Food presentation has an enormous effect on your customers’ impression of your restaurant. Knowing how to garnish and what size your plates should be, and even making creative use of your pastry cutter and other restaurant equipment gives you a definite edge. The way you plate your menu options influences your clients’ feelings regarding the quality of your cuisine and even how satisfying they find the portion sizes. Fresh ideas for platter presentation are a necessity for keeping your restaurant ahead of the rest.

Main Dish Food Presentation Techniques

The first step to a gorgeous platter presentation is ensuring that your plate and serving sizes are proportionate to one another. Square or round plates generally prove to be easy to work with, and white plates provide a simple way of enhancing the effect of your dish’s colors. Odd numbers of specific food items – three stalks of asparagus, for example – produce the most eye-pleasing results. Avoid piling too much total food or an overwhelming amount of separate items on each dish. Pay attention to the colors that you use and the various shapes and designs you can make with your sauces. Mix the consistencies and textures of the food so that both soft and crunchy items appear. Garnish with a fresh souvenir of an ingredient in the dish, such as a basil leaf, parsley, or lemon slices. Of course, make certain that everyone in your kitchen knows to wipe the sides of the plate for a totally clean look before serving. Make the most of restaurant supplies to serve platters that will truly impress your customers. For example, you can transform a simple shepherd’s pie into a tower of the lighter hachis parmentier with pastry cutters. Make circular layers with the cutters, including layers of ingredients like pureed carrots for color and grilled breadcrumbs for a crispy texture. Surround the tower with a reduction and garnish with chives, placing a few cherry tomatoes on the side.

Perfectly Presented Drinks and Desserts

Desserts and drinks offer a great outlet for memorable creations. Some professional chefs have mastered the art of doing intricate chocolate paintings on their plates, upon which they place the actual dessert. Even if this is not one of the skills in your repertoire, you can easily make designs in the foam of coffee selections like cappuccinos. Sundaes, banana splits, and pastries can be decorated with whipped cream in a vast array of shapes and designs. Nuts, fruits, and honeys of varying colors and transparencies add character to almost any dessert and provide endless opportunities for experimentation.

Truly professional food presentation should result in real customer satisfaction. Not only will your clientele appreciate the beauty of your platters, they will feel more satiated and eager to return to your establishment thanks to your exceptional food presentation techniques.

Filed under: How-To • General

Tags: food presentation, food presentation techniques, garnishing, how to garnish, pastry cutter, restaurant equipment