15 creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery

How to Plate Food: Top 10 Artistic Food Presentation Ideas

What tempts a customer to try a dish? The answer is “how amazingly you present the dish.” Maybe you got your answer but you have to gather more knowledge about food presentation ideas or food presentation techniques. Let’s explore how to plate food in a creative way.

You can find a lot of creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery. But it’s critical to consider which region you are serving the food in. Suppose you are serving the food service in the Asian region or USA.

• What is Food Plating?

Food plating is a food presentation idea or food presentation technique that creates an aesthetic appeal to the diners. In this case, the visual presentation is inevitable including decorating, arranging, and presenting the food.

Do you know that the taste of the food increases 29% if you serve the food in an artistic way?

Yes, it’s proven. While conducting the research, a group of people is served with the same food that is prepared with the same ingredients. 

Once they tasted the food from the well-decorated plate, and another time with the same food normally.

The most interesting part of the test is the result. Can you realize what the result will be?

Although all foods are made with the same ingredients, the people found the decorated food tastier than the normally served item.

The report published that the well-decorated food is 3 times tastier to the served people. Plating food techniques are significant to know as a chef. So go through the article and know How do you present a dish to make it more appealing.

• Creative Presentation Techniques for Vegetable Cookery

Do you know the Philippines is one of the Asian countries in which food draws inspiration from several influences? Filipino foods have striking similarities with international cuisine. Filipino dishes reflect the Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Western, and Pacific Islander flavors.

It’s true that we eat with our senses. Yes, what we eat we can see, smell and feel that. A study revealed that the dishes’ presentation makes the food items taste better. So why not? You should know plating techniques and here you’ll get the tips for food presentation.

• What are the Components of a Creative Food Presentation?

It’s essential to know the components of creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery. 

What are the elements of good food presentation? In this part of the article, you can acquire sufficient knowledge of plating food techniques. Know how to plate food perfectly.

The components of food presentation include-

Present the Culinary Preparation

The plate structures and the colors are important to reveal your culinary preparation. In this case, the size of the plate and food volume greatly depends.

Center of Attention

The food plate you serve your customers should be well organized and the focal point of the food plate should be considered.

Suppose, you highlight the highest point of the decorated plate most attractively. But you should consider the placement of the focal point. It’s critical to place the lower items on the food plate so as not to hide the lower items. 

Color Psychology

The colors of a dish make something different to the appeal of the customers. Choose color wisely and every food item has its own color. You have to make a color and contrast balance on a dish.

Typically, the Green color represents coolness whereas Red stands for excitement. Besides, Blue is not an appropriate color for the food as it suppresses the appetizing.

On the other hand, Black is a sign of elegance. Although the vegetables are colorful and you have to understand their contrasts of colors and shapes.

Flavor of the Food

The food flavors are the most important component. The flavors complement each other and they are close. You have to consider the desired flavor that makes a sense of the smell of the diner. 

Visual Interest with Texture

The texture is the most important component of a food presentation. The texture of your food items on the plate gives pleasure to eating. 

The textures grow the visual interest and the combination of the textures of a food plate can be soft, smooth, and rigid.

Textures can be different because of the preparation method. Suppose a crunchy texture builds happily on a creamy and smooth cushion. 

The decoration of a food plate is significant. You may serve different items of food. In this case, you should consider the fruit platter presentation ideas, Sandwich platter presentation ideas, Fine dining plating ideas, Seafood plating ideas, Steak plating techniques, Meat plating ideas, Salad plating presentation, etc.

The food presentation techniques must have two distinctive factors. One is edibility and another one is flavor. The decorating components can be herbs, spices, or ingredients.

In this case, you have to plate food like a chef.

• One thing remember that your plate is your canvas
• Grab the attention with visual stimulants
• Use Rule of Third to arrange the food on the plate
• Paint your food plate with sauce
• Enhance both appearance and flavor with garnish

Garnish the Food Plate

Well, before tasting the food, the garnishing impacts the level of taste and the effectiveness of the food presentation. 

It enhances the flavor and texture of a dish. Garnishing should follow two culinary art rules. The food plate ought to present an outstanding way that considers the food’s appearance and the balanced dish. 

The garnish of a food plate helps to shut the mouth of your customers while serving them on the table. Because their eyes will be caught on your decorated plate. It’s like the eyes eat the plate.

How to plate food in a creative way? The above components are required in plating food techniques. Besides, the food plate presentation ideas help the chefs to understand the standard level of food plating.

However, these are the basic elements of plating and principles of food presentation techniques. Those dish presentation techniques help to create a framework, balance your dish, keep the food plate smile, highlight the key ingredients and get the right portion of ingredients. 

• What are the Food Plating Techniques?

The food plating techniques are highly required for the foodservice business. Especially for the restaurants that provide a setting space to take food for the customers. 

In the Philippines, restaurants always focus on modern plating techniques. The food presentation ideas help the restaurateurs to think once again about how to present food on a plate.

The food plating techniques master you to make your plate a perfect and presentable dish to your customers. It’s like an art where the food plate is your canvas and the food is your medium. 

What are the essential factors of food presentation? Let’s see the important factors that you must consider in plating food techniques. Fruit platter presentation ideas are also important to know. The food platter is also popular worldwide.

You have to be an artist while designing your food plate. Let’s explore the best food plating techniques in the below section.

Plating Techniques

The plating techniques suggest you shape your plate perfectly. Likewise, you have to choose a paper to art on it. You should consider some factors while choosing the right plate for serving food.

Size of the Plate

The plate size is a considerable matter because it brings the ingredients you want to serve to your customers. In this case, the plate size should be big enough to represent it in a balanced way.

Choose the Plate Color

The color of your plate is also important. You can choose the light color or dark color plate. Most of the restaurants use white color plates. Because it gives you a neutral background for brightly colored foods.

On the other hand, you can choose the dark color plate if your food items are light in color. Besides, you can use the color of your dish matching with the interior design of your restaurants like table, chair, and couch colors.

Moreover, the color of your plates can vary from item to item. Suppose, you are offering an appetizer, in this case, you should choose red color plates and the blue plate expresses the royalty. 

Style of the Restaurant

The classical style plates always suit fine dining restaurants. In this case, china dinnerware is appropriate for the traditional plating styles. 

Besides the plating style should be up to date in time which allows you to create maximum plating creativity.

Food Plating Design Techniques

The appropriate food plating design or arrangement of the food plate helps to determine the structural integrity, aesthetic tone of the meal, and flavor dispersion. Perfect dish presentation highly depends on the food plating techniques you follow. 

Just take a look at the most popular and effective food arrangement techniques.

Rule of Thirds

Food presentation is creativity. You have to explore your ideas to make the food plate more unique and captivated.

The rule of thirds should be followed to place the food on the food plate. In this case, the focal point must be maintained. Which food items are appropriate on the right side and which are suitable for the left side rather than the center. 

Clock Style Food Plating

The food plate presentation can be unique if you just focus on some unique styles. In this case, the clock style is popular and worthy.

The food plate should carry the ingredients in a systematic way and the alignment of the food items is important.

Think of your plate as a clock and place the protein item between 3 and 9, the starch or carbohydrate item between 9 to 12, and vegetable items from 12 to 3.

Keep Your Plate Simple and Clean

Simple food plating is obvious and it attracts customers. You have to keep your plate simple and the focal point of your food plate should be expressed.

Never make your food plate overcrowded with different items. It negatively affects the impression of the customers.

Focus on Textures

The texture of the food creates an aesthetic value of the food plate. An appealing texture combination is essential. You can also follow some classic styles of food dishes.

For instance, a smooth vegetable puree with crunchy onion straws creates a marvelous food dish. Besides, topping a steak with crumbled blue cheese makes a classic cuisine.

Placement of Moist Ingredients

The moist food ingredients can run any portion of the plate. In this case, you have to prevent running by placing other food ingredients on the top of the plate. 

So place the moist food ingredients first. Then locate other food items on top.

Food Visibility Plating Techniques

Visibility of your food plate is the first and foremost part of food plating. Do you know the customers always focus on the beauty of the dishes?

The food presentation techniques make your dish more colorful and appealing. In this case, you have to maintain a visual balance while preparing the dishes.

Consider the Quantity

Well, you must provide the quantity of the items by following a classic style. It creates a balance of the dish. Then the most important thing to consider is serving the food with odd numbers.

Yes, the odd number makes a positive sense to the service users’ minds. For instance, if you serve five Brussels sprouts to your customers instead of six, the customers feel you serve them more. 

Color and Flavor Diversity

You have to design your food plate including different colors. The perfect color combination makes the customers more interested in taking the food.

In this case, when you serve the dish, you may add several types of ingredients that are different in color. For example, vegetables, meats, and other food items are distinctive colors.

On the other hand, the flavor of your prepared dish greatly depends because the customers eat with satisfaction when it smells better.

So it is necessary not to present the food plate with only one single flavor. You have to add different flavors that suit the food more perfectly. 

Create Layer of Food Ingredients

The food layer creates art on your dish. If you see the traditional plating system in a restaurant, the plates just contain a lot of food items randomly.

But the modern plating techniques make the dish more presentable. Because nowadays the foodservice owners try to present the food in an interesting way.

In this case, creating a food layer on your plate is highly recommended. It is true that the multiple layers of food arrangement on a food plate stimulate the level of curiosity.

Sauce Plating Presentation Techniques

How to decorate food dishes? The answer to the question includes more considerable points. But the most important thing is to plate the sauce in an amazing way.

In this case, the sauce plating techniques are essential to know. Suppose, you place sauce on the plate but it doesn’t create any additional beauty of the dish.

So what can you do? You should follow the below points. 

You can think of your squeeze bottle as a paintbrush. And art your food plate with it.

Smeared Sauce

First, choose the desired color sauce and fill the squeeze bottle with it. Create a circle on the food plate with a thick layer of sauce. 

Then with a spoon or other tool, dip it in the center of the sauce where it is thickest. Now pull the sauce quickly across the food plate.

Accent Dots

It is a more interesting one. If you use multiple sauces to create a color contrast, accent dots are the most suitable ones.

First, take a squeeze bottle and fill it up with the colored sauce. In this case, you should use the rule of thirds to decorate the sauce based on your plate.

Smeared Accent Dots

Sauce plating is creative. You can merge two styles and get a combined design. In this case, you can make a curved line along the side of the food plate.

Well, firstly take a small plating edge and locate it at the middle of the first accent dot. Now drag the edge across the accent dots and create a single or multi-color edge.

Swirled Sauce

Fill a squeeze bottle with the desired sauce. Now squeeze your bottle and spin the stand where the plate is placed. It makes a design on the food ingredients and the multicolor sauce makes it more artistic.

However, it’s not about the design of the food plate with sauce, it’s more than that. So wipe the edge of the food plate with a towel or a clean piece of cloth after doing the sauce plating techniques.

Garnishing Techniques

The food presentation techniques are not new. But the traditional food plating ideas are not worthy in this modern era. 

Modern food plating techniques are focusing on garnishing. Although the traditional garnishing system was basic, at that time, a piece of kale or an orange slice was thrown by chefs on the plate.

In this era, restaurant owners think differently. The creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery are essential to do something unique.

Now the garnishing is related to its flavor. To create a flavor bite, follow the garnishing techniques below.

One thing you must know, which garnishes should be avoided. 

Don’t use unappetizing garnishes including

• Large chunks of citrus
• Ingredients with a strong odor
• Garnishes that take more time to implement etc.

Use Edible Garnishes

It’s crucial to use edible garnishes with the dish. The garnishes should be placed perfectly in the right position.

Placement of the Garnishes

Based on the type of your dish, you should place the garnishes. In this case, the color contrast of the food is related. Moreover, always try to place the garnishes on top of the dishes rather than at the corner of the plate.

Never Do it Crowded

The garnishes enhance the beauty of the food plate by stimulating flavor. But you should remember that you have to make your dish a presentable and balanced dish. So if the food items of your dish are already too much, you should consider adding garnishing ingredients to it.

The food plate presentation techniques are different in different countries. Philippines, India, Thailand, etc. countries are popular for food in Asia.

Besides, the USA and different European countries are also presenting the food with great care. But the fact is that the food items and the dish presentation are different.

Filipino foods are popular because they serve almost all types of food. Moreover, the Philippines serve different countries’ people.

Here are the best food plating techniques on how to plate food. If you follow those dish presentation ideas, you can create 

If you follow the above-mentioned food plating techniques or dish presentation ideas, you can serve your customers perfectly from any corner of the world.

Plate presentation ideas will be fruitful when you follow a systematic and creative way while serving the dishes to the customers.

• What are the Professional Plating Tools?

It’s a common question. You may also get an idea of the plating tools from Google search. But you should have professional plating tools if you are doing your restaurant business for commercial purposes.

In this section, the professional plating tools are mentioned which are essential for creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery.

When you are thinking about how to plate a dish or dish presentation ideas, you should have the plating tools. The plating tools ease the way to design your food more effectively.

Before knowing how to plate food, let’s know which tools are essential for plating. You can get these tools easily from the desired shop of your locality.

Decorating Brushes 

Mostly used in sauce plating techniques. In addition to this, to create a coulis or puree base for vegetables or meats, decorating brushes are useful.

It helps to cut the vegetables or other food items to a particular shape. Besides, the ring molds help to structure the height of the food while stacking.

Garnishing Kits

To garnish the food plate, you’ll need some tools like a squeeze bottle, plating wedges, brushes, and tongs.

Plating Wedges

It is used to create sauce design and comes with flat, round, or pointed edges.

The precision tongs help to place the garnishes or delicate items on the food plate.

Squeeze Bottles

To apply the sauce to the prepared food dishes, squeeze bottles are required.

Shaver’s

Helps to cut slices of grated chocolate, hard cheese, and soft vegetables.

The plating spoons are essential while creating a design on the food plate. You can collect slotted spoons which help to separate the solid items from the liquid.

Besides, the saucier spoons are useful in dragging the sauce across the plate.

However, these plating tools are crucial to making a perfect dish. Creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery will be effective when you have these professional plating tools. 

• What are the Popular Food Plating Styles?

To know how to plate food you have to understand the food plating styles that exist. Food plating styles will help you to get an overview of plate presentation ideas.

What are the popular food plating styles? The popular food plating styles include

• Classic plating
• Freeform and
• Landscape plating style.

If you have a clear understanding of all types of food plating styles, you can design your food plate amazingly and worthy.

Using some food ingredients those plating styles are demonstrated including potato puree, a demi-glace, carrots, filet mignon, pea blend, a pea puree, a lima bean, fried leeks, and thyme. 

Classic Plating Style

The classic plating style is given below step by step.

• Use a pastry bag to pipe the potato puree onto the food plate
• Now place carrot slices next to the potato puree with precision tongs.
• Then, use thyme to garnish the carrots using tongs.
• Place the steak with precision tongs.
• Garnish the steak with fried leeks using precision tongs.
• Use a spouted saucier to drizzle the demi-glace around the food plate.
• Wipe the plate edges clearly with a clean towel.
• Serve the prepared classic plate.

Free Form Plating Style

Let’s see the free-form plating style.

• Take a food plate and pipe dots potato puree onto it using pastry bags
• Use a chef’s knife to slice the steak
• Place the sliced steaks with precision tongs on the food plate
• Using a spoon plate the lima bean and pea blend around the food plate.
• Plate the carrots slices with precision tongs.
• By a large squeeze bottle, place the dots of pea puree around the food plate.
• Now plate the dots of demi-glace on the plate with a small squeeze bottle.
• It’s time to garnish the plate with fried leeks.
• Rub the edges of the plate with a clean towel.
• Finally, you’ll get a free-form-style food plate.

Landscape Plating Style

The landscape plating style is one of the mo0st popular plating styles. Follow the step-by-step process to prepare a landscape food plate.

• Firstly, take a large squeeze bottle and place dots of pea puree on the food plate.
• Use a brush and paint the pea puree.
• Pipe the potato puree onto the plate with a pastry bag.
• Use precision tongs and place the carrot slices.
• Against the puree and the carrots, lean the steaks
• Take a spoon and plate the lima bean and pea blend around the plate.
• Use spouted saucier to drizzle the demi-glace around the food plate.
• Use a clean towel to wipe the plate edges.
• Now you are done and your food plate is ready to serve.

If you consider creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery, those three popular plating styles are crucial. Filipino foods are most suitable with these food plating styles.

• Tips for Food Presentation Ideas

How to plate food? The food plate presentation ideas help the chefs to create the most wanted dishes. Whatever food you serve and wherever you are serving, the creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery are fruitful.

Here are the tips for food presentation ideas and creative presentation techniques for food design ideas.

1. Think the Food Plate is Your Canvas

It’s a common question how to decorate food dishes. The most vital part of creating a perfect food plate is your idea and your imagination.

It’s like paint. You will get a plate and just place the food items with a possible layer where you think it suits you best.

2. Focus on Textures of the Food Plate

Is the texture of the food plate important? Yes, you have to play with the textures of the food plate while arranging the ingredients on the plate.

The sauces, foams, and textures of your food plate create a more aesthetic feeling in the customers’ minds. Foam is the best one that can help you to design your food plate in an interesting way.

3. Keep it Simple and Clean

Sometimes the chefs think more items will add more value to the customers. But it’s totally wrong. 

If you overcrowd the food plate with some unnecessary ingredients excluding the desired food item, it is better to remove those ingredients for sure. And make the food plate clean and simple.

It is to be remembered that simple plating ideas are the most wanted and demanded food plating techniques.

You should focus on the main food item that you are going to serve the customer. Make the food amazing itself rather than focusing on other additional ingredients like zillion garnishes or swirls of sauce, unnecessary oils or spices or microgreens, etc.

4. Create a Natural Color Contrast

Well, it is said that the more colorful your food plate is, your customer will be more interested in it. Okay, but it isn’t 100% true.

The experienced and expert chefs share their ideas and thoughts in this regard. They said, if you add more colorful ingredients, it depends on the type of ingredients you are going to add.

For example, one chef adds carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, lettuces, beans, etc. which are colorful vegetables that belong to their own natural or organic color. In this case, those ingredients make an aesthetic value of the dish. 

On the other hand, if any chef uses color ingredients but that is not natural. Yes, it attracts the customers but they will not be willing to choose that over the natural one.

So color contrast is essential but you should try to make it natural. It is far better and fruitful to make your food plate more appealing and acceptable.

5 . Shape the Food Height on the Plate

It is unnecessary to fill up the food plate with the food ingredients. But it is essential to create a height on the plate.

It indicates the focus point of your food plate. You have to create a food plate attractive to your customers. So highlighting the focal point of your food is more important than overcrowding the plate with food randomly.

The ring mold helps to fix the perfect height of the food plate. So you can use this plating tool for sure.

6. Serve Less in Quantity but Make it Quality

Usually, the customers feel satisfied when they get more food, don’t they?

But if you want to design the food plate in a creative way, you have to add a small portion of food to your food plate. In this regard, the highly recommended part is you should never choose more than six elements otherwise, your design won’t be the expected one and it will certainly be overcrowded.

7. Present Food with Matching your Restaurant Theme

You may have a color theme for your restaurant. The food plate and other serving tools should be matched with the theme of your restaurant.

The customers always enjoy something expected rather than unexpected.

Suppose, the customers enjoy your interior design and the ambiance of your restaurant. Although it’s not unexpected that you are going to serve them with a plate that matches your restaurant theme.

But when the customers see that you are presenting the food in such a way, they will feel more excited. So always try to understand your customers’ unwanted expectations.

8. Cut Meat Uniquely

It is highly recommended that you cut the meat horizontally that you are going to serve to your customers. Besides, slice the meat on a 45-degree bias. It helps to visualize the tenderness of the meat more prominently.

9. Decorate with Edible Garnishes

The garnishes are an inevitable part of the food plate design. If you want to know the creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery, garnishing is a crucial step you must have knowledge.

You can use the herb, spice, or a flower but it must be edible and fresh. The garnishes not only add visual satisfaction to the food plate but also add an expected flavor to the customers.

10. Express Your Creativity

Whatever you want to do, you can try it. The customers can choose the best creativity that you will show on the food plate.

The chefs always think which food plate design can be the best and they look online for getting the food plating techniques. 

Yes, it is needed but you should create your plate more unique and worthy to the customers.

11. Select Attractive Plates for Food Presentation

The size of the plate and the design of the plate both are considerable things. You should choose the right plate for your restaurant. 

Besides, the attractive food plates grab the attention of the customers. Moreover, the design of the food plate greatly relies on the creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery.

12. Consider Flavor of the Dish

The flavor of the dish stimulates the appetite of the customers. Food lovers always try to judge the food quality with its smell.

The food which releases a better smell creates more aesthetic acceptance to the customers.

This is how to plate food in a unique way. The dish presentation should be well enough to deliver an expected dish to your customers. Best food plating techniques will show you the proper guidelines to continue your foodservice business.

However, the tips of food plate presentation techniques are universal. And if you are serving Filipino or Indian foods or any western food, you should follow the above-mentioned techniques to create a more interesting food plate.

• A Classical & Effective Food Placement and Dish Presentation

The food plating design can vary from region to region. But the most common and classical food placement and dish presentation is the clock-style food plate technique. A question can arise in your mind what is the best food plating technique?

Your food plate is like the face of a clock. And considering it, you can place the food. Generally, three types of basic food items are presentable to the customers including starch, vegetables, and main food items.

Let’s see how to plate food in a classical way. It is a more popular style all over the world. Especially the food lovers always look for something new but trendy.

You should design your food plate based on the clock analogy that is given below.

Main food item : From 3 to 9 O’clock

Starch : Between 9 and 11 O’clock

Vegetables : From 11 to 3 O’clock

• How to Plate Asian Dishes Uniquely?

Asian dishes are popular and unique all over the world. The dishes of Asian dishes always attract people's eyes. Because it is different to look at, and the way of eating or cooking.

Food plating styles are different in different regions. The chefs should know about the food culture of different regions. In this case, they can apply how to plate food exactly.

Let’s see how to plate dishes in Asian culture.

Asian people love to share their food as it’s an Asian culture. Some food items are not presentable in a way that the western food plate can be plated.

In this case, Asian food plates can be designed with aesthetically pleasing garnishes and unique containers including dim sum baskets, steamboats, banana leaves, etc.

Specific Dishes

The dishes of Asian food sometimes follow the western plating styles. The fusion dishes are served in this way. Modern food presentation techniques are also applied in different types of food.

One Dish Meal

Typically the one-dish meal is presented to place the rice at the center of the food plate. Then the other food items including vegetables, protein, or starch are placed around the plate. Here, the color contrast should be maintained based on the natural color of the food items.

However, Asian food plates are more interesting. The chefs of the Philippines create more realistic and appealing food plate designs.

Wait, Are You Concerned about Food Preparation Time? Let’s Minimize Your Time & Costs?

The restaurant owners face a common problem which is how to manage the time and costs. Yes, it’s very crucial because without managing your resources, you can’t make a good return at the end of the day.

With knowing about how to plate food, you must have a knowledge of how to manage your restaurant. Besides, food waste management is essential. If you can minimize the food preparation time with a digital system, then why not?

Modern restaurant management software helps chefs to reduce the communication gap with customers. The modern software helps to build a network among the customers, chefs, restaurant owners, and waiters.

The modern restaurant management system saves both time and costs. Besides, you can manage all essential operations of your restaurant perfectly.

Besides, the kitchen display system of restaurant software helps the chefs to process the order and provide real-time notification of the cooking status.

Then what are you waiting for? Adopt an advanced online ordering system to make your foodservice more convenient.

Mobile-friendly restaurant management is high in demand at present. So you can manage your restaurant through mobile and it provides you mobile app integration system for both Android and iOS.

So Make your plate more interesting with the best food plate techniques and digitize your restaurant with the latest technology.

Bhojon - Restaurant Management System

• Final Words

Now you got your answer on how to plate food or how to plate a dish in the desired way.

The restaurant business owners always focus on the customers and the chefs of the foodservice industry focus on the food plate.

In this regard, the creative presentation techniques for vegetable cookery can be the best solution for chefs or food makers.

On the other hand, the right choice at the right time will be the ultimate solution for restaurant owners. When the chefs prepare the food by adopting creative food presentation techniques, the restaurant owners can increase the sales as well as return.

• How Much Do Restaurant Owners Make?
• 5 Easiest Steps to Create a Dynamic Restaurant Website & App
• Choose the Cheapest Food Delivery App for Your Restaurant to Ensure ROI
• A Details View of Restaurant Billing Software

• Wait, Are You Concerned about Food Preparation Time? Let’s Minimize Your Time & Costs?

Related Post

Thinking Hassle Free   Software Development Service?

We provide custom software development services for business ERP solutions, blockchain, hospitality, e-commerce, e-learning & others.

For 30 Minutes Free Consultancy

70 Smart and Creative Food Presentation Ideas

• February 13, 2016
• 3 minute read

Much of what we eat is through our eyes! True. Just as our taste buds are primary to the consumption of food, the vision and olfactory senses play strong roles too. Making a lip-smacking dish is a forte that lies in most of us, but do we pay attention to how creative and palatable the item looks after cooked? Acting like a pro when presenting food is a skill mastered by relatively few people, but devoting considerable time and experimenting with few tips and tricks can work wonders.

To help those who look beyond the ordinary and feel the importance of leaving an indelible impression in the minds of guests and inmates alike here’s taking a look at a few innovative, smart and creative food plating ideas . These are real steals! Valentine’s day is near so here are some mouthwatering Valentine’s Day food ideas to make your day special.

Creative Food Presentation Ideas

That color breaking is an important aspect of fashion is known to most, and this trick can be applied here as well. During one-level presentations, the monotony can be broken by keeping the side dish or sauce in a small bowl beside the main one, so that one can set it according to his or her preferences on the plate. Think of chicken and rice. The sauce can be kept in an individual bowl as diners can top the food with the sauce as per their need. Every day you have to cook something new for your family to make them happy, You should also be happy now as we bring you some clever cooking hacks.

Flavor layering is another concept used by most people these days. The vegetable or side dish can act as the ‘bed’ to the meat, while others like rice, cooked potatoes or spinach or cold salads lie on top.

Using a white backdrop gives a clean and fuss-free look. Imagine those fresh and colorful food items standing out when served against a brilliant white china plate or bowl. Not only does it make the dish more vibrant and appealing, but also helps realize it’s a simple affair after all. Check out some ways to use cauliflower as a low carb replacement.

In this article:

Tattoo 7 Top Tattoo Designs With Meaning

• February 10, 2016

Art 40 Adorable Watercolor Painting You must See

• February 18, 2016

You May Also Like

40 Mouthwatering Cheesy Food Recipes You Must Try

• May 6, 2019

10 Easy Homemade Chocolate Recipes

• September 7, 2019

15 Life-Changing Baking Tips From Pro-Bakers

• September 4, 2018

40 Delicious Ideas For Pizza Party With Recipes

• August 5, 2018
• 4 minute read

11 Rosé Wine Recipes To Try This Summer

• November 27, 2019

10 Mouthwatering Food Photography Ideas

• March 28, 2018

Enjoy a 10% discount on all orders over $60

The Art of Food Presentation: Elevate Your Culinary Creations

Uncover the secrets of Food Presentation and learn how to elevate your culinary creations to a new level. Discover the importance of plating and the techniques used by professionals.

Food presentation is an art that marries culinary skills with aesthetics. It's the secret weapon of chefs and food enthusiasts worldwide, transforming ordinary dishes into extraordinary culinary experiences. The way food is presented on the plate can influence our perception of taste, making it an essential aspect of the dining experience. This article will delve into the world of food presentation, providing insights and tips to help you elevate your culinary creations.

Food presentation goes beyond merely arranging food on a plate; it's about creating a visual feast to complement the flavors of the dish. It involves the careful placement of food, garnishes, and sauces to create a balanced and appealing look. The colors, textures, and shapes all play a crucial role in making the dish visually appetizing.

Rules of Food Presentation

The first rule of food presentation is to keep it simple. Overcrowding the plate can make it look messy and unappetizing. Instead, focus on the quality of the ingredients and let their natural beauty shine. Use a clean, white plate as your canvas and arrange the food in a way that highlights its colors and textures.

Contrast is another important element in food presentation. By contrasting colors, shapes, and textures, you can create a visually appealing plate. For example, a bright, crunchy salad can be paired with a creamy, soft pasta dish. The contrast in colors and textures will make the plate more visually appealing and exciting.

Garnishes are the finishing touches that can elevate a dish from good to great. However, they should not be used merely for decoration; they should enhance the flavor of the dish. Fresh herbs, edible flowers, and citrus zest are some examples of garnishes that can add a pop of color and flavor to your dish.

The arrangement of food on the plate is also crucial. As a general rule, the main ingredient should be placed at the center of the plate, with the side dishes and sauces arranged around it. This not only makes the plate look balanced but also allows each ingredient to shine.

Remember, the goal of food presentation is not to create a work of art, but to enhance the dining experience. By paying attention to the presentation, you can make your dishes more appealing and enjoyable. So, the next time you're preparing a meal, take a moment to consider how you can present it in a way that will delight the senses.

Food Presentation In Different Cultures

Food presentation is not a new concept. In fact, it has been a part of culinary traditions around the world for centuries. In Japan, for example, the art of food presentation, or "kaiseki," is considered an integral part of the dining experience. Similarly, in French cuisine, the presentation of food is given as much importance as the taste.

Here are a few examples of food presentation in different cultures:

Japanese Cuisine : Japanese food presentation focuses on simplicity, balance, and minimalism. Plates are often arranged with precision, showcasing the natural colors and textures of the ingredients. The use of bento boxes and compartmentalized dishes allows for the separation of flavors and prevents mixing of different components.

French Cuisine : French food presentation emphasizes elegance and artistry. Dishes are meticulously plated with attention to detail, creating a visually appealing arrangement. Sauces are often used to create intricate designs, and garnishes such as herbs and edible flowers are used to enhance the overall presentation.

Indian Cuisine : In Indian cuisine, food is often presented on a thali, a large round platter with multiple small bowls. Each bowl contains a different dish, providing a variety of flavors and textures. The arrangement of colors and the use of spices like turmeric and saffron add vibrancy to the presentation.

Chinese Cuisine : Chinese food presentation focuses on the balance of colors, textures, and flavors. The use of a lazy Susan allows for communal dining, with dishes placed in the center for everyone to share. Stir-fried dishes often incorporate a variety of vegetables and meats, creating a visually appealing mix of ingredients.

Middle Eastern Cuisine : Middle Eastern food presentation often includes a variety of mezze or small appetizer dishes. These are arranged on a large platter and served with bread, creating a communal dining experience. Garnishes such as fresh herbs, olives, and yogurt are used to add color and freshness to the presentation.

These are just a few examples, and food presentation practices can vary widely within each culture as well. The presentation of food not only reflects cultural traditions but also influences the dining experience by engaging multiple senses and creating a visually enticing meal.

Food Presentation in the Age of Social Media

In recent years, the importance of food presentation has been amplified by the rise of social media. With platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, food has become a visual medium, and presentation has become more important than ever. Chefs and home cooks alike are using these platforms to showcase their culinary creations, pushing the boundaries of food presentation.

While food presentation can seem daunting, it's something that anyone can master with practice. Start by observing how food is presented in restaurants and cookbooks, and don't be afraid to experiment with different techniques. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and let your creativity shine.

Mastering Food Presentation: A Guide for Home Cooks

Whether you're a seasoned home cook or just starting your culinary journey, mastering the art of food presentation can take your meals to the next level. A well-presented dish not only pleases the eyes but also enhances the overall dining experience. From visual appeal to showcasing your skills, food presentation plays a crucial role in creating memorable meals. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore various techniques, tips, and tricks to help you become a pro at food presentation. From balancing colors to arranging garnishes and making your dishes look as good as they taste, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and creativity to create stunning plates that will impress your family and friends. Get ready to elevate your cooking to a whole new level and make your meals a feast for all the senses with our ultimate food presentation guide.

Food presentation is more than just a culinary technique; it's a form of expression. It allows chefs and home cooks to showcase their creativity and passion for food. So, whether you're preparing a meal for your family or hosting a dinner party, remember to pay attention to the presentation. After all, we eat with our eyes first.

So, are you ready to take your culinary creations to the next level? Start experimenting with different food presentation techniques and see how it can transform your dishes. Remember, the key to great food presentation is creativity, so don't be afraid to think outside the box. Happy cooking!

The Art of Plating: Techniques and Tips

The art of plating is a culinary skill that involves arranging food on a plate in a visually appealing way. It's a crucial aspect of food presentation that can enhance the dining experience and make a dish more appetizing. Here are some techniques and tips to help you master the art of plating:

Choose the Right Plate: The plate is your canvas, so choose it wisely. A white, round plate is a classic choice as it allows the colors of the food to stand out. However, don't be afraid to experiment with different shapes, sizes, and colors to add a unique touch to your presentation.

Create a Focal Point: Every dish should have a focal point that draws the eye. This could be the main ingredient or a striking garnish. Place this element in the center of the plate or slightly off-center for a more dynamic look.

Use Color and Contrast: Play with different colors and textures to make your dish visually appealing. Contrast bright and dark colors, and mix soft and crunchy textures. For example, a bright green herb can add a pop of color to a dark meat dish, while a crunchy garnish can add texture to a creamy soup.

Arrange Food in Odd Numbers: Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye, so try to arrange food items in groups of three or five. For example, if you're plating scallops, serve them in a group of three instead of two or four.

Use Sauces Creatively: Instead of pouring sauce over the food, consider using it as a decorative element. You can drizzle it around the edge of the plate, or use a squeeze bottle to create dots or lines. Remember, less is more when it comes to sauce.

Garnish Wisely: Garnishes should enhance the flavor of the dish and complement the presentation. Use fresh herbs, edible flowers, or a sprinkle of spices. Always make sure the garnish is edible and relevant to the dish.

Keep it Clean: Keep the edges of the plate clean for a neat and professional look. You can use a paper towel to wipe off any drips or smudges.

Practice: Like any other skill, plating takes practice. Experiment with different techniques and presentations until you find a style that you like. Remember, the goal is to create a dish that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.

By mastering these techniques, you can turn your dishes into works of art and elevate your culinary creations. Happy plating!

What Is a Food Presentation Called?

Food presentation is the art of modifying, processing, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its aesthetic appeal. The way the food looks on the plate is what tempts our eyes and makes you want to taste it.

What Should Be Included In A Food Presentation?

A food presentation should include a balance of color, texture, and arrangement. The food should be arranged on the plate in a way that it is visually appealing, and the colors and textures should complement each other. The plate itself is also an important part of the presentation.

What Are The Three Aspects of Food Presentation?

The three main aspects of food presentation are arrangement, color, and contrast. Arrangement refers to how the food is placed on the plate; color refers to the visual appeal that the food has, and contrast refers to the different textures and flavors in the dish.

What Are The 5 Importance of Food Presentation?

The five important aspects of food presentation are visual appeal, balance of color, enhancement of the dining experience, showcasing the skill of the chef, and making the food look as good as it tastes. A well-presented dish can enhance the dining experience and make the food more appetizing.

Visual Appeal: Food presentation is crucial for creating an enticing visual experience. The arrangement of ingredients, garnishes, and the overall plating style make the dish visually appealing, stimulating appetite and setting the stage for an enjoyable dining experience.

Balance of Color: A well-presented dish incorporates a thoughtful balance of colors. Vibrant and diverse hues on the plate make the meal visually attractive and enticing. The use of contrasting colors can enhance the overall presentation, creating a visually dynamic and inviting plate.

Enhancement of the Dining Experience: Food presentation enhances the overall dining experience by engaging multiple senses. The visual appeal of a well-presented dish elevates the anticipation and excitement of the meal, setting the stage for a memorable culinary journey.

Showcasing the Skill of the Chef: Food presentation is a way for chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills and artistic flair. Thoughtfully presented dishes reflect the chef's expertise, creativity, and attention to detail. It showcases their ability to transform ingredients into visually stunning and delightful culinary creations.

Making the Food Look as Good as it Tastes: Effective food presentation aims to make the dish as visually appealing as it is delicious. When food is presented in an attractive and enticing manner, it creates a harmonious balance between visual appeal and taste. The careful arrangement of elements on the plate reflects the care and precision put into the culinary process.

In summary, food presentation holds great importance in terms of visual appeal, the balance of color, enhancing the dining experience, showcasing the skill of the chef, and ensuring that the food looks as good as it tastes. It adds an extra layer of enjoyment and satisfaction to the overall dining experience.

Conclusion: The Art of Food Presentation

In conclusion, food presentation is an essential aspect of the culinary arts that can enhance the dining experience. By paying attention to the colors, textures, and arrangement of food onthe plate, you can create a visually appealing dish that delights the senses. Whether you're a professional chef or a home cook, mastering the art of food presentation can elevate your culinary creations and make your meals more enjoyable. So, embrace the art of food presentation and let your dishes tell a story.

Remember, the beauty of food presentation lies in its ability to transform ordinary dishes into extraordinary culinary experiences. It's not just about making food look good, but about enhancing the overall dining experience. So, the next time you're in the kitchen, consider how you can present your dishes in a way that will delight your guests and elevate your culinary creations.

In the world of food, presentation is just as important as taste. It's the first impression that a dish makes, and it can significantly influence our perception of taste. By mastering the art of food presentation, you can create dishes that are not only delicious but also visually stunning. So, embrace the art of food presentation and let your culinary creations shine.

Antipasto Skewers

If you're looking for a simple, yet impressive appetizer for your next gathering, look no further than Antipasto Skewers. These skewers are a fun and creative...

Rotisserie Chicken

There's nothing quite like the aroma of a perfectly roasted chicken filling your home. With our homemade Rotisserie Chicken recipe, you can bring the mouthwatering...

Homemade Banana Bread

One of the most popular recipes of recent times is Banana Bread. No wonder this delicious recipe is especially popular with Influencers.A snack that you...

Watermelon Pizza

Watermelon pizza brings together the juicy sweetness of ripe watermelon with pizza. This fruit pizza is a watermelon that is topped with creamy sauce and...

New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake is a cheesecake known for its rich, creamy texture and tangy flavor that comes from cream cheese and sour cream. This dessert, which...

Check out our other posts:

• What Is Fine Dining?
• How To Choose Wine?
• What Is Fusion Cuisine?

Related Posts

Anti Aging Fruits and Vegetables

While we are pursuing anti-aging creams, unfortunately we do not consume the natural...

How To Cut Watermelon?

The watermelon, a quintessential symbol of summer, is not just a fruit; it’s an...

Best 10 Donut Shops in the US

Donuts are an all-American favorite. The perfect grab-and-go breakfast, a superb...

Lemon Zest Substitutes

Lemon zest can turn a dish from good to great. It’s incredible what the fragrant...

The Best Breakfast Restaurants in The World

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, not only because you need to replenish...

Traditional Italian Food

Italian food is known worldwide. In fact, it’s the most prominent cuisine in the...

Shop on Petite Gourmets

Wood Lid Glass Airtight Canister for Food Storage

Hot & Cold Handheld Milk Frother

Stainless Steel Tea Infuser Strainer

Premium Cotton Waffle Weave Dishcloths

Elephant-Shaped Multi-Purpose Kitchen Drain Basket

Boho Round Placemat with Jute Fringe

Video recipes.

• Cocktails & Drinks
• Lebanese Food
• Middle Eastern Food
• Australian Food
• German Food
• Scottish Food

Share the recipes you tried with the hashtag #pgrecipes and we will feature you on our site!

• {query} Search Products
• {query} Search Recipes
• {query} Search Academy
• {query} Search Other

Logging in, please wait

• Create account
• OR Facebook Login Facebook Login

You need to upgrade your browser in order to use this website. Show me how to update my browser

You need to enable JavaScript in order to use this website. Show me how to enable JavaScript

• Chef Training
• Foodservice & Hospitality Marketing
• Food Photography and Food Plating Tips & Techniques
• 8 Modern Food Plating & Presentation Styles
• Hospitality & Foodservice Marketing

8 Modern Food Plating Trends & Presentation Styles

In the restaurant business, food plating can be critical, especially when guests are ready to post and share on social media. Our chefs curated a list of the top food plating techniques that helps to elevate the guest experience.

1. Landscape Technique

Taking inspiration from landscape gardens, this linear arrangement of food is usually kept low and long. 

3. Food on organic materials Technique

Using organic materials such as wood, slate and stone as a plating device lends a more rustic and back-to-nature feel to dishes. 

5. The Nordic Look Technique

Make ribbons or chunks of vegetables and scatter herbs on a dish to garnish for seemingly effortless style. ‘Gone Fishing’ by the Danish chef and food stylist Mikkel Karstadt is a good place to look for inspiration; follow him on Instagram

7. Bathing Technique

Bathe fish in broth or sauce. For example, these tortellini with a shellfish sauce or coquilles with chicory, truffle foam, goat cheese and shrimps.

2. Free-form Technique

Like many modern paintings, free form plating may seem carelessly strewn across a plate, but each stroke and food placement is carefully thought out to create an abstract yet intriguing “painting” on a plate. 

4. Futuristic Technique

Making use of sleek materials like metal, glass and steel, futuristic plating creates a cutting edge and futuristic plating like the example below.

6. Hide and Seek Technique

Layering adds an element of playfulness and surprise to the dish. Think a puffed rice cracker covering crab meat, thinly sliced radishes hiding a yummy sea bass tartare... 

8. Super Bowl Technique

Bowl food is a massive trend, with cookbooks and restaurants to match.

Try a more elegant styled bowl; used for smaller dishes, like starter or entremets. 

FINDING THE RIGHT PLATE

Which plate you choose can make or break your dish, says South African Chef Jack Coetzee. Try to avoid symmetry, it’s not very interesting. And you need to create some height on your plate. However, if you are blatantly going for symmetry,  then you can get away with it because it’s your intention. But the plates do look very average if you’re trying to do something and you end up with it looking symmetrical. You can follow his course on plating in our UFS Academy for a more visual explanation.

Here are a couple of take-outs he shares on the different shapes of plates you can use and their possibilities to present your food. 

Rectangular or elongated plate

Using a rectangualr plate is effective if you have lots of small little garnishes that can wind their way through the length of the plate, making it look like a garden.

Square plate

This is not the easiest shape to work with. You have to use the Rule of Thirds, which is a theory dictating how an image (in this case your plate) should be composed in order to create an aesthetically pleasing result. You basically break your plate up into a grid system of 9 block and try to avoid using the bull’s eye itself because that’s a so-called dead spot. Also try not to use any of the spots in the corners.

Round plate

These are most commonly used. The same rule applies to your grid system on this plate, except you don’t have to worry about all the dead corners. Try not to get anything in the middle unless it’s deliberately in the middle. 

Additional Food Photography Articles

• Digital Marketing for Restaurant Owners & Chefs

What you'll get:

• Access to free Chef trainings
• The best recipes and tips from Chefs around the world
• The latest culinary trends

Log in to create your own personal recipe book.

30 Creative Ideas For Food Presentation

Food presentation means the art of food arranging , processing, modifying and decorating food to enhance its appeal or to make it eye-catching in many various events. Food presentation depends on the way how the meat, fruits and vegetables are cut, sliced or chopped and also the decoration of the plate or the decoration of the food itself. You can make your food looks in visual delight as the proper food presentation could help in your digestion. The presentation of the plate should be well decorated, full of the five components Vitamins, Vegetables, Protein, Garnish and Sauce, then you will feel the pleasure of experience eating this plate.

To make a creative idea of food presentation, follow these tips:

• Use colorful foods as the more colors you have in the plate, the better.
• You can add colorful garnish such as a fresh herb to a plate of meat.
• Shape your food by using a cup, a spoon or some basic tools of your kitchen.
• Choose the perfect dish which suits your meal.
• Get creative by adding sauce on food or you can squeeze some sauce on the dish before putting the food.

You can add your creative ideas which you prefer to apply in your plates in different events such as Christmas, Birthdays, Ceremonies or regular lunch for family or kids.

18 Images of creative ideas for your kids

12 Creative ideas of food presentation for various events

Maria Olson

Top 12 ugliest celebrity makeup, do you have an obese kid lose weight by playing video games, related articles, top 10 best food artists in the world, eat more colorful foods for optimal health, top 10 highest paying fast food restaurants, 82+ mouthwatering christmas cake decoration ideas, 10 types of food to provide you with longevity & good health, who is a good candidate to buy kratom powder and capsules.

• Health & Nutrition Camp Shohola Explains How to Improve Childhood Fitness

Pin It on Pinterest

Loading …

Don't have an account?

25% Off Sitewide with code REMEMBER25 (exclusions apply)

Riverbend Home's Memorial Day Event. Take 25% off Sitewide with code REMEMBER25 through 5/27/24 at 11:59pm. Exclusions apply.

Excludes Amantii, Arteriors, Casafina, Costa Nova, Cuisinart, Coravin, Corbett, Elk Home, Elk Lifestyle, Elk Lighting, Firepit Art, Hestan, Hudson Valley, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Mau, Mepra, Mitzi, Modern Forms, Mustee, Napoleon, Native Trails, Nambe, Nude Glass, Polywood, Ruffoni, Runtal, Schonbek, SMEG, Staub, Troy, Uttermost, Vietri, Vitamix, WAC Lighting, WellnessMats, Open Box, Clearance and previous purchases.

Valid at riverbendhome.com or via our call center at 855.438.8585. Continental United States only. Subject to modification or termination at any time. Not valid on previous purchases. May not be combined with other offers.

Refund(s) from returned coupon item(s) will be made in the discounted amount or prorated if across multiple items. Tax and shipping not included. All promotions are limited time offers and we reserve the right to end or modify promotions at any time. Void where prohibited by law.

• 855.438.8585 |
• M-F 9am-5pm ET
• Best Sellers
• Holiday Shop
• Advice & Ideas

Eat More Veggies! Tips For Enticing Vegetable Presentations

Make your vegetables fly off the table by serving them in style on eye-catching serving platters.

People enjoy food as much with their eyes as with their taste pallet. Move on from boring baby carrots in a mixing bowl and get creative with appetizing presentations on beautiful serveware . A variety of colorful veggies, creatively cut and arrayed on serving platters are irresistible. Read on to learn tips and tricks to layout everything from crudite to roasted broccoli to Greek salad so you, your family, and your guests are sure to eat your vegetables.

Choose the Perfect Vegetable Serveware

Make your vegetables fly off the table by serving them in style on eye-catching serving platters. Explore different sizes, colors, and shapes appropriate for the occasion—whether that's dinner for the family or a gathering. And remember to check your plates, bowls, baskets, trays and boards regularly for chips and cracks. Here are some ideas to get your started:

Throw a vegetable party on a cheeseboard. Use a fine Irish cheddar to draw hungry guests to a gorgeous white marble cheeseboard. Then offer crisp counterpoints with cucumber slices, and julienned green, orange, and red bell peppers.

Create an artful centerpiece with a basket or bowl. A mix of vibrant veggies always makes a stunning centerpiece for the dining table or the buffet table when you are entertaining . But these same veggies (say blanched roll-cut carrots and zucchini or string beans) steal the show in a mouth-blown glass bowl streaked with gold.

Think beyond the supermarket veggie tray.

Add sophistication to your veggies with stylish serving trays. Pay your fancy-cut carrots, thin-sliced cukes, and flower-carved radishes the complement of showcasing them on a tray worthy of the time you spent prepping them. They'll look gorgeous on a triangular hammered stainless steel cooking tray—and keep at your preferred temperature longer because of the double-wall design.

Make your crudités chic, rather than commonplace. Think beyond the supermarket veggie tray which—let's be honest—is usually the wallflower of the buffet table. Instead, set out a mix of raw and blanched vegetables accompanied by a homemade dip or your favorite hummus. Serve on a hammered gold oval platter to bring contemporary elegance to special occasions. Or, present your mix of cherry tomatoes, green beans, sugar snap peas, shishito peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli on a handcrafted gold-edged square platter.

Get people dipping those carrots, celery, and cukes. Repurpose chip and dip servers for your presentation of rainbow bell peppers, celery, and carrots. A crystal chip and dip bowl brightens the overall presentation, while a wooden version makes it easy to take the party outside in rustic style. Some chip and dip servers have sculptural elegance, with the dip bowl artfully elevated.

Serve up spoonable veggies, too. A bowl of roasted Brussel sprouts. Coleslaw. Roasted potatoes. Sauteed mushrooms. Set these delectables out in bowls and shallow platters in colors and finishes that draw out their colors. Trust your eye. If it looks delicious to you, it'll probably look delicious to everyone at the table. Make sure to set out large serving spoons and forks too, so people can dish out with large serving spoons so people can serve themselves heaping portions.

Vegetables can take center stage on the dinner table on 'Meatless Mondays' or any day of the week.

Make veggies the main dish. Vegetables can take center stage on the dinner table on 'Meatless Mondays' or any day of the week. Serve up cauliflower steaks, curried chickpea-stuffed sweet potatoes, or eggplant parmesan for nutritious and mouth-watering meals. Place them family-style on oversized ceramic platters for a tempting display.

Match the Veggie Proportions to the Dish

Look at the size of your serving dishes before chopping your veggies and adding them to the plate. Smaller plates call for finely chopped vegetables. The size of your plate or bowl should also balance with the quantity of food you are serving. If the portion overwhelms the dish, it comes off as crowded, messy, and unappealing. Try to leave half an inch between your vegetables and the edge of a flat plate or tray. Conversely, using a large piece of serveware for a small amount of food makes it look sparse.

Bowl People Over with Your Food Presentation Techniques

Make guests want to eat their vegetables by carefully arranging them in a serving bowl or plate instead of simply piling. Try these presentation ideas:

• Cascading: Spread an abundance of finely shredded greens across half of a white serving plate. Then cascade an accompaniment to the greens, whether it's more veggies chopped for dipping or a penne pasta shrimp salad.
• Patterns: Ring cucumber and radish slices in a spiral up against the rim of a white or glass bowl. Build a nest of hummus in the center, with a few carrot curls for decoration. Or, you can create bold lines of color on an oversized platter with carrots next to cherry tomatoes next to blanched asparagus.
• Framing: Feature a colorful southwest vegetable dip in the center of a dark platter. Use blue and yellow corn chips around the edges to provide pleasant contrast to your delicious mix of yellow sweet corn, red bell peppers, onions, fresh green cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and black beans.
• Fanning: Snow peas, red bell peppers, carrot planks. These veggies look beautiful fanned out across a shallow bowl or on a flat platter. Place the fanned vegetables on a bed of Asian slaw to add another layer.

Make Your Veggie Presentation Fun

Arrange your vegetables in creative, artful, or silly ways—especially if you've got kids at the table. Create a colorful flower garden on a dark metal serving tray with baby carrots and broccoli as grass and dirt, celery for flower stalks, yellow peppers as petals, and cherry tomatoes in the center. Or make butterflies with carrot slices for the body and big red tomato slices as wings, served on a classic white oval porcelain platter.

Pay Attention to the Details

Add contrast and color. Arrange your vegetables alongside other multi-color elements like ham, turkey, roast beef, prosciutto, and salami on a wooden swoop cheese board. Position your green vegetables for a beautiful backdrop, and your brightly colored veggies as accent pieces.

Enhance visuals with texture. Use a Japanese mandolin to finely shave vegetables to the point they are almost translucent, then pair them with thick-cut vegetables on a glass platter. Change the blade to create crinkle, matchstick, and waffle cut veggies, too. Sprinkle chickpeas and other small, round beans in between vegetable groupings on a large, sloop-shaped Marupa bowl for a quilt effect.

Use height to catch the eye. Stack vegetables high toward the middle of a large round stainless steel platter. Try building a small mountain of round radishes or cherry tomatoes, with Julienned carrots or celery sticks leaning up against them for contrast.

Match Your Serveware Sets to Your Room Décor

Accentuate your home and outdoor décor style with serveware in colors, materials, and finishes to match. You can choose fish-shaped platters with an azure enamel finish to enhance a coastal theme. Enhance your contemporary décor with a pearled silver platter or a bold hammered black and copper serving bowl. An Acacia wood and metal tray perfectly complements your welcoming rustic or farmhouse style.

Accentuate your home and outdoor décor style with serveware in colors, materials, and finishes to match.

Make Veggies the Center of Attention

No matter what piece of serveware you use, strategically the vegetables on the platters—and within your overall party or dinner layout—makes them less of an afterthought. Here are some quick tips to make your veggies a hot commodity:

• Keep your vegetables in the middle of your spread, surrounded by everything else.
• Serve varying quantities of items—more celery sticks than mushrooms, for example—to add to the visual appeal.
• Mix up vegetable colors to draw eyes instead of having all your greens in one place or radishes next to cherry tomatoes.
• Present dark color veggies on white plates, lighter whites, yellows, oranges, and reds on dark platters to make them pop.
• Experiment with texture and color by adding different sauces.

When presenting vegetables, you are limited only by your imagination. Have an array of serveware in your cupboard so you can match the vegetable to the platter, and flatware for easy serving. Finally, keep charming or chic table linens to create a lovely backdrop for your veggie display.

Cooking & Baking,

Dining & entertaining, shop collections.

Popular Reads

Style & Design

All Serveware

All Dinnerware

All Flatware

All Cookware

All Cutlery & Kitchen Knives

All Kitchen Tools

Connect with us, don't know your design style.

• Buying guides
• Cooking baking
• Dining entertaining
• Installation
• Outdoor living
• Smart comfortable home
• Style & design
• M - F 9AM-5PM ET

Add item to collection

Item has been added to your wishlist..

Your wishlist

• Move to cart

My wishlist

Add to wishlist.

Choose your wishlist to be added

• Create New wishlist

Share List Via Email

Share my wishlist, subscribe and get alerts about your wishlist.

We will notify you on events like Low stock, Restock, Price drop or general reminders so that you don’t miss the deal

See Product Details

Are you sure you want to delete this wishlist?

Are you sure you want to delete selected wishlist products, out of stock products will be not move. are you want to move selected wishlist products, wishlist management page.

• This page allows you to manage and add wishlist items directly to the cart.
• Share your public wishlist on social media, through links, and via custom email.
• You can subscribe to get update about your wishlist items

You have been unsubscribed

You will no longer receive emails about wishlist activities from this store..

LESSON A. 3

P lating Styles with Vegetables Dishes

Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:

a. Identify the essential factors in food presentation ; and

b. Present vegetable recipes with appropriate sauces and accompaniments.

Exploration (Activity)

Direction: Look through the two images below and answer the following questions.

S pot the Difference!

eatwell101.com

thefeedfeed.com

Guide Questions:

What can you say about the two pictures?

Which food is more enticing?

What is a contributory factor that makes vegetable food appealing?

Discussion (Analysis)

Have you ever presented a vegetable dish?

What are the factors you need to consider when presenting food particularly vegetable dishes on the table?

How should vegetable dishes be plated?

Can you site some techniques in plating vegetable dishes?

Generalization (Abstraction)

What are the factors we need to consider in presenting vegetable dishes?

Cite some guidelines in plating vegetable dishes.

What are some creative presentation techniques?

Firming Up (Application)

Direction: By pair, discuss the following guidelines in plating vegetable dishes. Create a short video demonstrating the seven basic guidelines in plating vegetable dishes. Submit the edited or non-edited video in google classroom (code: wtxzsfu) .

Performance Task: Art-able Dish

Materials: Camera, Art materials, and Rubrics for collage-making

Directions: Prepare any Stir - Fried Mixed Vegetable dish applying your own presentation design. Then create a photo collage of your dish using art materials and post the picture i n our google classr oom (code: wtxzsfu) . Your output will be evaluated using the rubrics for collage- making.

Enhancement

Concepts Review

Essential Factors of Food Presentation

Good preparation and cooking techniques -Proper cutting and cooking of vegetables

Professional Skills - Ability to perform according to required standards

Visual Sense - Effective food presentation depends on the understanding of techniques involving balance, arrangement, and garniture.

Balance. Select foods and garnishes that offer variety and contrast. This should be applied to colors, shapes, textures and flavors.

Portion size. Match portion sizes and plates

Balance the portion sizes of the items on the plate

Arrangement on the plate. Many chefs display their creativity in plating presentations. One important thing is, to keep in mind the convenience and comfort of the diner when plating.

Classic Arrangement:

Main item in front, vegetables, starch items and garnish at the rear.

Main item in the center, with vegetable distributed around it.

Main item in the center with neat piles of vegetables carefully arranged around.

A starch or vegetable item heaped in the center, the main item sliced and leaning up against it.

Guidelines in plating vegetable dishes

Keep food off the rim of the plate. Select a plate large enough to hold food without hanging off the edge.

Arrange the items for the convenience of the customer. Always arrange the best side of food on plate to avoid letting the diner rearrange them before eating.

Keep space between items, unless, they are stacked on one another. Arrange vegetable on plate, that every item should be identifiable.

Maintain unity. Create a center of attention and relate everything to it.

Make every component count. Garnishes are not added just for color, but sometimes they are needed to balance a plate by providing an additional element.

Add sauce or gravy attractively on plate. Pour sauce around or under the dish or covering only a part of the dish. Always think of the sauce as part of the overall design of the plate.

Keep it simple. Avoid making food too elaborate.

Creative presentation techniques

Vegetable Purees

Cook vegetable until soft, and then drain well.

In food processor, process vegetable to smooth puree.

Add melted butter or margarine.

Season with salt and pepper and process again.

Add whipping cream.

Using ice-cream scoop or spoon, shape puree on heatproof plate and place in oven or microwave until hot.

Ribbon Vegetables

With vegetable peeler, shred carrot, corvette and radish into long ribbons, about 2.5 cm. wide, pressing lightly with peeler so ribbons will be very thin.

Toss vegetables with melted butter or margarine.

Cook until tender – crisp.

Vegetable Rings

With sharp knife, cut 3 peppers, (green, yellow, red) and onion into rings.

Remove core, seeds and membranes from peppers.

Serve hot or refrigerate to serve chilled.

Downloadable Lesson Plan

Your 10 most creative ways to rock out with vegetables

When i asked readers to share their best tips, great ones came flooding in ... along with a soundtrack, by francis lam.

A few days ago, I put up a little post on the pleasures of vegetables , the opportunities for creativity they allow, and asked for your favorite unusual ways to use them. (Your favorite ways that involve eating, I meant.) And in between discussions of whether the French have ruined the world for vegetarianism and a comment that suggested that all the bright promise of my culinary school education is being wasted (thanks! I guess?), you came through with scads of interesting ideas. Here are some of our favorites.

1) Tomato tip: Use the stems for flavour too. Don't eat them but allow stems to infuse your sauces/stocks/tomato waters, etc. That's where the lovely tomato smell derives from. - MissTan

I remember once fondling a friend's tomato plant and being horrified by my hands afterward. They had taken on so much of the incredibly intense smell from the stems that I wanted to gag, and so I've been wary of touching the stems ever since. But I love this idea -- diluted in a sauce or stock, that concentrated aroma can relax and scent the whole lot. In fact, British culinary superstar (that is not an oxymoron) Heston Blumenthal recommends you plop a tomato stem or two in pots of sauce or ketchup and let them sit there for a few hours. (Make sure to do it when the sauce is cool, though; the aromatic compounds tend to disappear when heated.)

And speaking of flavoring:

2) Ditto celery leaves (I also use those in soup). My secret stock ingredient has always been a handful of cheap dried mushrooms you can get in bulk at the Asian grocery stores. - MizMorton

I used to feel about celery leaves (literally, the leaves on the end of stalks of celery) the way I felt about my hands after rubbing them all up and down that tomato plant: straight grody. But used judiciously as an herb garnish, or in a well-dressed salad, the intense celery flavor becomes heady and refreshing. And those dried shiitake mushrooms, of course, are just loaded with depth of flavor; they give meatiness to anything they touch.

3) I'm studying South Asian spices -- to me that's the way to be vegetarian. -Gooners

Two books that are great places to start with that: "50 Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi , and "Modern Spice" by Monica Bhide.

4) Cannellini beans and mustard greens, sautéed with garlic and dried sage, is one of my all-time favorite meals, I am not ashamed to say. -WeCanBeHeroes

OK, so that's a lovely and near-classic combination. But really I had to include this comment because the name of the commenter got me to break out the Bowie on my headphones.

5) Blackeyed peas are about so much more than New Year's Hoppin' John. You can put them in a pot with just about anything and make an awesome flavorful stew. - Dartvader

Word! I'm always amazed by the rich flavor and creamy body well-cooked beans can bring when cooked in salted water. I never throw out the liquid I cook my beans in; it's a broth as delicious as any. (And ignore the old saw about not salting the water you cook your beans in. Just know that it'll probably reduce, so don't salt it too much at the start.) 

6) What about asparagus just plucked from the bed, briefly blanched, and eaten in place of a toast soldier with an egg boiled so the white is just set and the yolk is still runny? Vegetables can turn the divine into the miraculous. -Wick47

Why, yes! Meanwhile, from the green leafy vegetable camp:

7) The advice I had always heard was that kale needed long cooking times because it's so tough. But you know what? I hate mushy, long-cooked vegetables. So I did short braises for a while, which worked OK. Then I looked at Whole Food's kale salad and figured out the trick: cut the kale leaves into teeny, tiny bits -- essentially, using a knife to do the job of your teeth. -Raisin

Boom! Dress that baby with some good olive oil, some lemon or vinegar, salt, pepper and plenty of good shaved cheese, and you'll be happy to give your chewing muscles a little workout. 

8) When in doubt, ROAST . Almost any veggie will be elevated to the next level if you toss it in some good olive oil and good salt and pepper and give it a good roast. -Starmonkey4304

I'm totally with Starmonkey on this one, but since I was already in a Bowie mood, I also had to include this because his/her name also got me to break out another classic:

(And you have to love the dorks in back onstage going, "OMG who are these weirdos?!") Ahem. Right, roasting. Here are a couple of ideas too:

9) Roast some parsnips with olive oil and salt until golden brown. Put them in a bowl with chopped parsley, some minced orange zest, a few chopped dried apricots, and some leftover wild rice. Squeeze a couple of clementines or the juice of an orange over everything. Toss. This is great warm, out of the oven or cold from the fridge. -DeaH

And back to MizMorton:

10) At Christmas I made a "winter crudite" platter. I roasted carrots, parsnips, beets, cauliflower and these tiny potatoes I found at Trader Joe's. I roasted them according to Francis' article, actually. Served them at room temp with a killer dip -- puréed cannellini beans with lots of olive oil and garlic. -MizMorton

See, people? Fun! And if you have more tips, please share them in the comments below.

Francis Lam is Features Editor at Gilt Taste, provides color commentary for the Cooking Channel show Food(ography) , and tweets at @francis_lam .

Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Related articles.

5 Facts On The Safety Of Ceramic Usage In Your Home

4 Reasons Why You Should Use Ceramic Mugs

5 best food presentation techniques.

These days, diners not only enjoy food with their tongues but with their eyes. This is why the knowledge of proper food presentation techniques is necessary. 

Throughout the years, having a great meal is not only defined by eating something tasty but also in how great it looks. These days, visual presentation techniques in making food look more delicious psychologically matters to chefs, home cooks and consumers alike. In order to process, arrange, decorate with the intention of increasing the aesthetic appeal of the food, the knowledge of proper food presentation is needed.

Food presentation does not only make the food aesthetically pleasing but also shows the standard and level that the cook or restaurant deem important. The way food is presented to consumers will be how they judge the hygiene standards, taste and quality of the dish.

For restaurant owners, it is important to note the increasing impact of social media in all aspects of life and business, even the smallest events are captured and uploaded on variety of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and etc. Food bloggers now utilise these platforms to voice out their opinions that is why it is important to make sure that you are making a good impression with the food you are serving.

Read More:  Three Reasons Why Tableware Is Important To The Dining Experience

Food Presentation Techniques That Can Make Your Food Look Scrumptious

It requires care and an eye for detail to present food in an appealing and appetising manner. Following are some food presentation tips to be kept in mind while plating and decorating your dishes.

1. Choosing the Right Tableware

Choosing the proper and right tableware to use is crucial as it can make or break a restaurant. No matter how delicious the food is, people eating will still find the food unappetising if it is served on a unattractive plate. You should present your plates according to the occasion and its theme. Use high quality, durable, and stylish tablewares such as the collection you can see in Kopin Tableware that offers tablewares in different sizes, shapes, colours and themes.

2. Proportioning

The first food presentation tip in the book is the proper and correct proportioning your food.  Properly proportioning your food not only makes it look attractive but also plays an important part in controlling the costs. It is crucial to pre-decide the portions of each ingredient and maintain that portions while plating.

You should choose the right plate size that matches the portion/quantity of food served.  Your dish may look unprofessional, scanty, messy or overcrowded if the plate is too small or too big for the portion of food served. As guideline, you can leave a half-inch of space between the food and the edge of the plate for the best looking plate.

It is important to present your food by styling it in a balanced level of contrast and variety. Over decorating your dish can end up making it look over the top and hideous.

Highlight the main ingredient of your food and make other elements complement it, rather than overshadowing or hiding it. Play with colours and textures of the dishes by adding different flavours and colours such as herbs, vegetables and different sauces. Serving odd quantities of food items like scallop and shrimps may add to the visual appeal. Do take note that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Don’t take too much time to decorate or plate a dish as it can make the food turn cold when its supposed to be served hot and vice versa. Plating time in the preparation of the dish is crucial as it does not matte how good the food tastes or how good it looks if it is cold or soggy.

5. Garnishing

Garnishing a plate requires care and precision as it is intended to improve the texture and flavour of a dish. Choose your garnish carefully as it adds to the taste, texture and feel of the dish. Experiment with complimenting combinations of different sauces, fruits, nuts, seeds and herbs which will add to the flavour, acidity and texture of the dish.

Read More:  How To Set Yourself And Your Table For The Perfect Dinner

Diners these days not only enjoy the food with their tongues but also with their eyes. If you have collected the best ingredients, now it is time to find the perfect tableware to complement it. For modern look, you can always go with Kopin Tableware’s  Green Leaf 20-Piece Place Set . Click here to see other Kopin Tableware collections!