How Many Pounds Of Deli Meat You Should Buy To Make Sandwiches For A Crowd

Sandwiches are, in many ways, an ideal party food: they're easy-prep, totally customizable, and practically the definition of finger food (unless your guests are the kind of people who eat handheld foods with a fork and knife). However, while it's easy to slap together a fabulous sandwich with whatever odds and ends you unearth from the back of your fridge, preparing sandwiches for a crowd requires a bit more planning, ingredient-wise. One of the most crucial elements of many sandwiches is deli meat — too little, and it's bready, sad, and unsatisfying; too much, and it overwhelms all the other ingredients.

So how does one buy enough deli meat for a party without ending up with a month's supply of roast beef? While the question of how much meat a sandwich really needs depends on many factors, as a general rule, 1 pound of deli meat makes about five to six standard-sized sliced bread sandwiches. If your sammies are on the lighter side, you could get up to eight servings from a pound of meat, and if you're portioning generously, you might produce just four hearty sandwiches. It's also worth noting that the thickness of your deli meat can make a difference. If you prefer your meat sliced paper-thin à la Kramer from "Seinfeld," it may stretch a bit further, as some chefs find that thinner slices make a more flavorful and voluptuous sandwich with less meat (by the way, here's the best deli meat thickness for sandwiches and charcuterie boards).

Once you've got the perfect amount of deli meat for your party sandwich platter, you need to purchase your cheese. A pound of cheese should make about 10 to 11 sandwiches, so you can plan to purchase about half as much cheese as meat. In other words, if you're making sandwiches to feed 20 people, you'll want roughly four pounds of meat and two pounds of cheese (that should leave a little wiggle room for a well-deserved sample snack while you prep, if you're not too generous with the portioning).

Perhaps just as important as properly portioning your sandwich fillings is preventing tragically soggy sandwiches. Luckily, this is a somewhat avoidable fate. First of all, always spread the bread with a light layer of butter, mayonnaise, or olive oil, which will act as a sort of anti-sog seal, before adding the other fillings. Additionally, it's best to serve wet toppings, like pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce, on the side for diners to add themselves. If that's not possible, pat the veggies dry with a paper towel before adding them to the sandwiches (and while you're at it, use this genius lettuce trick that solves an age-old sandwich problem). With these handy tips up your sleeve, you're ready to prep a party's worth of perfectly proportioned, sog-free sandwiches like a pro.