seven ways to present food like a chef
TRANSCRIPT
Seven Ways to Present Food Like a Chefposted in Around the Kitchen by Emily Chapelle, Kathy Maister
previous | blog index | next
If you’re a startcooking.com regular, no doubt you’ve become more comfortable with basic cooking
techniques. Now you’re making sweet and sour meatballs, tomato olive quesadillas, and know how to stir fry.
Plus, you’re no longer wondering what mesclun is! Maybe you’re even thinking of inviting friends over to
show off those new culinary skills.
Part of serving great food is presentation: like the Salad Nicoise pictured above, it should appeal to your
mouth, nose and eyes. (Don’t they deserve a feast, too?) You don’t have to be a trained chef to learn the
basics of plating, which is the art of presenting food in an attractive way. Don't worry, it’s not about making
butter sculptures or radish animals (yet!). There seven simple ways to present your meals like a pro.
1. Set the table properly. Your day-to-day meals might be free-for-alls, but if you’ve got guests coming
over, it’s nice to have the knives and forks in the right places.
2. Choose your plates wisely. Make sure your serving plates are big enough to let each food item stand
out, but small enough that the portions don’t look tiny.
Kathy used a square white plate above for serving this Portobello and Goat Cheese dish, making it stand
out on a bed of sauce. Many chefs prefer white dishes, so the food “pops” visually, but you can try
another color. Dishes with bold patterns can detract from the food. If you’re serving something hot, pre-
heat your plates by placing them in the oven (if they are oven-safe) or on top of the toaster. If you’re
serving cold foods, cool your dishes in the fridge or freezer for a bit. You can always make the plate look
a little nicer by placing the food on a leaf of Boston lettuce.
3. Read the clock! A foolproof way to arrange food on a plate is to place the carbohydrate (rice, pasta,
bread, etc.) at “11 o’clock,” the vegetables at “2 o’clock,” and the protein at “6 o’clock” from the
diner’s point of view.
This will also help you portion correctly, if you remember that vegetables should cover about half of the
plate, starch one fourth, and protein one fourth.
4. Be odd. Don’t be strange, but things generally look more interesting when they’re in sets of odd
numbers, rather than even numbers.
So if you’re serving shrimp or stuffed mushrooms, put five on each plate, rather than six. Don’t worry
about counting out peas though!
5. Play with Height. This Chicken Stirfry with Broccoli looks more interesting because of the high mound
of rice sitting next to it.
Just like with centerpieces, it’s good to have a little bit of height, but don’t overdo it or your guests
won’t know how to proceed! If you have a mound of mashed potatoes (mid-height), you may want to
lean your pork chop against it so that it is standing up (high), with a row of snow peas (low) in front. Or,
top some rice (low) with slicedgrilled chicken (cut into a few diagonal slices, and fan them out) (mid-
height) and cross asparagus over top of it (high).
6. Play with color and texture. Even if you’re just serving Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Sandwiches, a green paper napkin can make this simple meal look really special!
If you’re serving up a pesto dish, which has a lot of green in it, you might want to pair it with something
red (the complementary color) like tomatoes or red peppers. A dish of white fish, water chestnuts,
and rice would look really boring, so make sure to punch it up! Similarly, mix up the texture. If you
made a smooth vegetable soup, serve it with a carrot stick and a celery stick (maybe an inner one with
some of the delicious little greens still attached) across the top of the bowl. If you made a (smooth)
steak, top it with some (crumbly) feta cheese or walnuts.
Kathy's Pear and Blue Cheese Salad (pictured above) is a great example of a mouthwatering mix of
textures.
7. Garnish appropriately. Don’t lose sight of the recipe you made in the first place! Any garnishes on
the plate should be edible and should enhance the flavor of the main dishes. Grilled salmon might be
served with a lemon wedge, for example.
Garnishes, like the cut-up fruit with the fried egg below, are also a great way to add color or texture.
Be sure to add parsley to your weekly shopping list. It not only tastes great, it is also a lovely garnish for just
about everything!
If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please considersubscribing for free.