Creating an Attractive Presentation of Your Recipe Dishes

"A picture is worth a thousand words..."

We have all heard this phrase used endless times and are probably tired of hearing it already. Nevertheless, the phrase holds a lot of meaning and can be applied to many things; the culinary arts being one of them. 

When it comes to cooking, if something doesn't look appealing to the eye, people will have no desire to taste whatever it is that you've made, even if it is the most delicious thing in the world.
Therefore, aside from making sure that your dishes are top notch taste wise, you have to make sure that they look like works of art. So, once you've cooked your favorite recipes that you want to share with others, your next step is to work on the look of what you are about to present to others. Creating an attractive presentation of your recipe dishes is key, so don't take this lightly.

What do I mean by attractive presentation?

I am not talking about Power Point, posters, flyers, or other such things. I am referring to the serving of the dish and how it is presented on a plate to potential customers. (In this article I will refer to people who will be trying, eating your dish as customers.)

When it's time to serve your culinary creations to customers don't just take any plate under your nose, throw the food on there, as if a volcano erupted or as if someone threw up, and place it in front of them. If you do that ninety-nine percent of the time they will tell you (hopefully in a polite way) that they don't want to try what you are offering, maybe saying that they are not hungry or that they prefer something else instead. You don't want that to happen, so take time and care to create something that will catch the eye of the customers. If you do that, most likely, they will try whatever it is that you've brought to life.

Cooking is a work of art so take advantage of that when working on the presentation of your dishes.

When it comes to making your culinary creations look attractive and appealing to the eye of the customers the first thing you need to do is to choose the right plate, or bowl. There are many different plates or bowls that you can choose from as they come in different shapes, in different colors, and in different ornamental/decorative designs.

Plates and bowls can be round, square, rectangular, triangular, elliptical, etc., or be in the shape of a fish or an apple, for example. They can be one solid color or be a mix of colors. They can have a gold border around it, have different patterns depicted on them or have drawings of fruits or vegetables, trees, flowers, animals, or scenes, etc. The possibilities are endless here. The key is to be creative and to choose a plate or bowl that will complement the dish well and also make it stand out.

If you have a range of different plates or bowls in your possession you have a higher chance of finding the perfect one for your culinary creation. If you don't have many different ones at home then you either have to consider shopping for some new plates and bowls, or resort to working with what you already have. That can work too, but the greater the variety the better and the more creative your culinary presentation can be. Also the more attractive the plate, the less garnishing you will need to do in the end.

Once you have chosen that perfect plate for your dish now it is time to layout all the ingredients on it. Make sure that your plate is big enough to fit everything that you are planning to serve to your customers without having one thing on top of the other. Also make sure to leave enough empty space on plate the as well. You don't want anything cluttered or overflowing on the plate.

When laying things out on a plate pretend that you are creating a painting. Think of yourself as an artist, and the plate as an empty canvas. Don't just throw things onto a plate. Position them in such a way that they look like works of art.

Don't hesitate to turn your ingredients into shapes. For example, if your side dish is mashed potatoes, don't just plop it down onto a plate like a pile of goo; shape it into a ball, a tower, a flower or any other shape of your choice. Feel free to draw something on it as well by poking the fork into the mashed potatoes in such a way that it creates either an image of something or just a creative appearance like that of waves, for example. The possibilities are endless.

If you are serving vegetables you can cut them into shapes of flowers, hearts or other shapes. You can either do it manually or shop around for culinary gadgets that allow you to slice your vegetables into shapes of your choice. They actually do sell these kinds of things. The hard part is finding where they are sold so you can go and buy them.

If you are serving meat or fish you can cut them into shapes as well but sometimes that may not be a good idea. You can, however, always lay it out so it creates a shape or an attractive appearance. Just use your imagination.

With your plate chosen, and the food laid out on the plate, now it is time to add that final touch by garnishing your plate. There are many things that you can use to garnish a plate. Some of these include sprinkling your dish with roasted sesame seeds or other crushed herbs like dried basil or dried parsley flakes. You can sprinkle the food itself, but what you should also do is sprinkle the empty spaces of the plate as well for an even nicer look. It is a good idea to leave a top border of the plate empty so that you can use it solely for garnishing. Doing this enhances the appearance of your dishes.

Another thing you can do is drizzle the plate and the food with dressings, sauces, or oils. But don't just drizzle as if a faucet is turned on high power. Do it lightly and in a swirling motion to create a design on your plate. You can also do it in such a way that a shape of sorts is created.

Yet, another thing you can do to garnish your dishes is add fresh basil leaves, fresh cilantro, dill or parsley, or other such fresh herbs to the plate. You can even sprinkle thin slices of scallions onto the plate. Doing this will give your dishes that extra special touch and complete the look.