What is Plating?
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It involves many different aspects of food preparation and presentation, starting with the combination of foods that make up the meal, to how the food is cooked, to the plate that is used to serve it, to how it is arranged on that plate, to the garnish decorating the dish.
Plating can take a dining experience from good to Incredible! Spectacular! Unforgettable!
Turns out, not only do we enjoy eating beautifully presented food more, we actually get more nutrients from food that is sensually appealing. Who knew that the old saying, “you eat first with your eyes,” was so literally true?
Basic Plating Concepts
Let me state right off the bat that I am not a pro. I am listing here what I have observed and learned from research. Any readers with plating experience, please chime in and let me know what I am missing or misstating!
Balance is Key
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Nutrition
A perfect plate is a balance of proteins, starches and vegetables. The old standard of “50% protein, 25% starch, 25% veg” has changed as our understanding of health and diet has improved. A good guideline today might be more like 30% of each, or 50% veg, 25% grain and 25% protein. Obviously, it will depend upon the type of dish you are making, but a balanced plate should always be your goal.
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Taste & Texture
Taste and texture are critical components for an unforgettable meal. Flavors should accent and enhance each other. For example, spicy foods are best accompanied by cool or neutral; a soft and sensual food asks for something crispy. Plan for a balance of taste and texture as you plan your dishes.
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Visual Appeal
This is the main focus here on Pretty Tastes Better (though I expect to touch on all of it at one point or another). It’s well proven that the eyes truly do eat first – how our food looks and smells affects our enjoyment and even our absorption of a meal.So what makes an appetizing plate? One that appears full and satisfying, not sloppy or overblown, has varied spacing and height for interest, without being overly contrived, and includes complementary colors and textures, rather than a boring monotone. Bottom line? A plate that is carefully composed is just more appealing than one that is slapped together.
It may seem like a lot of things to consider, but your plates will improve if you do nothing more than think ahead and keep these points in mind as you plan what to make and how you will make it. Just that simple consideration of balance in nutrition, taste, texture, color and styling will help you put together a more beautiful plate.
I’ll be posting in much more detail about specific plating styles and techniques, so watch for those posts soon. Please comment below and share your favorite plating methods, or tell me if there’s something specific you’d like to learn!
Rob Hopkins
Very nice job touching on the basic concepts of Visual plating.Much like A fine painting or sculpture a plate needs to have a good color pallet, make good use of the space of the canvas, aka the plate, and should create a visually pleasing image. As Chefs we are taught to stay away from what we call country club plating, or creating food zones on the plate with no one food touching the other. Creating height through stacking also creates a textural journey for the diner through textures and flavors. Im just starting but some of my plates are posted on my website.