1. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
AT A GLANCE
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
• Explain how to decorate and garnish food
• Explain the use of garnishes, herbs and
spices in food presentation
• List the basic principles of food
photography
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2. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
• Food presentation refers to how food is
arranged and shown to others
• Food that is well presented will invite
attention and tempt our taste buds
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Introducing food presentation
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Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
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Serving food attractively
We can consider four key areas
when we present food:
• Choice of plate
• Arrangement of food
• Use of colours, shapes and
textures
• Garnishing
4. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
• Plating is the styling and arrangement of
food onto the plate
• Choosing the right plate can enhance the
appearance of the food served
• Some ideas for plating food are:
– Crockery
– Claypots, pots and pans
– Glassware
– Leaves
– Food
– Others
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Choice of plate
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Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
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Arrangement of food
• The way that food is placed and arranged
on a plate affects its appearance and
presentation
• We can follow 3 steps to arrange food:
– Plan ahead
– Find the right balance
– Add the finishing touch
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Food Presentation
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Food Presentation
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Plan ahead
• Visualize the final presentation of the dish
• Make a checklist of things needed –
ingredients, crockery, utensils
• Manage your time well – texture and flavour
of food can be affected if we take too long
to present the food
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Food Presentation
Chapter 2
Food Presentation
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Find the right balance
Aim to find the right balance between:
1) The portion of food and the size of the plate
2) The use of space (horizontal and vertical)
3) The placement of the main dish and the
placement of the side dishes
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9 3
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Food Presentation
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Food Presentation
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Add the finishing touch
We can add the finishing touch by saucing
• Sauces should complement the dish instead
of covering it
• Sauces introduce a contrast in colour and
increase the visual appeal
✓ ✗
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Food Presentation
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Food Presentation
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Use of colours, shapes and textures
Colour
• Fruit and vegetables
with vibrant colours can
increase the appeal of
the food
• Sauces can introduce
contrasting colours to
make the presentation
more interesting
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Food Presentation
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Food Presentation
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Use of colours, shapes and textures
Shape
• Moulds can be used to create interesting shapes
– Biscuits
– Sunny side eggs
Texture
• Ingredients of contrasting textures can be used
together
– Crunchy walnuts in bread
– Crispy croutons in soup
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Food Presentation
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Garnishing
• Garnishes can be used to add colour, texture
and flavour to food
• They can make dull-looking dishes look more
appealing and appetising
• For example, using mint leaves to garnish a bowl
of pumpkin soup
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Food Presentation
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Making dishes interesting with garnishes
Garnishes can be made from fruit and vegetables.
• Simple garnishes
– Sprigs of parsley
– Lemon wedges
– Tomato slices
– Chopped spring onion
• Garnishes that require more skill and time
Radishes in the
shape of flowers
Egg and tomato arranged into
the form of mushrooms
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Food Presentation
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Making dishes interesting with garnishes
Points to consider when garnishing food:
• The garnish should be appropriate for the food
• The garnish should complete and enhance the
dish
• The amount of garnish should be proportionate
to the amount of food served
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Food Presentation
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Making dishes interesting with herbs
Herbs
• Leaves of soft-stemmed plants
• Fresh herbs – used as garnishes or added to flavour
dishes
• Dried herbs – added during cooking to enhance
flavour
• Examples: curry leaves, chives, bay leaves, basil
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Making dishes interesting with spices
Spices
• Roots, seeds, barks, fruits or flowers of plants
• Normally used in their dried form
• Added during cooking to give flavour and
colour to food
• Examples: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin
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Food photography
Take close-up photographs
• Get up close or zoom in for the image of the food
to fill the viewfinder or the screen of your camera
• Close-up photographs bring focus to the dish and
show the different ingredients used in the dish
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Food photography
Use good lighting
• Sufficient background light is important to bring out the
texture of the food and make it look more appetising
Lighting from the front
make the food
appear flat and dull
Lighting from the
back make the food
stand out
Natural light brighten
up the photograph
and is generally
always the best
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Food photography
• We can take shots from the top, from
the front or from the side
• Photographs of layered food such as
pancakes and burgers can be taken
from the side to show the ingredients
and the height of the food
Take shots from different camera angles
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Food photography
Use props
• Interesting crockery, cutlery and ingredients
used in the dish can make your photograph
come to life
• Ensure that the focus is on the food and not on
the props
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Food Presentation
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Food photography
Keep the crockery and cutlery clean
• Wipe the plate clean if it is smudged with sauce
• Smudges of sauce on plate make the dish look
messy and less appealing
• Keeping the crockery and cutlery clean is
especially important for close-up shots