There’s nothing quite as fun as inviting good friends over and cooking for them. Not only does it remind you to be grateful that you have friends you love and wish to cook for (that’s a blessing even though we take it for granted), but cooking for someone is an act of love, and his could be just what the doctor ordered after the all this COVID stress.

Cooking for a group is best when you have a range of tools to help everyone have a nice time while also ensuring they have enough to eat and that the food is properly prepared. The last thing you want is for the recipes to go wrong at the last moment because you failed to pre-plan.

In this post, I’ll discuss how you can get the most out of your group cooking, and what tools to invest it.

A BBQ Smoker

Cooking your pals the best smoked brisket recipe is easy with a smoker, and having one can help you get the most out of the meats that you usually enjoy. This can even help you try new types of food in different ways, such as smoking burger patties. With care and attention, you can curate restaurant-quality food simply by using the right smoker (which is pretty much any of them!). We have an electric smoker that’s about 3 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet wide that we love to use!

A Cooler

A good cooler makes every event better. Either fill up the ice by freezing it yourself or purchasing a bag of it, and use to ensure ice, beers, and cans or bottles can remain as tasty as possible. This might not seem like a big-deal addition to your overall informal get together, but it really can be. Giving your guests something tasty and enjoyable enough to wash down all that food will help them take a break, allow them to avoid feeling stuffed, and makes for good conversation fuel.

Serving Plates and Dishes

You need something to serve your food on, of course, and so it can be nice to invest in durable yet attractive and easily cleaned serving plates and dishes. I really like melamine ones. This can help you serve a platter of finger foods, or salads, or little accessories to the main meal (such as the ingredients that might make up a taco), so that you can keep everything together and neat. Some of these platters may come with covers, too, to prevent insects from trying to invade your meal. For such a minimal cost, this can turn an outdoor dinner party into something a little more clean and professional.