Food Presentation Techniques

A delicious dish excites your taste buds instantly, when it is presented in a classy way. You may be keen observer of the way, a chef garnishes the dish in your favorite recipe show on the television. But, when it is your turn, you may find yourself unable to master the food presentation techniques! Well, this takes time, but you should keep experimenting to learn the best way to plate and garnish food.

Plating and Garnishing Food

Elegant Tableware

Using plates that are perfect for the food served is a must. Use plates that will keep enough empty space after the food is served. Remember, fully occupied dish will look really messy and unattractive. Too small a dish can look overused and too large a dish may look empty. So, balance the portion size and plate size. Make sure that you opt for elegant tableware according to the occasion and food served. You can try tableware, especially the plates that are square shaped, instead of the common round shape.

Try to have plates that are of a color in contrast to the food recipe served. Decent glassware and beautiful crockery is a must to complement the entire food presentation. You must also learn how to set a table properly to serve food in the right way. Have the necessary hot plates to serve hot food. Pay particular attention to the proper table setting and table decorations. Spread the best table cloth or table runner and table mats.

Garnishing Food

Garnishing is one of the best, easiest and most popular technique. The first rule you must remember while using garnishes is that all garnishes have to be fresh. Never try to use the prepared garnishes or store them for later use. Next rule is that use a contrasting garnish. Like, if you have a dish that has a dark gravy, opt for white colored garnish. For something that is light colored, you need to have a dark or contrasting colored garnish over it. Well, it's not just about colors, a garnish must have complementary flavor element which will enhance the taste of the food along with the appearance.

A good idea is to use one of the ingredient used in the dish as the garnish, like chopped dry fruits and nuts, this will also give a hint of the flavor. For garnishing soup recipes, drizzles of sour cream or crumbled bacon can be used. For starters and side dishes, you can opt for chopped herbs or chopped nuts. You can also use onion or cabbage, cut creatively for garnishing a dish. Dusting powdered sugar, berries and chocolate shavings is a perfect food garnishing idea for the desserts. Laying citrus peels on the borders of the dishes is a lovely way to decorate a big dish.

Serve Artistically

Now, you might wonder how to do this! Well, it just means that you need to serve each dish artistically. Starting from the number of pieces of the recipe added to the dish to the way you place each food item needs to be considered. Never place even number of pieces, always have 3, 5 or 7 pieces and so on... Also, never just pick up and place them in the dish or platter. Be creative, try to form some shape while you place them, overlap or fan them out.

While you use any liquid to garnish then don't just pour it, again be artistic! Use horizontal or diagonal strokes. When you use vegetables or fruits that are cut into pieces for garnishing, arrange them one over another considering the size. Don't forget to match the colors. Use colors that look best and place each piece to match the one besides, above or below it. Cut pieces in distinct shapes to make them more attractive.

If these techniques are used properly, these can definitely spice up your dish. Remember, do not overdo the decorations. These are for enhancing the dish and should not completely, take away the focus off the main food. So try and experiment using various ingredients to come up with some unique ways to plate or garnish food so as to leave your mark on them.