Let sit a few minutes.  Roll into small balls and squish with a tortilla press (worth the $20) and then fry over a dry hot griddle for a minute or 2 on each side.  I never liked corn tortillas from the store........then I made these and WOW, they are yummy.  They are cheap and easy to make.  I can make 2 at a time but my kids can each eat 3-4 so we often do the shift stuff as I have all of the toppings set out in a buffet style.

[Ottakee]

 I probably would let the kids eat and then dh and I would enjoy our own dinner. Family dinners are great but it was nice to sometimes just sit down with dh and have a quiet meal. 

Sometimes we do just that.  Normally we all eat together but occ. dh and I enjoy a quiet meal after they have all eaten.

[Luckymama]

I bought an electric griddle just for making corn tortillas :D

 

I can rapidly press and cook six at the same time. I wrap the cooked ones in a dish towel while the next batch cooks. Since I make either 12 or 18 at once, they don't have a chance to cool down before we eat.

 

Needless to say, everything else is cooked or chopped or grated before I start on the tortillas.

 

I don't fry the corn tortillas into crunchy shells. No need with the warm yummyness of a fresh corn tortilla!

[Bambam]

I make the grilled cheese now in the oven. You have to watch it closely, but they are all done at the same time.

 

For tacos, we set up all the taco fixings, and then keep the flour tortillas warm in a clean towel. They are easily rewarmed in the microwave. For the one person who likes the hard corn shells, I buy those already made and just reheat in the oven.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I make the grilled cheese now in the oven. You have to watch it closely, but they are all done at the same time.

 

This brings back bad memories of grilled cheese at school.  They did them in the oven and they were rock hard.  You could break a tooth eating one.  LOL

[kewb]

Waffles and pancakes get served up as they are cooked. They just taste better that way.

I can't think of the last time I made grilled cheese but that was probably done the same as the pancakes and waffles.

I never nake tacos because I always want the crunchy shells but I hate how they fall apart. But I would do a fixings bar on the rare occasion I made tacos.

[Lolly]

I have a warming drawer. I really appreciate that thing.

[Susan in TN]

We keep everything warm on a covered platter in the oven (waffles directly on the racks to stay crisp).

 

Grilled cheese I do in a big rectangular electric skillet. I can make six at a time in it.

Yes to these, or we eat our food warmish. My family and I are not all that fussy about food temps. I suspect we are hillbillies. (That might be insulting to hillbillies.)

[arnold]

Waffles, and pancakes get made an put into a warm oven until their all cooked. Grilled chees is made on a electric griddle; I can cook 6 at once.  With tacos, I cook the meat and put topping in bowls.  Kids tell me what they want for toppings and I put it on.