Plating and Garnishing

Food
Eating with your Eyes
 Tools

 Chef Knife  Tooth Picks

 Paring Knife  Skewers
 Peeler  Food
 Melon Baller colouring
 Cookie  Carving Tools
Cutters  V-Shaped
 Apple Corer Cutter
 Egg Slicer  U-Shaped
 Pastry Bag Cutter
 Molds
 Specialty
Serving ware
 Spiral Cutter
 Mandolin
 Molding
Wands
 ANYTHING...
Plating for Effect
Plating for Effect

Designing your Plate

Preparing an elegant plate
can take precise planning.
Design your plate on
paper beforehand, and
discuss the look you are
aiming to achieve. Draw
pictures, make notes and
work by trial and error to
blueprint your idea into
perfection.
Plating for Effect
 Plating for Effect

Serving Ware
 Let the food be the
focal point.
 Serving pieces should
compliment the food.
 Match the plate to the
size, appearance, colour
and flavour of the food.
 Keep the design simple.
 Odd numbers of small
items looks best.
 Plating for Effect

Food Structure
 Make neat piles.

 Create a clock.

 Keep it clean.

Remember "BUFF" when plating: Balance, Unity, Focus and Flow

Plating for Effect
Plating for Effect
Plating for Effect
Plating for Effect
Garnishing for Effect
 Garnishing for Effect

Sauces
 Sauces are placed either
under the food to
highlight it, or on top to
garnish it.
 Don’t hide the food.
 Remember, sauces are
used to enhance the food
– they are not the focus.
Garnishing for Effect

Fruits & Vegetables

 Produce can be arranged
into garnishes or as part
of the main meal.
 Choose ripe, bright
coloured, uniformly
shaped and unblemished
produce.
 Use the greens of the
produce for added effect.
 Use lettuce to display
food.
 Garnishing for Effect

Herbs and Flowers

 Herbs add beauty,
fragrance and a sense of
freshness.
 Edible flower petals can
be used to garnish small
plates.
 Flower blossoms can be
used for larger platters.
 Correlate the garnish with
the flavours of the dish.
Garnishing for Effect

Desserts
 Any effect comes into
play.
 Sauces can be used to
highlight the food.
 Chocolate decorations can
be created with a pastry
bag.
 Fruit can be used as the
focus or garnish.
 Simplicity is the key!
Garnishing for Effect
 Garnishing for Effect

Beverages
 Sugar or Salt rims
 Kebabs
 Peel Spirals
 Fruit Slices
 Ice techniques
Garnishing for Effect

Centerpieces
 Watermelons and
other large fruits
and vegetables can
be created into
incredible center
pieces and displays.
 Garnishing for Effect

Garnishing Tips
 Don’t rush making garnishes – take your time.
 Use sharp knives and proper equipment
 Ice water preserves some garnishes for a few days.
 Some garnishes require you to bend or curl vegetables –
soak slices in a salt water solution first.
 Lemon juice can remove the odour from onions and stop
an apple from going brown.
 Use toothpicks and wooden skewers to hold objects
together.
 Use vegetables at room temperature because cold
vegetables tend to split and break apart.
Final Thoughts

 Be Creative and
Innovative – anything
can be a garnish
 Let the food speak for
itself
 Follow the ‘KISS’ rule:
Keep It Simple Silly!
All images from personal sources and
http://images.google.ca/