How chefs manage to make food look so delicious? Why do I cook the same recipe and found mine somehow lacking ? A huge contributing factor is the presentation of your dish. Chefs and Caterers know exactly how best to present food, garnish it, pair it, and plate it. With these tips you will be able to present your food in style.
- Combine different colors : Don’t make the mistake of presenting food items that are all in the same color range. Without using food coloring, make sure to combine different color range food – salmon, with green wasabi and beetroot will make your plate looks savory!
- Odd numbers : A golden rule, for Chefs as well as many different decorating jobs, Odd numbers items look better than even. 3 tomatoes in the plate looks better than 2 or 4.
- Garnish : What takes a plain meal from blah to wow? Garnishing, of course. You can garnish any dish; just make sure that the flavor and colors go along with the scheme. Cut fun shapes out of raw vegetables, simple carving vegetables, edible flowers, spices, herbs, carrots, chopped nuts or fruit and use it as garnish.
- Use different shapes : Cut your fish into a square or rectangle, shape your portion of rice using a measuring cup or a small bowl to get a nice mound. Altering shapes like this adds creativity to a plate.
- Sauce like in a restaurant : The perfect drizzle of a sauce over a meat dish, or around the rim of a plate can make your entrée look much more professional. Take an old squeeze ketchup bottle and fill it with your sauce for easy application. The same method can be used to dab or drizzle chocolate or raspberry sauce on a dessert.
- Pile up your different ingredients : To impress your guests, try layering your meat or fish dish on top of a bed of vegetables. The layering effect is different from what guests are used to, and gives the plate a professional touch.
- Control your portions : For a special meal, keep the portions slightly smaller than usual. Smaller quantity of each dish will make your plate looks more professional.
- Keep it clean : Always wipe the outer rim or edge of the plate with a clean moist cloth or – only food use – sponge to ensure that no food is on it. Think of the edge of the piece as the frame for your masterpiece.
Following these tips, your plates will look so delicious!
