You’re throwing a Super Bowl party. How do you make sure everyone gets enough to eat without having to 1) make the food yourself and 2) run around serving it to everyone who’s there? Have them serve themselves, with food that’s handy and ready to eat. Snacks… sure. But you’ve got to have other stuff to eat as well. Let’s figure out how to simplify the process.
Photo Credit: Nostalgia Electrics
Hot dogs. Who doesn’t like hot dogs? But forget about the hassle of cooking them in an oven or zapping them in the microwave (which tastes lousy anyway). Nostalgia Electrics’ RHD800 Retro Series Hot Dog Roller looks like an old-style wiener booth from Coney Island but works on electricity, powering five rollers that rotate the hot dogs. It can handle up to eight regular-sized dogs or four foot longs; you just have to keep it stocked. Pile the buns on top of the unit to keep them warm. That’s it. And the cleanup is simple too — which is good since nobody’s going to help when the party’s over.
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Popcorn is another favorite, but to avoid the mess and constant attention that making it with hot oil requires, go with hot air instead. The Coca-Cola Hot Air Popcorn Maker sits on a counter top and makes up to 12 cups of popcorn at a time. Show everyone how to pour the kernels into the top and place a bowl under the chute at the front and flip the switch (there’s a measuring cup to ensure the right amount of kernels are used). Then you can let others keep the popcorn popping while you enjoy the game. Just be sure to put out a popcorn spritzer for those who want to get their “butter” on.
Photo Credit: Presto
And then there’s pizza. Get it before the party and it congeals; order it during the party and you’ll be lucky if it ever shows up. So heat up your own. Buy frozen or take-and-bake pizzas and use the Presto Pizzazz Plus Rotating Oven. Put it on the counter top, and give it enough room to revolve a 7-12” pizza. Set the top and bottom heating elements for the type of pizza to be cooked and engage the auto-timer. No preheating, and it lets everyone choose the type of pizza they want, and cook it while they wait. It’ll even cook other stuff too.
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All this “prepared” food is great but of course you gotta have snacks. Instead of filling up bowls that get all messy and need constant supervision and refilling, just pass out variety pack assortments and let everyone chose what they like. Chip lovers will gravitate to Frito-Lay’s Chips Classic Mix Multipack of potato chips, Doritos, Cheetos and Fritos, while cracker fans will go for Keebler Cookie & Cracker Assortment. For the sweet tooths, there’s the Nabisco Mini Snack Variety Pack, featuring Chips Ahoy! and Oreo minis, among others.
But what about dessert? There has to be something that stands out and no, it doesn’t have to be shaped like a football to taste good. Splurge on a few boxes (yes, you want lots) of Supreme Chocolate Babka with Chocolate Chips. It comes fresh from a kosher bakery in New York. But what you’ll care about is the taste — if any of your guests leave some for you to try.
Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology, gadget and lifestyle writer based on the West Coast.
