basics in food plating

1. Basic concepts in food
plating
CHAPTER 2- ASIAN
CUISINE

3. Plate presentation concepts are the
same as those of fine art. The chef-artist
works with a palette of different colors,
shapes, textures, flavors and arranges
them with the principles of artistic
composition in mind- balance, harmony
and contrast.

4. THAI SPRING ROLLS SPAMKATSU

5. MAIN SUBJECT
 The most important thing to keep in mind
is that the main ingredients remain
the focal point. The way to showcase
them should never overwhelm, clash with
or obscure what is essentially the star of
the show- the food.
 Avoid repetition.

7. PORTIONS
 Avoid portions that are too small in
relation to plate size, or portions that
are too big, such as the off-putting steak
and frites that hang over the side of the
plate. It is best not to overcrowd a
plate with food, so as not to offend the
sensibilities of the guest.
 An odd numbers of food items on a
plate look better than even numbers.

8. PLATES
 > The most important and most
dramatic tool a chef can use is the plate
itself.
 > Wide choices of color, shape and
size offer a multitude of opportunities to
create harmony or contrast, or simply
serve as a blank canvas that lets the
food speak for itself.
 > Achieve drama with unusual shapes
and sizes.

11.  The hot trend in food presentation is the
use of small platters in glass and
porcelain for accompaniments placed
within the individual dinner plate.

12.  Plating
Finally, once we have completed our
cooking methods, we are ready to start
the plating process.
The element of balance is key to any plate,
no matter what the shape or size. The first
concern is the size and balance of the
food versus the plate.

14.  "Emeril-itis" is everywhere, and it is a
common problem that you see in people
just starting to present food. By Emeril-itis
I mean that everyone wants to "bam"
spices or blends on the rims of the plates,
or they want to strip chocolate sauce
across a plate and up on the rim. When
plating, it is imperative that you leave
what is referred to as dead space. This is
the area on the rim that you want to
leave clean.

16.  Developing ideas
The final elements that will enhance your
food presentations are some things you
might not think of, but they are an essential
part of making food look good: your
imagination and brain. These need to be
focused if you expect your food to look
focused; if they are sloppy and distracted,
your food will look sloppy and distracted.
Your imagination and brain need to be
fed new ideas as often as possible as
well.

18. Correct Grip on Spoon when Saucing

19. HEIGHT
 Stacking remains an effective and
dramatic technique, but simplicity can
make a design statement all by itself.

20.  Flat food can be beautiful too, ex. Plate of
salmon Carpaccio, this dish works
because the fish retains its integrity
despite being bombarded by a mallet. It is
not lost behind masks of flavor, but
instead shows its face.

23.  Eating is a full body experience. We eat
with our mouths. We smell it with our
nose. We see it with our eyes. If
something doesn’t look appetizing, we
probably won’t eat it, if given another
choice. Garnishing adds that last bit
of visual appeal to a dish…

24. GARNISHES
 garnishes like complementary sauces,
reductions, and added ingredients. For
ex. A pair of colorful, contrasting sauces
creatively painted or drizzled on the
plate enhances appetizers, main courses and
desserts.

25.  Color is also very important when plating
sauces. Sauces that create a high color
contrast look new and exotic. Dark
colored sauces give an impression of
being rich, intense and flavorful.

26.  Herbs such as torn basil or sprigs of fresh dill
and seasonings such as pepper flakes can
accent flavor while adding color contrast.
Greens like curly endive, cress, pea shoots or
nuts and seeds such as black mustard, cracked
coriander, and sunflower also add taste and
visual interest.

27.  When deciding on garnishes, your
creativity and sensibility are your only
limitations. Prepare garnish in a way that
best accents natural beauty and
patterns but does not disrupt the dish itself
To garnish is to decorate, adorn, dress up,
pretty up, embellish, prettify, spice up.
The garnish should decorate the dish, not adulterate it,
overload it, or even push it into the background. Less is
often more and balance is often virtue. Garnishes
should be such that they complement the flavour of the
dish or can be taken out before being consumed

28. APPETIZER
 Appetizers are used primarily to whet the
appetite and to stimulate the flow of the
gastric juice, not to satisfy hunger. To
accomplish this function, appetizers must be
attractively prepared, temptingly flavored, and
properly served.

29. COCKTAILS
 Cocktails may be the juice of fruits or vegetables
served in small, well-chilled glasses . The juice
should be bright in appearance end tangy to the
taste for the purpose of perking up the taste buds.
Cocktails may also be fruit or seafood, usually
served well chilled. They must have a fresh
appearance and a uniform arrangement for
attractiveness

30. helpful suggestions for preparing
and serving cocktails:
1. Serve crackers, pretzel sticks, or heated
potato chips as accompaniments to juice
cocktails.

31. 2. Arrange all ingredients in n attractive
fashion, using natural food colors to
create eye appeal.

32. 3. For melon bells, cut melon into complete
balls; incomplete balls detract from the
appearance.

33. 4. Garnish all cocktails with an item that will
enhance the appearance and, if possible,
improve the flavor.
5. Serve all cocktails well chilled.

34. CANAPÉS
 The canapés may be served as snacks or as
appetizers Canapés are thin pieces of bread or
toast spread or topped with cheese,
anchovies, or other appetizing foods. They are
usually cut into various, small shapes and are
highly decorated to make them eye appealing.

35. SUGGESTIONS TO GARNISH
CANAPE
 1. Mix all canapé spreads to a consistency
that can be applied or spread with ease.
 2. Keep all canapé spreads refrigerated
until just before using them.

36.  3. Select an extra sharp knife for trimming
and cutting canapés.
 4. Spread canapé base with a thin film of
softened butter to prevent the canapés from
becoming soggy.

37.  5. Work systematically using an assembly-line
technique--make one kind of canapé at a time.
 6. Decorate canapés with an item that improves
the appearance and enhances the taste.

38. 7. Arrange items artistically on the serving tray,
with the darker colors on the outside.

39. 8. Cover the canapés with a damp cloth, and keep them
in the refrigerator until serving time.
9. Replenish a tray when it is about two-thirds depleted.
Partially depleted trays should be taken back to the
kitchen for replenishing; they should never be
replenished at the serving table.
10. Serve canapés and hors d'oeuvres on the same tray
if desired
11. Do not serve hot and cold canapés on the same tray

40. HORS D'OEUVRES
 Hors d'oeuvres are small portions of highly
seasoned food. They are often called finger foods,
since they are bite size to be eaten with the fingers
or are secured on cocktail picks for easy handling.
Varieties of meats, seafoods, and cheese may
be shaped into bite-size croquettes or balls and
fried, baked, or broiled and served as
appetizers.. Pickled vegetables, stuffed e.g., and
stuffed vegetables such as celery, olives, and
mushrooms are forms of hors d'oeuvres

41. suggestions for use in
preparing hors d'oeuvres:
1. Mix egg yolks in a ricer or in a china cap,
for a smoother, creamier, deviled-egg
mixture.

42. 2. Place freshly stuffed deviled eggs in the
refrigerator to set and become firm before
covering them with a damp towel.
3. Cover a sheet pan with a towel before
arranging pieces of celery to be stuffed. This
procedure will keep the celery from slipping
when the crevice is filled with cheese or other
mixture.

43. 4. Coat the palms of the hands lightly with salad
oil to facilitate the rolling of meat bells and to
prevent sticking.

44. GARNISHES
 Garnishes for appetizers are usually
devised from other foods and should be
edible. The keynote to any food garnish
should be naturalness and simplicity.
The size of the garnish should be in
proportion to the food item being
decorated. Garnishes should be used in a
way that expresses individual
creativity

45. suggestions may be used in
garnishing appetizers:
 1. Garnishes are used to make the food more
attractive, not to hide it.
 2. A sprig of mint, a spot of whipped topping,
or a sprinkling of candied fruit is an attractive
addition to fruit cocktails.

46. 3. Paprika sprinkled on deviled eggs, stuffed
celery, and other hors d'oeuvres adds a
touch of color.

47. 4. Vegetable coloring may be added to butter to
achieve an additional coloring for canapés.
The coloring should harmonize or contrast
with the main food item.

48. 5. Watercress, parsley, and nutmeg may be
sprinkled over cheese appetizers to add
color and variety.

49. 6. Garnishes for the serving tray may be made by
slivering or cutting pickles into a fan shape, by
cutting oranges or lemons into rings or wedges,
and by cutting fresh apples into cubes, rolls,
and rings and rolling them in paprika or finely
chopped

50. 7. As a general rule, fruits are garnished with
fruits, vegetables with vegetables, and
meats with meats. However, vegetables like
parsley, lettuce, and celery are often used to
garnish all three classes of foods.

51. HOW TO GARNISH A SOUP
 A crumble of cheese. Something like a
great, tangy feta adds creaminess but
retains its shape enough to add texture.

52.  Truffle oil. This is a bold move, so use
sparingly and make sure it marries well
with the flavor of your soup, but the
aroma alone is as good as the taste.

53.  Truffles are a rare and edible type of
fungi that grow underground near the
roots of oak, hazel, elm, chestnut, poplar,
willow and beech trees. The earthy,
complex taste of truffle adds a certain
richness to many dish

54. OAK TREE
HAZEL TREE
ELM TREE
CHESTNUT TREE WILLOW TREE
POPLAR TREE

55.  A crostini. You can always add little toasted
croutons, but this looks fancier and adds
another dimension of flavor. Slice a round of a
baguette, top with a slice of cheese, and
run under the broiler for a minute or two.
Then drop in the middle of your soup, like an
island (or a mini grilled cheese built right in).

56.  4. Toasted nuts or seeds. Think of a
butternut squash or pumpkin soup with toasted
pumpkin seeds in the middle. Crunchy,
delicious, and thematic! Another idea along the
crunch line: crumbled bacon.

57.  5. Grilled or caramelized fruit slices.
Again, we're thinking butternut squash, but
some slices of apple or pear that have been
sautéed in butter and browned slightly would
be so pretty. We can also imagine fig slices
on top of a cheesy soup.