When you serve food on a plate, the goal is to create a dining experience that appeals to all the senses, not just the palate. When food looks appealing, the body actually produces more fluids which help in absorption of nutrients. So, it can be said that attractive foods are healthier than unattractive foods. To achieve restaurant-quality serving, start by serving cooked, brightly colored food. Shape food into stacks and play with contrasting colors and textures to enhance the visual appeal. Finally, decorate the plate with herbs or spices to make it more beautiful. See Step 1 and the following steps to learn how to make the dishes you make look great.
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Part 1 of 4: Making Beautiful Dishes
Step 1. Avoid monochromatic color schemes
A plate of food will look very attractive if it has a high level of color contrast. Imagine being served a bowl of pasty oatmeal or pasta without sauce. Even if the oatmeal or pasta has been seasoned with delicious ingredients like butter and spices, it just looks like a bland carb dish. Serve a bowl of oatmeal with fresh red berries and a drizzle of yellow maple syrup or serve pasta topped with healthy green pesto (Italian sauce) and chopped cherry tomatoes. As a result, you have created a different dining experience. Whatever you're serving, think of ways to add a contrasting color.
- When you are planning a dish, think about the colors you want to appear on the plate. Not all colors of the rainbow can be represented in every dish, but challenge yourself to show as many colors as possible.
- If you're serving several foods of similar colors, such as grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, a fantastic and easy way is to add one or two types of fruit and vegetables to add color. Green, orange, red, purple, blue, pink, and yellow colors manifest in fruits and vegetables.
- If you don't know how to add color, use food garnishes. Most sweet dishes are served with a sprinkling of chives, parsley, dill, or fresh mint. Slices of lemon and lime can be served for poultry and seafood dishes.
Step 2. Bring out the bright colors of the vegetables
The way you cook vegetables has a lot to do with the overall visual effect of the dish. Overcooked vegetables will lose their color and tend to look less attractive than vegetables cooked to proper doneness. To avoid mushy and blanched vegetables, cook them to keep them bright and crunchy. Here are some ways to bring out the color of vegetables:
- Steam the vegetables and don't boil them. By steaming, vegetables will look attractive and taste good. If boiled, it will create the opposite effect. For example broccoli. Steaming broccoli will produce a bright, fresh green color. Each floret (small flower) is kept in shape and texture. Boiling broccoli will result in a mushy texture and a paler color, so it doesn't look pretty when served on a plate. The same goes for asparagus, carrots, beans, and other vegetables.
- Grill or sauté vegetables in a little cooking oil or butter. Roasted or sautéed vegetables look attractive when they are browned by cooking oil or butter. The bright orange or green color of the vegetables is offset by crisp brown dots. Here's a delicious way to cook vegetables.
Step 3. Process the meat with a searing technique (fry the meat in a little oil at high temperature) and let stand
Many meat dishes look very attractive if the meat is cooked using the searing technique. The appearance of a steak or a piece of grilled salmon with a brown and crispy skin will make your dinner guests unable to hold back their saliva. In addition to cooking with a searing, you also have to let the meat rest for a few minutes before cutting. This will allow the liquid that comes out of the meat to seep back into it, so it doesn't flood the plate.
There are some exceptions when searing meat. For example, if you're serving braised beef (meat that is roasted at a high temperature, then boiled in a small amount of water in a covered saucepan), then you'll need to think of creative ways to make the meat look appealing even if it doesn't have a crispy edge. Serving meat with sauce is a great way to make it look more appealing
Step 4. Fry the food carefully
Undercooked or fried foods are difficult to present in an attractive way. Fried foods can look beautiful on a plate, but it's very important to fry them well and handle the oil so it doesn't get on the plate. Fry food until golden brown, then drain on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. If not drained, the food oil will leave stains on the plate.
- Fried foods will brown even more once they are removed from the pan. Pay attention when frying so that the color is not too dark.
- Cook fried foods carefully so that they look attractive when served on a plate. For example, if you want to know if a piece of fried chicken has reached the proper internal temperature, stick a meat thermometer into the chicken out of sight.
Step 5. Pay attention to the texture
Texture and color are equally important when it comes to the appearance of attractive food on a plate. If the food is too oily, too dry, mushy, hard, or difficult to chew and swallow, then its attractive appearance becomes unimportant. Strive to cook well to produce food with the right texture.
- How to handle food that has just been cooked and before it is served greatly affects the texture of the food. For example, pasta should be briefly dipped in water or mixed with a little cooking oil after cooking so that it doesn't clump. Fried foods should not be stored in airtight containers, as the heat from the food will vaporize the food making it mushy.
- When the food served on the plate looks too dry, a little splash of cooking oil or water will make it look more attractive.
Step 6. Experiment with interesting shapes
For example, cutting vegetables into attractive shapes can make a simple meal special. An ice cream scoop can be used to make rice domes or mashed potatoes. You can cook and serve vegetables, desserts, pot pies (a kind of pastel lid) and other foods by making them into unique shapes to make them attractive.
Part 2 of 4: Serving Food With Care
Step 1. When in doubt, choose a white plate
White plates do not compete visually with the food served. The white plate provides a contrasting effect, making the food color brighter and the texture more interesting. As a result, white plates have become the standard choice of chefs in restaurants around the world. The shape of the plate doesn't matter as much as the color.
- But there are exceptions. If you have a special set of plates with a certain pattern or color scheme, it's fine to use them. Make sure the plate complements the food you're serving rather than competing for attention.
- Do not forget to consider the knick-knacks of the dining table. Cutlery, glasses, and tablecloths will enhance the overall appearance of the dish on the table.
- If you're looking for interesting cutlery, head to Asian grocery stores, craft stores, flea markets, and antique shops. You can find some interesting dining table sets from these shops.
Step 2. Visualize the final presentation
Think about how to serve a main course with a side dish. Think about where to put the side dish to make it look pretty with the other elements on the plate. The side dish could be a piece of pie, meat, flan (pastry or sponge cake with a sweet filling.) or whatever. Also think about the impression that appears. Appearance and balance are affected by whether the food is sliced thin, thick, or left whole. You'll quickly find out what works and there's nothing wrong with borrowing ideas from your favorite restaurant.
Step 3. Limit food portion sizes
Fill two-thirds of the plate with food. The rest of the plate should be empty. The empty space will provide a contrasting effect on the food, making it look more attractive. If the plate is full of food, then the food itself will not look appealing. Set a standard serving size and serve the right amount of each portion of the dish.
- As a general rule, half a plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be meat or other protein, and the other quarter should be carbohydrates.
- Serve the main dish in the center of the plate. Then, starting from the main food position, arrange the decorations outward.
Step 4. Follow the odd number rule
An odd number of dish elements is more visually appealing than an even number. An odd number of elements creates the impression of a piece of food framed by other elements. Keep this in mind when you serve several different types of food or several pieces of the same food. For example, if you're serving ax clams, serve 3 or 5 instead of 4.
Step 5. Play with different textures
Creating different textures is a good way to attract attention. Too much soft or crunchy food on a plate isn't appealing, but a combination of the two is delicious. For example, an eye-catching plate might consist of a risotto (a typical Italian rice dish cooked in broth) soft mushrooms topped with a slice of cooked salmon, and a sprinkling of crunchy scallions. The three different textures work well together to create an enjoyable eating experience. If one of these elements is omitted, it will make the dish less appealing.
- If you want to add something crunchy to the dish, sprinkle with crushed walnuts, almonds, or roasted pumpkin seeds.
- A little creme fraiche (French sour cream) or a few slices of goat cheese can add a creamy texture to a delicious dish. Whipped cream or pastry cream are great ways to add a soft element to a sweet dish.
Step 6. Stack the food to increase the height
Often we see food piled up in restaurants, but home-cooked meals are usually not laid out that way. Adding height to a dish will make an ordinary meal extraordinary. Don't be afraid to show off your culinary skills by using the stack and layer method for a more professional presentation of your food.
- An easy way to build a meal stack is to serve protein foods on top of carbohydrates. For example, serve kebabs on a mound of rice or serve grilled swordfish on a mound of mashed potatoes.
- You can also use the sauce as a food coating. Take a spoonful of meat stock, marinara (Italian tomato sauce), or whatever sauce you use in the middle of the dish and arrange the other elements of the dish on top.
- Arrange the food to appear bigger, not smaller. For example, adjust the components of the salad to make it look fuller and not flatter. Don't serve cooked asparagus in an even layer, but create stacks in a criss-cross arrangement.
Step 7. Use sauces wisely
If you are serving a curry, casserole (meat and vegetables baked in a heatproof dish and then served with the dish) with a thick gravy, you will need to separate the gravy before serving, then pour in just the right amount when the dish is about to be served on the plate. That way, you can control the amount of sauce and make the dish look appealing. A soup dish on a flat plate looks messy unless it's served around something like rice, pasta, or potatoes, or served in a suitable bowl or concave plate.
Step 8. Follow the trend of decorating food
Remember, food serving styles can change even in years or months. So keep the trend up-to-date with cooking magazines, cooking or food websites, and cooking demos for new ideas. Intricate food garnishes have taken center stage, and food that is shaped into towers or piles has always been in vogue. However, complicated and difficult trends eventually tend to evaporate, while classic food serving techniques that look fresh, attractive, and delicious never go out of style.
Part 3 of 4: Adding Interesting Touches
Step 1. Use garnishes that add flavor to the dish
Think of a different decoration than usual. Classic garnishes like coarse, dry parsley slices are served alongside scrambled eggs. Maybe the garnish can add a green tinge, but can it really enhance the look of the dish? Instead, make a bouquet of chives or add a sprinkling of fresh sowa dill to the dish. Whatever you serve, make sure the garnish will make the dish better and not make the plate look messy.
- If you're serving the dish with lemon or lime wedges, try creating a sleek, pretty spiral shape instead of simply slicing it in thick chunks. This method may be able to make people who eat the dish interested in using the food garnish rather than just getting rid of it.
- Think creatively and use decorations that you may not have thought of before. Sprinkle a little cinnamon powder over a chicken dish or a handful of pomegranate seeds over a regular salad. Choose decorations that add flavor and color.
- In many dishes, flowers are a fine decoration. Likewise with the decoration in the form of large inedible leaves that serve as a food base. In wider Western culture, it is advisable not to serve something inedible on a plate. Because there are certain decorations that can affect the taste. So, choose decorations carefully.
Step 2. Use the spray technique
Another way to finish serving food is to sprinkle it with a sauce or thick liquid. For salty or spicy dishes, you might want to add a little remoulade (a French mayonnaise sauce), pesto, or spiced cooking oil. For a sweet dish, adding chocolate sauce, fruit jam, or creme anglaise (watered custard) will be the most delicious way to add the finishing touch.
- Consider putting the sauce in a squeeze bottle so you can create a pretty spiral shape or pattern, rather than just pouring it over the food. If you don't have a squeeze bottle, put the sauce in a plastic food bag, cut off a little at one end, and remove the sauce from the bag by squeezing it.
- Don't add too much sauce. The key is to add a touch of color, flavor, and texture without competing with the main dish.
Step 3. Make sure the plate is clean
Make sure you don't serve food on a dirty plate, after going to the trouble of serving it beautifully. Check for finger marks and smudges on the edges of the plate. A good way to clean the edges of dishes is to dip a paper towel in a cup of water with a little white vinegar on it. Scrub the edges of the plate so that no food residue or finger marks are visible. This will give your presentation a professional touch.
Part 4 of 4: Serving Complicated Dishes
Step 1. Serve the pasta to make it look delicious
Pasta is one of those complex dishes to serve in an interesting way. Make sure the pasta stays moist after cooking, so it doesn't clump. Use a food tongs to scoop out a few strands of pasta from the pan and place them on a plate in an interesting twist. Do the same with the other pasta that is still in the pan and continue until there is enough pasta on the plate. Carefully pour the sauce over the top so that it blends in the center of the pasta, but not too much.
- If you're serving pasta with protein, place it attractively on top of the pasta pile. For example, if your dish consists of shrimp, place the shrimp on top of the pasta and don't bury it in the pasta pile.
- Before serving, you can moisten the pasta with a little olive oil to make it look shiny and attractive.
Step 2. Serve the dish "brown" to make it attractive
Mushroom cream soup or vegetables cooked in thick gravy may taste delicious, but tend to be boring served in a bowl or plate. How do you make something brown stand out? Adding embellishments is key. Consider adding sliced thyme, fried sage, chopped chives, or other herbs to freshen up the dish, but this will depend on the flavor of the soup or thick gravy you're serving.
- Soups and soupy dishes tend to leave gravy stains, so make sure the sides of the bowl or serving plate are cleaned of gravy stains.
- The casserole dish has a brown skin. A good way to offset that pale-looking main dish is to serve it with a bunch of fresh greens.
Step 3. Improve the appearance of a dessert that tastes better than it looks
You've made your grandmother's recipe brownies and want to make them look less chocolatey. Baked desserts such as brownies, cobblers (a dessert made of fruit covered in biscuits or pie crusts and then baked) and everyday cakes need a little touch up to make them look good. Try one of these tricks:
- Use cookie cutters to create neat shapes. Star or leaf-shaped brownies will look more attractive than rectangular shapes.
- Serve with mint leaves. The addition of fresh leaves is a great way to enhance the appearance of desserts, especially fruit desserts.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, or powdered sugar over the dessert. Choose a powder that contrasts in color with your dessert.
- Sprinkle crushed pink mint on top of dessert. The dessert will appear to emit a pink sheen.
- If using colored sprinkles, use edible sprinkles.
- If all else fails, serve dessert with whipped cream. You can put the whipped cream in a food-grade plastic bag with a star-shaped tip to create an interesting shape.
Tips
- Make food presentation relevant and simple. Beautiful formal dishes are suitable for parties, but even simple dishes can be embellished with herbs.
- Read cookery books and magazines for ideas. Your local library is a great resource and now many culinary magazines can be downloaded, so you can read recipes in the cooking section of your iPad, eReader, or other device. It also allows you to decorate your desk with references from various reading sources on electronic devices!
- Now there are plates that can keep food hot (patented). It's a great finishing touch to use on a delicious hot dish (Especially if the ingredients are expensive and take time to prepare).
