7 Food Plating Ideas To Master Food Presentation In 2023
When you sit down in a restaurant, you’ll notice that there’s a lot going on around you. Waiters are walking the floor, chefs are cooking, people are laughing, and food is being served. However, behind the scenes, there is someone coming up with food plating ideas.
Plate presentation creates the aesthetic that the restaurant wants to project to patrons.
What is Food Presentation?
Food presentation and plating are synonymous with each other. Both revolve around the concept of:
- Decorating food
- Arranging food
- Creating art with your food
Eateries can stand out from the competition by creating an aesthetic that restaurant-goers want in their food. For example, upscale eateries know the importance of food presentation for their patrons. The right techniques will allow you to:
- Showcase food
- Show vibrant colors
- More
We’re going to walk you through seven food presentation ideas that will show you how to present food creatively using this year’s key techniques.
7 Plating Ideas to Make Your Food Presentation a Work of Art in 2023
1. Start with a Good Foundation
Plate presentation techniques can be done 100% properly and still fail because the “foundation,” or the plate itself, does not fit the presentation style. You need to review your plates and ensure that they fit into the look you’re trying to create.
A few things to consider for your dishware include:
- Size: Small and large plates can create a look all their own. If you want to look like you offer big portions, a small plate may work well. Large plates can make your portions look too small. You want to find a happy medium where your food stands out the way you desire.
- Shade: If you serve light-colored food, dark plates can make the food stand out. White plates are good for most food colors because they’re neutral.
- Color: You can choose colored plates if you want to change things up and create an eclectic design for your eatery. Some “new age” restaurants are known for their array of colored plates.
Fine dining restaurants must consider their patrons and what they expect for the price that they pay. For example, if you have an upscale eatery in Manhattan, fine China and dishware will be expected versus cheaper dinnerware.
2. Clock Method Plating
Different types of food plating can be used in the same restaurant for different signature dishes. One of the classic methods of plating is to create a “clock.” Imagine that the plate you’re serving food on is a clock with:
- 12–3 being the first zone
- 3–6 being the second zone
- 6–9 being the third zone
- 9–12 being the fourth zone
You will then place proteins in sections 3–9, followed by your carbs in 9–12 and fill the remainder with colorful veggies.
The separation between food items will make it easy for you to create an in-depth presentation that keeps food neatly organized and is visually appealing to your patrons.
3. Contrasting Colors Add Beauty to a Plate
Plating styles with vegetable dishes are always visually appealing because veggies have an array of colors. Carrots add beautiful orange colors, green beans add green, corn adds yellow and so on.
Fruits can also be added to a plate to contrast the main portion of the dish’s color.
For example, if you’re serving steak, the main focal point of the plate is going to be brown. Adding in contrasting colors, such as greens and yellows, will make the entire dish “pop.” Chefs can also create menu items based on their pairing colors, allowing you to create food art with your entire menu.
4. Add in Some Height
Plating vegetable dishes can be difficult, yet simple food presentation ideas can be used to create height. Visual dishes can have varying heights and textures that make the dish stand out and get people interested in the food.
You can place small food items in the front and larger items in the back to create a laddering effect with the food you serve.
Layering is not as popular as it was in the past, but it’s a nice way to add height to a dish. However, if the ingredients risk mixing and impacting the taste of the dish, you may want to try different plating styles instead.
5. Saucing
There are a lot of types of food plating, and saucing is one that truly differentiates itself from others. Saucing can be done in numerous ways, and you can:
- Paint the sauce on the plate
- Use squeeze bottles
- Etc.
It’s not uncommon to see bright green sauces painted on a plate to make it visually appealing. Food plating drawing has also become popular in recent years, allowing chefs to “show off” their artistic sides.
You can swirl the sauce on top of the food, dot the plate with sauce, or even create circles surrounding the food item with sauce.
6. Make Use of Herbs and Flowers
Proper handling of food presentation means using every ingredient at your disposal to make the food look appealing. You can add to the presentation with certain items that are vibrant and delicious, such as:
- Herbs
- Flowers
- Etc.
Placing a slice of a lemon on top of a fish dish is a great example of using additional ingredients that pair well with food and also make it look more visually appealing in the process.
7. Make Sure Your Chefs Have the Tools for Success
Plating and presenting tips and techniques fall short if you never arm your chefs with the right tools for the job. A few of the tools that will work well when trying to focus on a presentation include:
You can use all of these tools to decorate your food items in a fun, exciting ways. Slotted spoons are a good example because you can create fun presentations while keeping solids and liquids separate.
If you follow the simple food plating ideas above, you’ll be well on your way to mastering food presentation. Slowly try techniques out, see what works and doesn’t work for your patrons, and have fun trying different plating styles.
Source: https://mcdonaldpaper.com/blog/7-food-plating-ideas-master-food-presentation-2023
