How much deli meat for 3 doz. sandwiches?

[Mpenny1001]

We are having a little party for DD's 5th birthday, and I'm going to put out a variety of deli meats and cheese for people to make their own sandwiches. I'll be using hamburger buns and need to have about 30-36 sandwiches. I have no idea how many pounds of deli meat I should get for this (I'll just stick with turkey and ham for this crowd). We don't generally eat deli meat at our house, so I'm at a loss as to the amount.

Any suggestions for me? Thank you!

[dreamer101]

This is what I had in my notes. I'm not sure where I got it from though.

Cold cuts: generally 2 to 3 ounces of deli meat per serving (25 servings of deli meat would be 3 to 5 pounds of meat). This is based on what is called a "sandwich slice" rather than shaved. Sandwich slices will go further than shaved as people often overload on shaved.

Cheese: allow 1 to 1.5 ounces of cheese slices per serving. (25 servings would be 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of cheese). Sliced cheese is more economical than cubes as people will generally only take one slice of cheese, but several cubes of cheese.

[Mpenny1001]

Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for.

The tricky part is that we're going out of town two days after the party, so I don't want a ton of leftovers, but I also prefer to have more than needed because I hate the panic I feel about running short.

[applecrisp]

If you have leftovers, I've read before that people freeze deli meat... I've never done it though.

Can't add anything to your question about how much deli meat you need ..... but if you are having other stuff along with the sandwiches (salads, appetizers, dessert etc) that would play a part in figuring out how much you need. I stink at figuring out qtys.

Have fun.

[Mpenny1001]

Can't add anything to your question about how much deli meat you need ..... but if you are having other stuff along with the sandwiches (salads, appetizers, dessert etc) that would play a part in figuring out how much you need. I stink at figuring out qtys.

Yep, we'll be having chips/dip, salads and birthday cake. Also, half the guests are under the age of 6, so I think that plays into it as well.

I'll look into freezing the leftover meat. That would be a good solution!

[dreamer101]

I would definitely go with the lower range since half will be young kids. Most of the kids will probably have half a sandwich since there will be other items. Of course the parents might eat their own plus the other half.

You could always end the meal with a heads up that no one is allowed to leave if there are still leftovers LOL.

[Mpenny1001]

You could always end the meal with a heads up that no one is allowed to leave if there are still leftovers LOL.

Ooooh, I could throw a handful of deli meat into each loot bag!!