Making good food look better

 In culinary arts, chefs use white space

to strengthen their presentations. This
helps to minimize “clutter”

 Although it is the same dish, one of

these 2 plates looks better than the
other one. Which presentation looks
best?

 What’s missing is contrast. The food is

“coming out” of the plate as opposed to
“getting lost” into it.
 Squeeze bottle or piping bag
 Mini metal off set spatula
 Ring mold
 Pastry brush
 Chopsticks (for placing)
 A plate for every dish
 Imagination & creativity
 Every thing that is put onto a plate should have a
purpose and a reason, most important, it should be
edible. You must think 3 dimensionally, in terms of the
flat surface of the plate but also in the height of the
food

 Remember "BUFF" when plating:

 Balance, Unity, Focus and Flow

 Main item, Side dishes, Sauces, Garnishes

 Communicate with the service staff as to how to put
the food down on the table
 Symmetrical compositions have equal numbers of shapes on
both sides of a middle (odd numbers)
 Asymmetrical are described as more natural, no clear
midpoint
 Contrasting elements oppose each other
 Complimentary elements harmonize, colours may be of the
same hue
 Leave some space unfilled & create a focal point

HOT PLATES—HOT FOOD,

COLD PLATES—COLD
 The aim is to create height on
the plate and to provide
structure for the eye
 For runny foods, bowls, cups,
napkins must be used
 Some foods can be naturally
piped to create borders and
framing
 Make nests with pasta and
grains
 Use cutters to shape some
food
 Slices consistent
 Tougher and cured meats
should be sliced thinly
 Strive for clean edges, no zig
zags
 Give foods a little natural
height by rolling the slices,
piling neatly, or layering
 Use a complimentary base for
thin-sliced meats, such as
puréed vegetables or pilaf
 One trend is for decorative
saucing with more symmetry and
planned design

 A new trend today is towards a

more “authentic” or a rustic
design, that looks less planned

 Think of the sauce as the paint

and the plate as the canvas, the
food is merely an accent
 California Stack: The components
of the dish are stacked in a ring
mold, usually with the starch on
the bottom, the vegetable, then the
protein on top or skewed to the
side.
 This presentation method
concerns deconstructing a
“classic” dish into it’s basic parts,
that will then be reconstructed by
the diner.

 When reconstituted it should

taste similar to the original plate.

 Usually done in odd numbers.

 Another fairly new concept is
to plate a dish “three ways”

 All 3 dishes should be small

bite or two, normally the same
protein

 The aim is to give the diner a

variety of comparisons of the
same main ingredient
 Sauce should act as an enhancer,
not only in flavour put also in colour
and texture. Beef with beef, chicken
with chicken, etc.
 Never let the sauce overpower the
main, or let it cover it’s appearance.
 Viscous sauce on the bottom,
chutneys, relishes and thicker ones
dolloped on top
 Will intensify, add palatability,
color, contrast, luster and sheen
 Must be edible
 Serve a function
 Add height
 Positioned for maximum effect
 Should look fresh
 Do not detract from the focal point

 All of these plates are JUNK FOOD!!

Blue Hill Farm – Alinea –
Chef Dan Barber Chef Grant Achatz
1 Michelin Star 3 Michelin Stars
Faviken – Chef Magnus Nilsson
2 Michelin Stars
DON’T:
 Put an even number of items on a plate
 Hide your main course in sauce
 Use inappropriate plates.
DO:
 Use garnishes you’ll actually eat
 Use large, white plates to plate your food.
 Work with “white spacing” on plates
 Mix the size & shape of plates
 Serve bright, contrasting colors