How to make food look good
There’s only one thing we like to talk about more than food. And that’s how to make food look good! The first steps to becoming an awesome cook is to serve up grub that looks totally irresistible
1. Organisation
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, taking some time to organise yourself before you start anything will save you time and stress in the long run. Make sure you have a plan in your head with what you want your end dish to look like. That way you won’t end up wasting food in the plating up process!
2. Picking your plate
Picking the plate you use is SO important to how people perceive your dish. We’re not going to get preachy and tell you to go out and buy fancy schmancy plates that are going to make you look like you’ve robbed the Roux residence, but having said that, if you want to look like you’ve made a bit of an effort it’s worth giving your plates some thought.
3. Plate shape
I’m not saying you should turn away from your classic round plate, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up and see how a square plate looks. Or even, curveball, not a classic plate at all? Maybe it’s time to get involved with some fancy bits of slate or even a wooden platter situation. It might look great it might look a bit naff, but you won’t know till you’ve tried.
4. Plate colour
White or black or anything in between, whatever the colour, make sure it complements the tones within your dish. Lots of people will tell you to only use white crockery. It’s true that you are definitely safer with white if you are in any doubt. If you have a dish with lots of lighter tones, don’t be afraid to use a dish with a darker hue like charcoal. That will help the dish stand out. It’s all about experimenting with what works best for you!
5. Plate size
Don’t over do it. Always judge your portion sizes. Just because you are using a large plate doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to fill it. When it comes to presenting up it’s all about balance.
6. Temperature
One thing that will really impress people when you plate your food up is heating or cooling your plate appropriately for the dish. It’s such a shame when you are served a lovely hot dish only to find that it’s gone cold because it was served on an ice cold plate.
7. Garnishing
Herb leaves, slices of lime/ lemon, a drizzle of dressing, a sprig of mint…. little fixes like this can make you seem darn impressive. They’re also great to add a different colour dimension to a dish.
8. Don’t slice, tear
Here’s a bonus tip from SORTEDfood’s very own Josh. Tear your ingredients instead of slicing them. This is a great method for a couple of reasons. Aesthetically, torn chicken looks far more appealing than sliced chicken. On the more technical side, when you tear you chicken instead of cutting it, the surface area is much greater. So say for example you are mixing it into a creamy sauce, the chicken will be coated in even more of the sauce. More sauce means more flavour.
https://sortedfood.com/article/8-easy-ways-to-make-your-food-look-awesome