2. Chapter 44
Food Presentation

3. Objective
Apply plating principles to design an attractive plate presentation
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4. Food Presentation
How a plate looks is the customer’s first impression of the food
What is your first impression of this dish?
Student response.
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5. Food Presentation
Arranging food on plates and platters, or assembling a buffet requires practice and creativity
Presentation must never be placed above flavor and proper cooking of a dish
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6. Plating Principles
Being able to present attractive plated food is part of the chef’s art
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7. Plating Principles
When deciding how to arrange food on a plate, the cook needs to consider
color
height
focal point
proportion
variety
temperature
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8. Color
Adds to the eye appeal of a dish
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9. Color When pairing items on a plate, consider their colors
vibrant contrasting colors make food look appetizing
foods with similar colors should be avoided
Vibrant colors result from properly cooked products
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10. Color
Garnishes
can be added to plates or platters to improve the color
should reflect the dish they are garnishing
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11. Color What is your opinion of the color of this dish?
Student response.
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12. Height
Plates with too little height lack dramatic presentation and seem flat, while overly tall food may look comical
Tall and unsteady presentations are challenging to serve and difficult to eat
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13. What is your opinion of the height of this dish?
Student response.
What is your opinion of the height of this dish?
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14. Focal Point
The focal point is most often the highest, biggest, or most colorful item on the plate
Plates designed with a definite focal point create a satisfying sense of order
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15. Focal Point What is the focal point of this dish? Student response.
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16. Proportion
Refers to the relationship between the amounts of the different food items on a plate
Proper amounts of different components of a particular dish create good proportion
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17. Proportion
Also refers to the relationship between the size of the plate and the amount of food arranged on it
The amount of food should be in proportion to the size of the plate
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18. What do you think of the proportion of these dishes?
Student response.
What do you think of the proportion of these dishes?
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19. Variety of Shapes, Sizes, and Textures
Create variety on a plate to improve overall appeal
Use different knife cuts to create a variety of shapes
Combine foods of different sizes
Serve foods with a variety of textures, such as hard, chewy, soft, crisp, smooth, sticky, dry, gritty, and tough
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20. Temperature
Care must be taken when plating to ensure food is served at its optimal temperature
Proper serving temperature begins with the plate itself
Serve cold food on a chilled plate
Serve hot food on a preheated plate
Plating process must happen rapidly
Once a plate of hot food is arranged, it should be covered with a plate cover
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21. Objective
Explain principles that guide platter and buffet presentation
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22. Platter Presentation
As with plate presentation, consideration must be given to color, height, proportion, and variety when arranging a platter
The focal point is often a centerpiece
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23. Platter Presentation
Platters present more food than plates, so chefs must also consider lines and flow
Generally, food items are arranged in lines, which create flow, or a sense of movement
The empty space on the platter is called negative space
Platters with too little negative space appear crowded, while platters with too much appear empty
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24. Platter Presentation
Chefs create a balanced platter using symmetry or asymmetry
Symmetry produces an orderly and predictable pattern
Asymmetry is more difficult to arrange successfully, but can be exciting and creative when well executed
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25. Platter Presentation
Platters must be functional so customers can serve themselves or be served
All the food on a platter must be within reach
The size and shape of the portions should be easy to handle
Platters should be easy to replenish during a busy service
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26. Buffet Presentation
Buffet setups are designed much like an individual platter
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27. Buffet Presentation
When setting up a buffet, the following factors need to be considered:
color
height
focal point/centerpiece
balance and proportion
variety
symmetry or asymmetry
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28. Buffet Presentation
When setting up a buffet, the following factors need to be considered:
temperature
negative space
functionality
serving utensils
Chafing dish
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29. Objective Compare various garnishing techniques
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30. Garnishes
Garnishing refers to the chef’s ability to improve the appearance of a dish by adding various decorative touches
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31. Garnishes Garnishes should
coordinate with the flavors and temperature of the dish they garnish
never overshadow or detract from the main dish
be used sparingly and only when functional
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32. Simple Garnishes
Chefs often use fresh herbs to decorate platters and individual plates
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33. Simple Garnishes
Vegetables that have been minced or cut into traditional knife cuts can be used as a simple garnish
Vegetables contribute bursts of color and additional flavors
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34. Crispy Garnishes
Crispy items add height and a sense of sculpture to the plate, while contributing a crunch to the eating experience
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35. Crispy Garnishes Some examples include thinly sliced croutons
deep-fried root vegetables
baked or deep-fried wonton wrappers
deep-fried raviolis
thin, artistically shaped baked flatbreads or crackers
fleurons
various cookies and sugar garnishes for pastry presentations
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36. Sprinkles
Sprinkling very small pieces of food or powders on plates of prepared food is a popular garnishing technique
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37. Sprinkles Sprinkles can be
savory such as minced herbs, nuts, and mild spices
sweet such as chocolate shavings, nuts, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and finely chopped fruits
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38. Vegetables
Vegetable carving requires more practice than sprinkling food on a plate
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39. Vegetables
Vegetable cutouts, scallion flowers, and radish roses are classic garnishes that are simple to prepare
The tomato rose is more difficult to master and more elegant
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40. Technique: Making Vegetable Cutouts
Begin with a room temperature vegetable. Root vegetables such as turnips, large carrots, beets, and rutabagas work well. If the vegetable is too cold, it is difficult to cut and tends to break.
Peel the vegetable. Slice a ¼-inch thick piece of the vegetable.
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41. Technique: Making Vegetable Cutouts
Place the slice on a cutting board. Cut out the shape using a cookie cutter.
Place cutouts in ice water until needed. The water will prevent the cutouts from drying out and looking old.
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42. Technique: Making Scallion Flowers
Cut the bottom 2½ inches from the scallion. Save the top green portion for another use.
Trim the roots from the scallion. Only trim what is necessary to remove just the root.
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43. Technique: Making Scallion Flowers
Starting ¼-inch from the root end, make as many lengthwise cuts down the scallion as possible. Be sure the knife does not cut all the way through the root end of the scallion.
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44. Technique: Making Scallion Flowers
Roll the scallion 90°.
Cut a new series of slices lengthwise down the scallion as in step three. Be sure that the knife does not cut all the way through the root end of the scallion.
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45. Technique: Making Scallion Flowers
Place the scallion in ice water for at least 30 minutes. During this time, the scallion will curl and fan out. If the scallion does not open satisfactorily, the scallion was not cut close enough to the root end.
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46. Technique: Making a Radish Rose
Choose large radishes that are free of blemishes. Carve radishes that are at room temperature. Cold radishes are hard to carve because they are brittle and tend to break.
Trim both ends of the radish using a paring knife. Trim away as little radish as possible.
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47. Technique: Making a Radish Rose
Starting at the top of the radish, cut petals down the sides of the radish. Each petal should be about ⅛-inch thick and should be left attached at the bottom of the radish.
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48. Technique: Making a Radish Rose
If desired, the center of the radish can be removed using a small knife or parisienne scoop.
Place the radish roses in ice water until needed to allow them to open.
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49. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
Starting at the bottom of the tomato (opposite the stem end), slice almost the entire bottom off.
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50. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
(continued) Be sure to leave the bottom attached to the rest of the tomato by about one inch. The bottom of the tomato will be the bottom of the finished rose.
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51. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
At the point where the bottom is attached to the rest of the tomato, begin to slice one long continuous spiral of tomato skin. The piece of skin is about ⅛-inch thick and one-inch wide.
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52. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
(continued) Turn the tomato while slicing off the skin. It is important to remove the skin with a slicing motion. Simply pushing the knife through the tomato will produce a poor piece of jagged skin.
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53. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
By the time you reach the stem end of the tomato, there should be little skin attached to the tomato. Cut the long piece of skin from the rest of the tomato.
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54. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
Roll the skin tightly, starting at the stem end of the peel. Be sure that the shiny side of the peel is facing outward.
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55. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
(Continued) Continue rolling the peel until it reaches the attached piece of the tomato bottom. At this point, place the rolled tomato skin naturally on the tomato bottom.
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56. Technique: Making a Tomato Rose
If necessary, store the tomato rose covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. It is best to make the tomato rose as close to service as possible.
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57. Review Why is food presentation important?
The appearance of the food is the customer’s first impression of a dish
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58. Review
When deciding how to arrange food on a plate, what should a cook consider?
Color
Height
Focal point
Proportion
Variety
Temperature
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59. Review
What two things should you consider when plating as far as proportion is considered?
The relationship between the amounts of the different food items on a plate
The relationship between the size of the plate and the amount of food arranged
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60. Review
Describe the importance of the temperature of the plate food is served on.
Hot food should be served on a preheated plate and cold food should be served on a chilled plate. If the plate is too hot or cold for the food being served on it, the temperature of the food will be affected negatively.
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61. Review How does negative space affect the appearance of a platter?
Platters without enough negative space are crowded, while those with too much appear empty
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62. Review
What aspects need to be considered for functionality when you design a platter?
Customers should be able to serve themselves easily or be served by a cook or server
Customers should be able to reach all the food on a platter
The size and shape of the portions should be easy to handle
Platters should be easy to replenish during a busy service
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63. Review What factors should be considered when designing a buffet?
Color
Height
Focal point/centerpiece
Balance and proportion
Variety
Temperature
Symmetry or asymmetry
Negative space
Functionality
Serving utensils
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64. Review What types of garnishes do chefs commonly use? Simple garnishes
Crispy garnishes
Sprinkles
Vegetables
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65. Glossary
asymmetry. Refers to achieving a sense of balance by using elements that are equivalent, but not matching.
chafing dishes. Decorative covered stands that keep food hot.
focal point. The point or item to which the eye is first drawn when looking at a plate presentation.
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66. Glossary garnish. A decoration added to a dish to make it attractive.
symmetry. Refers to a balanced arrangement that is identical on two sides of a center point.
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