Understanding how to decorate food can be confusing to anyone who has never tried it before. The best food garnishes are often simple, colorful ingredients, so you don't have to feel compelled to create new food garnish recipes to match the dish. If you're looking for more elaborate ideas, there are lots of creative options to try for any kind of dish or dessert.
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Method 1 of 4: Choosing Decorations
Step 1. Use edible garnish as much as possible
Food garnishes are not just decorations; Food garnishes can also add taste and texture to dishes. Using edible garnishes also avoids the inconvenience of having to throw them away before eating.
Step 2. Make all inedible garnishes easy to identify and remove
Umbrella decorations on cocktail drinks and birthday cake candles are examples of inedible decorations that are difficult to replace with edible decorations. However, these garnishes are not edible and are easily removed from the diet, so people are less likely to eat them. Make sure any inedible garnishes you use have these characteristics.
Step 3. Decide whether to use a dish that has a strong or mild flavor
Light-tasting dishes may require garnishing the food topped with herbs or spices, but each garnish doesn't need to have a strong flavor. If the food already has a complex taste, then it would be nice to avoid garnishing the food with a strong taste that is not compatible with other food ingredients.
Step 4. Use different colors and textures
Choose a color that contrasts with the color of the dish, so that the food decoration is more visible and appetizing. A small piece of crunchy greens adds variety and interest to a light dish.
Two-ingredient food garnishes can be alternated on the plate, creating a contrasting effect between the two colors. Try sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, or two-tone diced gelatin
Step 5. Arrange the food garnish on the dish
Food garnishes can more quickly attract the attention of people eating food against a contrasting background. If the food itself contains multiple colors, place the food garnish directly on the plate or bowl. Most food garnishes look great on white tableware, but brightly colored food garnishes look great on dark ceramic plates.
Remember, food garnishes usually serve to highlight the main dish, not become works of art. Two or three pieces of food garnish that are spaced apart can be more attractive than laying out a continuous border on a large plate
Step 6. Watch the temperature
Frozen food garnishes can melt if they are next to hot food. While it's okay to lose the shape, garnishing a large, cold meal may not taste good with hot soup and garnishing a hot dish may not suit a cold dessert.
Method 2 of 4: Decorate with Fruit
Step 1. Learn when to use fruit decorations
Most fruits are sweet in taste and are best used to decorate desserts or salads if used in small amounts. Citrus fruits like lemons and limes are great for adding color and flavor to dishes containing light-tasting fish and meat, as well as other fruits and desserts.
Citrus fruits can be made into attractive decorations simply by cutting them into circles, triangles, or spirals. Check out the suggestions below for preparing other fruits
Step 2. Cut the fruit into simple square shapes
Choose a firm fruit with a distinct interior or appearance such as an orange or kiwi. Cut a square block from the center of the fruit, then slice it into thin squares.
Use several types of fruit with different colors. Some of these types of fruit with a more even appearance are cantaloupe or mango. Cut it into a square shape or scrape it into a round shape with a fruit shaper (melon baller)
Step 3. Make a strawberry fan
Wash and dry the strawberries. Using a small knife, make four or five slices from the bottom of the strawberry towards the top, leaving a small cut around the stem to keep it intact. Gently open the strawberry slices into a fan shape on the plate you want to decorate.
Step 4. Cut the maraschino cherries (candied cherries) into flower shapes
Cut the cherries to two-thirds the size of the fruit. Flip the cherries over and make two more cuts, then divide the cherries into six "petals," but don't separate them. Carefully open the petals and press to make them even.
Alternatively, add a small piece of candied fruit or other edible garnish in the center of the plate and place a leaf or two of fennel (mint) underneath
Step 5. Make the icing fruit garnish
Wash any hard fruit, then dry with a paper towel. Place the egg whites in a bowl and beat until foamy. Spread the egg whites onto the surface of the fruit thinly, then sprinkle with granulated sugar so that it looks like it's layered with ice.
Step 6. Make an apple goose
If you have plenty of time and a sharp knife, try making a goose shape out of an apple. Large radishes, other large, firm fruit or vegetables can be used instead of apples.
Other, more elaborate forms of garnish can be served as the main garnish in the middle of a meal or a garnish for special occasions. You can find out how to make them online by looking for articles on Thai fruit shaping or articles on “food garnish.”
Method 3 of 4: Garnishing with Vegetables, Flowers and Leaves
Step 1. Use these ingredients to decorate savory dishes
Vegetables and flowers make excellent garnishes for salads, meats, vegetable dishes, pasta and rice. If you're not sure what vegetables or flowers to use, choose one type to use as an ingredient in a meal, or use a bland-tasting vegetable like cucumber or radish.
Step 2. Make flowers from carrots or cucumbers
Wash half a cucumber or carrot, and peel off any dirty skin or skin bumps. Use a small knife to slice along the vegetables, but don't cut them all. Repeat to form a series of carrot or cucumber "petals". If there is still room, make a second inner petal layer in the same way. Remove the thick inner part and gently bend the petals outwards.
Step 3. Make roses from tomatoes
Peel the tomato skin in a spiral, extending from one end of the tomato to the other, so that the peel gets narrower as you peel it. Roll this peel into a tight roll, then unfold it and shape it into a flower shape. You will need to fold the narrow end between the two spiral folds to keep it in place, or use a toothpick to secure it.
Step 4. Make a chain of vegetables
White onions, bell peppers, and even cucumbers with a hole in the center can easily be made into rings. Make it even more interesting by creating a notch in each ring and forming a connecting chain to place on top of the food or around the serving plate.
Step 5. Use food coloring to create the onion garnish
Slice the white onion into small pieces, but don't cut the roots at the bottom so the slices don't break. Dip the onions in hot water to firm up and reduce the smell of the onions, then soak them in food coloring for twenty or thirty minutes to create an attractive, subtle color.
Step 6. Choose edible flowers
Violets, roses, marigolds, and nasturtiums are examples of edible flowers, but look for other flowers before adding to food, as some are poisonous. Do not eat flowers that grow near roads or other sources of pollution, flowers that contain pesticides, or flowers of unknown species. Only some of the flowers are edible, and even the flowers must be carefully watched to avoid digestive problems. Even so, flowers are one of the easiest and most attractive food decorations.
The taste of flowers can change according to the type, season, and the environment in which they are planted. Taste the petals before using them as a food garnish, even if you have eaten the flower species before
Step 7. Use a bunch of herbs
One of the easiest and most common food garnishes is a bunch of parsley. It's a great addition to dishes that have a rich, fleshy, or heavy flavor because it's balanced against more natural, lighter food ingredients. You can also use rosemary, fennel, or other herbs, but don't forget to remove any inedible stems first.
Sometimes, a sprinkling of powdered spices is the garnish that a dish needs. Paprika powder, chili powder, and turmeric, have a bright color to serve as a garnish
Method 4 of 4: Decorate Food with Dessert Ingredients
Step 1. Use chocolate sprinkles to create various shapes
You can make twists and turns on a dessert or plate, using melted chocolate, or chocolate syrup. For more elaborate shapes, make by spraying melted chocolate on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Carefully place the pan in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has cooled and hardened. Place this shape standing vertically on ice cream or place it on a cold dessert, immediately before serving.
Use dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate to create a variety of looks
Step 2. Dip the fruit in the chocolate
Strawberries, grapes, or a variety of diced fruit can be dipped in chocolate and refrigerated to harden into a delicious dessert. Thread the fruit onto a skewer and arrange in a fan shape by sticking the bottom of the skewer into a halved melon filled with fruit salad or other dessert.
Step 3. Coat the edible flowers with sugar
Use edible flowers that grow without pesticides, preferably flowers with a pleasant aroma. Beat the egg whites until foamy, then coat the flowers with the egg whites using a brush. Sprinkle granulated sugar on the flowers and use a generous amount as a topping for rice pudding or other desserts.
Step 4. Use printed colored gelatin
Flavored liquids can be mixed with powdered gelatin, from herbal teas to fruit juices. Heat the gelatin according to the instructions on the package, then pour it into the mold and refrigerate until the gelatin hardens. If you don't have a decorative mold, cut the gelatin into cubes, diamonds, or other shapes.
