Food Styling: Tips
Presentation:
- smaller portions
- if there is a mess, leave it (makes it look real)
- using baking or parchment paper adds visual interest
- use contrast in the background
- use simple crockery and tableware to draw attention to the food
- use natural light, looks better
- adding lime and lemon wedges for a zesty burst of colour.
- adding a fork or spoon to inject an element of movement
- create elevation
- use garnishes
- smaller portions
- if there is a mess, leave it (makes it look real)
- using baking or parchment paper adds visual interest
- use contrast in the background
- use simple crockery and tableware to draw attention to the food
- use natural light, looks better
- adding lime and lemon wedges for a zesty burst of colour.
- adding a fork or spoon to inject an element of movement
- create elevation
- use garnishes
Food Styling: Tricks
- brush hot water or oil on the food to make it look hot and fresh
- undercook the food, it looses moisture and shrinks as it cools. Cook it until it no longer looks raw
- Make sure there is condensation on cold drinks for the cold look effect, fake ice cubes and spray the outside to have the look of condensation
- To keep fruit from turning brown, put in a cold water bath with a sprinkle of a product called “Fruit Fresh,” which can be purchased at most grocery stores. Or simply use some lemon juice in the water.
- Glue to keep meat from tearing and food from moving
- undercook the food, it looses moisture and shrinks as it cools. Cook it until it no longer looks raw
- Make sure there is condensation on cold drinks for the cold look effect, fake ice cubes and spray the outside to have the look of condensation
- To keep fruit from turning brown, put in a cold water bath with a sprinkle of a product called “Fruit Fresh,” which can be purchased at most grocery stores. Or simply use some lemon juice in the water.
- Glue to keep meat from tearing and food from moving
Food Styling: Hamburger
In the beginning the meat was heavy and squashed everything beneath it, the salad slid sideways and the sauce and beetroot oozed out. To fix this problem, cook the meat lightly and brown the edges with a blow torch for the cooked effect. Make sure the buns are perfect (use top and bottom from 2 different buns) and carefully pin the lettuce. Use a cardboard platform supported with toothpicks to hold the weight of the meat off the lettuce and bun. Other ingredients may need to be pinned in place and thicken the tomato sauce with tomato paste to hold it in place.
Food Styling: Garnishes
- A functional garnish is one that is used or eaten. A lemon wedge on a plate of fried calamari, or wasabi and ginger on a sushi plate are both examples of functional garnishes.
- Nonfunctional garnishes are there for decoration alone, such as large bird carved from a carrot on a platter of sesame chicken.
- They add a focus of interest
- Colour contrast, for example when chives are sprinkled on potatoes
- Texture contrast, such as garlic crisps sprinkled in creamed potatoes
- Nonfunctional garnishes are there for decoration alone, such as large bird carved from a carrot on a platter of sesame chicken.
- They add a focus of interest
- Colour contrast, for example when chives are sprinkled on potatoes
- Texture contrast, such as garlic crisps sprinkled in creamed potatoes