How much instant potatoes for 200 people?

I can't give you an exact amount of instant potatoes for 200 people without more information. Here's why and what I need to know:

* Serving size: How much instant potatoes do you want to serve per person? A typical side dish serving is about 1/2 cup, but some people might want more.

* Type of instant potatoes: Are you using the kind that requires water or the kind that you just add milk and butter to? The dry weight will vary between brands and types.

* Are you making other side dishes? If you're serving a full meal, you'll probably want to use less instant potatoes per person.

Here's how to figure it out:

1. Decide on serving size: Let's say you want a 1/2 cup serving per person.

2. Check package instructions: Look at the package of instant potatoes to see how much dry powder is needed to make a certain amount. For example, it might say 1 cup of powder makes 4 servings.

3. Calculate total powder needed: If you need 1 cup of powder for 4 servings, and you want to serve 200 people with 1/2 cup each, you'll need 100 servings. That means you need 25 cups of dry powder (100 servings / 4 servings per cup = 25 cups).

General guideline: For a typical side dish serving of instant potatoes, plan for about 1/2 cup per person.

Important Note: It's always better to overestimate a little, especially when feeding a large crowd. It's easy to make more if you need to, but it's harder to make less!