651645 Fri Sep 11 09:26:46 -0700 2009 1 31 Home Cooking 0 5022119 I've been asked to help in the catering of a party - to bring my penne vodka dish. However, I have no experience in preparing this type of dish in advance for a large tray (with the sternos, etc.) I think we've all reheated a "doggie bag" of penne vodka from the previous night's restaurant and know that it does not reheat well (oily, not creamy) so I'm concerned. My question is how do I get this tray to be as creamy and delicious as it is when you take directly from stovetop to table....anyone have experience with do it yourself catering? Fri Sep 11 09:26:46 -0700 2009 1108622 laur 1 5022291 I'm a caterer and have been working in the restaurant field for over 20 years so I'm used to transporting food from one location to another. You have a couple of options: First, will you be catering this party at someone's home? If so, one option is that you could prepare the dish entirely at that location. #2 is that you could make the sauce and the pasta separate at home then transport it to the party location in a styrofoam cooler and mix it together when you got there (immediately putting it into a chafer with the sternos to keep it warm. You can sucessfully re-heat creamy pasta dishes in the chafer by just adding a little extra cream and mixing really well to incorporate the ingredients over the heating element. The key is making sure the dish is warmed slowly throughout. Microwaving will dry out pasta and creamy sauces. Hope this helps,,,, Fri Sep 11 10:23:03 -0700 2009 5022119 1108638 Cherylptw