What? Why? How?
What is DIY catering?
We prepare and cook all the foods on your selected menu specifically for your event. We then package these onto disposable platters and trays and into insulated boxes, ready to dispatch to your event. Depending on your choice of menu, the foods will keep in excellent condition ready for you to eat for between 30 minutes and 3 hours.
All DIY catering is provided by Kiwi Cuisine (www.kiwicuisine.com). They are the only gourmet spitroast company in Christchurch, so you can rest assured that you won't have to worry about the amount of food provided or the quality.
All our recipes have been developed specifically for Christchurch people by us, and the quantity of food that we provide has been proven to exceed expectations by thousands of happy customers. All our food for DIY catering is cooked and packaged to the same high standards that kiwicuisine.com has become legendary for. Please remember that whilst we do provide very generous quantities of food, all the food is designed to be eaten on the day of catering within the time frames specified.
Why DIY?
It's so easy to cater for almost any number with DIY catering. We provide ALL the food that is required for your event - from perfectly spitroasted meats through to the tomato sauce that goes with your hot savories. We can even supply plates, knifes, forks and almost anything else that you require to ensure the success of your event.
By not providing the service and equipment we are able to keep the price right down - whilst not compromising the quality or quantity of food that is required. With our large buying power we are often able provide our catering at a lower price than what most people would pay for the ingredients alone.
Who DIY's?
We have provided DIY catering for wedding parties, large and small corporate events, family reunions, private dinner parties - in fact, almost any event where you have a few keen helpers can be catered for on a DIY basis.
For larger events we can even provide an onsite coordinator to ensure that your helpers get the food served in a manageable timeframe. We also provide regular catering for many businesses around town, and we're often providing food at pubs and function venues around Christchurch for birthdays and mystery bus trips.
How does DIY catering work?
DIY suppers and starters
Suppers and starters are all packaged in disposable platters and boxes. All foods are packed into returnable insulated boxes. Suppers are best served within 2 hours of your pick-up time and consumed within 1 hour of serving. Foods that require heating are chilled and packed into a combination of oven ready foil trays and cardboard trays then into insulated boxes.We also include napkins and appropriate sauces with all our diy suppers. Please return the insulated boxes to us after your function. If required we can package these straight onto our hire trays and platters for a more professional look. To serve your DIY supper simply heat the hot items in the oven and put the food on the table!
DIY Spitroasts
We cook all the meats at our premises on our spit roast machines. We then package these in foil trays and into insulated boxes. We also heat and pack the potatoes, gravy and any hot vegetables required. All our homemade salads are packed into presentable disposable bowls and packed into a returnable chilly box with the appropriate condiments and our napkins. The hot food will stay piping hot for an hour or two. Your meal is best served about 1 hour after your pick-up time and consumed within 1� hours of serving.DIY BBQs
For our DIY BBQs we cook all the large cuts of meat at our premises on our BBQ. We then package these in foil trays and into returnable insulated boxes with the hot potatoes, and any hot vegetables required. All the smaller cuts of meat are packed into plastic bags - seasoned and lightly oiled ready for you to cook on your bbq. All our homemade salads are packed into presentable disposable bowls and packed into a returnable chilly box with the appropriate condiments and our napkins.The hot food will stay piping hot for about an hour. Your meal is best served about 45 minutes after your pick-up time. If required for a minimal additional cost we can cook all the meats for your bbq; however the smaller cuts of meats are much better when cooked on site and eaten immediately. Talk to us to discuss your exact requirements.
All you need to provide is the bbq, buffet table, serving spoons and tongs, cutlery and crockery, carving knife and chopping board (for the larger cuts), a person to cook the bbq, a person to carve the meats, and lots of hungry people to feed! To improve the look of the buffet you may like to provide your own salad bowls, tablecloths and breadbasket, or hire them from us.
How to serve your DIY meal
Suppers
Guidelines for heating your supper:Please bear in mind the time it takes to heat the food does depend on the type of oven - commercial or household, and whether it is a fan oven or not. Plus how much food is put in the oven at one time. Do not over-fill the oven, as this will increase the time it takes to heat the food and give a less crispy product. All foods will heat best if trayed up in single layers. All hot foods must be heated till piping hot.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Put food on 2-3 shelves only.
Approx heating times:
5-10 minutes - prawn kebabs
10 minutes - vegetarian pastries
10 minutes - mini spring rolls & samosa
10-15 minutes - prawn pastry puffs
10-15 minutes - venison pastry puffs
10-15 minutes - mini quiche
10-15 minutes - real fish bites
15 minutes - field mushroom and capsicum vol-au-vents
20-25 minutes - savories
Spit roast
Simply place the salads, condiments and hot vegetables on the table, carve the meats as per instructions below, for your guests. You are now ready to let them help themselves to a delicious dinner. All you need to provide is a buffet table, serving spoons and tongs, cutlery and crockery, carving knife and chopping board, bread basket, a person to carve the meats, and lots of hungry people to feed! To improve the look of the buffet you may like to provide your own salad bowls, tablecloths and gravy boat or hire from us.Carving the meats. All our meats are boned and rolled to make carving as easy as possible. Use a large chopping board and a sharp carving knife. Wear the latex gloves provided when handling the meat. Take one roll of meat remove the strings, put the meat on the chopping board. Cut it in half lengthwise, place the meat on the board cut side down and cut into nice slices with your nice sharp carving knife. Place the cut meat back into the foil tray and then back into the polystyrene box and then carve the next meat.
BBQ
Bring your bbq up to temperature. If you have a bbq with a hood, keep the hood down whilst heating and whilst cooking each of the meats, ensure that all meats are cooked through, take care that the uncooked meats do not come into contact with the cooked meats or salads. When cooking large quantities of meats on the bbq it is important to heat the bbq up to temperature between each batch. All the meat provided is for your dinner so cook all of each type of meat. Cook the meats in the following order. And once they are done place them in the foil trays provided (or use your own serving ware) keep these warm in the oven whilst you are cooking the next batch.15-20 min on a med grill - bbq pork strips : watch out that the marinade doesn't burn
15-20 min on a med grill - seriously good lamb sausages
15-20 min on a med grill - lamb loin chops with mint and garlic
15 min on a med grill - Portobello mushrooms
8-12 min on a med high grill - chicken breast fillets
2-5 min each side on hot grill - sirloin steaks
1-2 min each side on a med grill - greenshell mussels
1-2 min each side on a hot grill - venison marinated in red wine
2-3 min each side on a hot grill - marinated scallops
1-3 min each side on a hot grill - prawn kebabs
Place the salads, condiments and hot vegetables on the table, and carve the larger cuts of meats and let your guests help themselves to a delicious dinner.