Doing Your Own Baking in the Beth Jacob Kitchen
Part of the joy of holding an event at Beth Jacob is the pleasure of communal baking with friends and family; a few rules do apply:
Setting The Date for Baking
As a first step to doing your own baking in the Beth Jacob kitchen, contact shul Executive Director Sean Murphy to reserve a date for baking – two months in advance is wise.
Selecting a Mashgiach
If you have a friend who is already serving as a mashgiach (kashrut supervisor) for the Beth Jacob kitchen, he or she may volunteer to take that role on your baking crew. Otherwise, please let Sean Murphy know at least 30 days in advance that you need to hire a mashgiach, and Beth Jacob will help find one for you.
Freezer Space
If you have baked goods to store in our kitchen freezer, work with Sean Murphy to determine your space needs. Some families will begin baking two to three weeks prior to their event, so we may have to accommodate baked goods from multiple events in our freezer.
Boxes and Wrapping Material
Properly wrapping, labeling and storing baked goods and other food prior to your event is important.
For example, to box up cookies for your event – cut pieces of parchment (found in the back room of the kitchen) to roughly the size of the footprint of the box your baked goods are stored in. Stack the baked goods in layers, dividing the layers with parchment. Mark the box both on the top and on the front with your event name and date (ie “Spielberg Bar Mitzvah, 10/17/2010â€). Wrap the box twice around with saran wrap (from left to right, and then front to back, like a cross-over). When you stack the boxes in the Beth Jacob kitchen freezer, make sure they are stacked so the label can be read.
Links to Commonly Used Recipes
Links to Calculator for Translating Recipes into Large Numbers
You’ll find a number of online tools that can convert smaller recipes into perfectly-proportioned recipes for much larger groups. Here’s one helpful converter