FOOD

PRESENTATION
THE ART OF PLATING
∙ Food presentation is the art of modifying,
processing, arranging, or decorating food to
enhance its aesthetic appeal.
∙ The visual presentation of foods is often
considered by chefs at many different stages
of food preparation. The food itself may be
decorated as in elaborately iced cakes, topped
with ornamental sometimes sculptural
consumables, drizzled with sauces, sprinkled
with seeds, powders, or other toppings, or it may
be accompanied by edible or inedible garnishes.
 HISTORY
Historically, the presentation of food has been used as
shows of wealth and power. For instance, ancient sources
recall the hosts of Roman banquets adding precious metals
and minerals to food in order to enhance its aesthetic
appeal. Additionally, Medieval aristocrats hosted feasts
involving sculptural dishes and shows of live animals.
These banquets existed to show the culture and affluence
of its host, and were therefore tied to social class.
Contemporary food aesthetics reflect the
autonomy of the chef, such as in nouvelle
cuisine and Japanese bento boxes. Dishes often
involve both simplistic and complex designs.
Some schools of thought, like French nouvelle
cuisine, emphasize minimalism while others
create complicated compositions based on
modern aesthetic principles. Overall, the
presentation of food reflects societal trends and
beliefs.
 IMPORTANCE OF PLATING
• It is important that the creativity and the skill that went
into the cooking, baking, or otherwise preparing the food
are not wasted because of sloppy presentation.
• While food preparation is science, food presentation is an
art.
• How food is presented is as important as how it is
prepared.
• Poor presentation of well- prepared food lowers its value.
People eat with their eyes, and creative and thoughtful
plating enhances both the look and taste of your food.
∙ The final step in food preparation is to justify the hours of
hard work spent in cooking the food by serving and
presenting it properly.
Service- the process of delivering the selected food to diners
in the proper fashion. Hot foods served hot on heated plates,
and cold foods served cold on chilled plates.
Presentation- the process of offering the selected food to
the diners in a fashion that is usually appealing. Remember,
diners consume first with their eyes and then with their
mouths. The key word in plate presentation is BALANCE. It
is a balance of color, texture, size and shape.
TOOLS FOR PLATING
 DECORATING BRUSHES
As one of the most important products in any chef's toolkit,
decorating brushes have a variety of applications. You can
use them for both detailed line work and broad strokes as
you apply sauces, or when plating purees and coulis
beneath meat or vegetables.
 MOLDS
Molds are also very important when plating food. By cutting
ingredients to a specific shape and size, you'll provide visual
appeal and keep your plate tidy. Ring molds also help you
develop height and structure when stacking ingredients.
 PLATING AND PRECISION
TONGS
• You'll want to have precision tongs on hand for placing
garnishes or small, delicate foods. Many tongs also
feature micro-serrations for improved grip and stability.
 SPOONS
• You'll also want to have a variety of spoons on hand.
Saucier spoons help you drag smears of sauce across your
plate, and you can also choose a utensil with a tapered
bowl that's perfect for drizzling and pouring. Additionally,
slotted spoons quickly separate solids from liquids as you
complete your presentation.
 SQUEEZE BOTTLES
• Squeeze bottles are ideal when applying sauces or aiolis
to your finished plate. Many of these items come with
adjustable, precision control tips that allow you to apply
the perfect amount of product.
4 BASICS OF PLATING
 1. Create a framework
It’s always good to start conceptualizing your plating and presentation ideas
before doing the actual plating. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Start with actual drawings before experimenting

with real food on a plate.
• Sketch out your presentation to help you
visualize the final plate.
• Keep up to date with the latest plating trends by
reading food magazines.
2. Ensure balance
Another important thing to remember when planning your food plating and presentation is balance. Consider these pointers before
plating:

• Play with colours and shapes and try combining

them – round shapes, cones, rods, etc.
• Provide a variety of texture. A mix creates an
exciting variety of mouthfeel too.
• Balance can also be created by separating. Try
serving different parts of the dish in separate
plates to create a visual and flavour balance.
• Keep function and flavour in mind when creating
balance. Having too many unnecessary ingredients
can clutter a dish.
3. Portion size
Nutrition is a concern for many diners today. With that in mind, your dishes should always have a right
balance of nutrition and portion size. A well-proportioned dish in terms of plating can take two forms:

• A nutritionally-balanced dish with the right

proportion of protein, carbohydrates and
vegetables on the plate.
• An adequately-sized dish that is well proportioned
to the dimensions of the plate.
 4. Highlighting the key ingredients
When plating, always highlight the key ingredient. Nobody wants to order a steak and find the
plate crowded with sides and hiding the beef. Here are a couple of notes to help you put the main
ingredient in the spotlight:

• Balance the portion size of the 3 elements of the

plate.
• Make sure the main ingredient stands out among
the 3 elements and not the other way around.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF
PLATING
 CLASSIC PLATING

Also known as traditional plating, classical plating has 3

basic food items on a plate. A guide to classical plating is to
use the hands of the clock as a reference. Vegetables should
be in the 12-3 section of the clock face, starches in 12-3 and
the mains should occupy the 3-9 section.
 LANDSCAPE
• Taking inspiration from landscape gardens, this linear
arrangement of food is usually kept low and long. See
examples of landscape plating below.
 FREE FORM
• 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. See below for an example of
free form plating.
 FOOD ON ORGANIC
MATERIALS
• Using organic materials such as wood, slate and stone as
a plating device lends a more rustic and back-to-nature
feel to dishes. See more examples of plating with organic
materials below.
 FUTURISTIC PLATING
• Making use of sleek materials like metal, glass and steel,
futuristic plating creates a cutting edge and futuristic
plating like the example below.
 ALTERNATIVE RECEPTACLES
• Using unconventional receptacles for your tableware
creates a more interesting presentation for your dishes.
Some examples include using a coffee siphon to hold
broth, test tubes for soup or even something as simple as
an airtight jar for food. See more examples below.
TRADITIONAL ASIAN
PLATING
 COMMUNAL PLATING
Sharing is an important aspect of plates and serving dishes
the Asian dining culture, and like steamboats, woks,
communal dishes are very common.
Being large in portion size,
double-boil soup terrines,
communal dishes can be dim sum baskets and even
challenging to plate. banana leaves.
• Using aesthetically pleasing
garnishes.
• Experiment with interesting
 INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS
As more Asian restaurants adopt a modern outlook,
individual servings are starting to become common. This not
only includes scaling down the portions of a communal dish,
but also paying attention to smaller details like garnishing.
 ONE-DISH MEALS
Single serving dishes like fish on top of the starch.
porridge, nasi lemak and nasi
biryani are very common in Asian • Vegetables are placed
dining culture, and it is important around the sides.
to pay attention to how they are
plated. • Colour and texture are very
important visual elements
• Starch is often plated in the in plating.
centre of the plate or bowl.
• Proteins are usually placed
 WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?
• Before you begin preparing your dish, you should
consider the kind of cuisine you're serving. Are you
making a hearty steak dinner, or are you preparing
a delicate side dish or appetizer? You can't start
building your plate until all of your flavors are
finalized, so it's wise to have your ingredients
prepared before you begin the actual plating
process.
• Additionally, you'll want to consider portion sizes
before you begin plating. To do so, focus on
balancing your protein, carbohydrate, and
vegetable to create a nutritionally balanced
meal. Ultimately, carefully placed ingredients
create art, but presentation should never
overshadow taste.

• What cooking method was used?

Grilling- Grill marks
Steaming- Moisture of ingredients
Sautéing- Caramelization
 FACTORS OF FOOD
PRESENTATION
• FLAVOR
• COLOR
• SHAPES
• TEXTURE
 GUIDELINES
• Keep food off the rim of the plate
• Arrange the food in unity
• Place the food in the most attractive manner
• Sauces improves presentation
• Avoid using the same pattern over and over again
• Garnish only when necessary
• Simplicity is the key
 START PLATING!

Sources: unileverfoodsolutions.com.ph
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