The presentation of a dish is as important as its taste and nutrient values. This is because ‘we eat with our eyes first, then with our mouth’. Remember the first impression is the last impression and the looks and presentation give the first impression of any dish. The presentation of any dish can transform a simple dish into a gourmet item.
This is the reason why today, all gourmet restaurants are so particular about food presentation, as it can make or break them. Plating Indian food has always been a challenge as we don’t have course meals like the western countries. The portion sizes of our food are usually large and serving large portions in gourmet style is always a challenge.
Here are a few tips on plating food:
Plating of food is very important. Apart from making a dish look good, the presentation also stimulates the appetite before a meal. When this occurs, digestive juices are produced so that the body is ready to receive the food.
Food preparation should cover senses like sight, smell, touch and taste, and food should always be attractive, well cooked, appetizing and well presented. When plating the food, play with the colours (contrast is always better), shapes and sizes and add your special decorative touches with the garnishing. You will be all set to amaze your guests!
One important aspect of plating food is matching portion size with plate size. A plate that is too small for the food portion it offers will look messy and overcrowded while a small portion on too large a plate will look sparse.
Garnish or no garnish? This is a very crucial question that is generally asked in food presentation. It is important as dishes might look uninteresting without garnish. For instance, if you garnish a spinach based gravy item with carrot strips, it will look great as this added garnish will bring a pop of colour to the plate. Another important aspect of food presentation is timing. There is no point in serving an amazing looking dish if it is served cold, when it was supposed to be served hot. Do necessary preparations for garnishing and plating while cooking the dish and serve beautiful looking dishes at the correct temperature. Keep these tips in mind, use your creativity and start presenting day to day home food in an interesting manner.
