Impact of food presentation technique in restaurant

Significance
The food is generally the focal point for the guest. It supplies the majority of the drama,
excitement, and interaction and it falls to the chef to produce food that is flavorful and attractive.
Food presentation is an important opportunity that allows chefs to emphasize the talents of the
kitchen staff. The chefs task is to exploit the full sensory potential of every dish to create a
presentation that is practical, functional, and appealing to all the senses, which heightens the
guests experience. Menu selections and food presentation integrate all aspects of the foodservice
operation including the theme, the menu, the style of service, and your clients expectations.
The goal is never to simply meet those expectations and standards, but to exceed them.

Introduction
In the world of culinary art is well known that the appearance of food is one of the most
important factors that will attract or reject your guests to choose a specific meal.
It is the specific way how food is placed on the plate.
When you're plating food, the goal is to create a dining experience that tempts all of the senses,
not just the palate. When food looks appetizing the body actually produces more fluids that aid in
nutrient absorption - so you might even say that beautiful food is more wholesome than food that
doesn't look appealing. To achieve restaurant-quality presentation, start with brightly-colored,
well-cooked food. Layer the food and play with contrasting colors and textures to increase its
visual appeal. Finally, garnish the plate with flavorful herbs or spices to take it to the next level.

THE ROLE OF DESIGN

Judgments about what is fashionable or beautiful are subjective. They change over time,
sometimes quite rapidly. However, the basic principles behind good design and presentation
remain constant, even if the specific expressions of those principles keep evolving into new
styles and trends. It is important to remember and always think of these techniques as
enhancements to the foods appeal. The food on a plate supplies important visual elements:
colors, textures, and shapes. Additionally, the foods you serve also supply two important, but non
visual, elements: aroma and flavor. The design principles at the chefs disposal include
symmetrical or asymmetrical compositions, contrasting or complementary arrangements, and the
use of lines to create patterns or indicate motion.
A variety of words can be used to describe the elements and effect of plate design and
presentation simple, elegant, balanced, integrated, and unified. A certain amount of regularity
and repetition is comfortable and appealing, but too much of anything becomes monotonous,
whether it is an ingredient, a color, a shape, a flavor, or a texture. The real importance and focus
of the food should always lay, ultimately, in its flavor and texture.
THE ROLE OF COLOR
Your guests will associate color in very specific ways; therefore, a foods natural color is an
important factor to consider in design and presentation of a dish. Green gives the impression of
freshness and vitality. Browns, gold, and maroons are warming, comforting, and rich. Orange
and red are intense, powerful colors. A dish should have colors that are in harmony (for example,
green, blue, and violet are complementary colors, while blue and orange are contrasting).
Clashing or contrasting colors are rarely an issue; a more common problem is the overuse of one
color, which has a tendency to make the food look flat and unexciting.
THE ROLE OF TEXTURE
Texture is important to the way the food looks, as well as the way it feels in our mouths. The
surface of a food will have a tendency to either reflect light or absorb it, making some foods
glossy and others matte. Some foods have highly textured exteriors while others are very smooth.
The way the food feels when you bite into it is another aspect of texture that the chef needs to
include in a plan. Too much of the same texture is monotonous.
THE FOCAL POINT
Food has many dimensions and the shape, height, and lines of the food are important
components of presentation. Cubes, cylinders, spheres, pyramids, and lines are just some of the
shapes food can assume. Alternating or repeating shapes in a design is one way to add visual

interest to food arrangements; you can modify the natural shape of a food by cutting or slicing it.
To give height to foods that are naturally flat, you can roll or fold them, and arrange them in piles
or pyramids.
Dimension can also be added to a dish by providing strong, clean lines that arrange the food
neatly and logically; these lines can be straight, curved, or angled. When two lines meet, they
create a shape and when a line is repeated, a pattern emerges. The more evenly spaced the lines,
the more obvious the pattern, the wider the spaces, the more obvious they are as discrete lines.
By providing a focal point to a dish you can introduce a large shape into a field of smaller shapes
while adding height and make the arrangement logical and sensible to the guest. One common
focal point, sometimes referred to as a grossed pice (literally big piece), is simply a portion of
a larger item, such as a roast leg of lamb or a terrine, left intact and arranged on the platter; the
guest can instantly identify the food. Sometimes, in place of a gross pice, there may be one or
more significant garnish elements. Such a garnish functions in the same way as a gross pice;
they too are most effective, and attractive, when they offer some information about the food
instead of simply adding a spot of color. The position of the focal point on a plate determines
how the food is arranged. A focal point positioned off center means that one side of the
arrangement appears to have more weight than the other. The lines extending away from the
focal point are of different lengths. When the focal point is positioned in the center, it gives the
impression that both sides of the arrangement are in equilibrium. The lines radiating from the
focal point are the same length. Asymmetrical arrangements tend to look natural while
symmetrical arrangements look formal.
THE COOKING TECHNIQUES
The cooking technique is vital to great presentation, because no matter how artful the display,
the way the food tastes is the most important element. In addition to assuring that foods are
flavorful and at the right temperature, the process of cooking gives the chef a chance to enhance
the food in other significant ways.
Visual flavor is an important concept. Some techniques deepen or darken the foods exterior;
grilling, roasting, and smoking are a few examples. With these cooking methods, it is relevant for
guests to be able to see the seasonings used on the food, i.e. specks of seasonings and herbs or
the shine of oil from a dressing. Other techniques introduce new elements, such as coatings or
wrappers; pan frying and deep frying are two such techniques. For an interesting selection, you
should introduce a number of different techniques for a variety of flavors, colors, and textures
throughout your menu.

How to make the next meal you cook look irresistible

Starting With Beautiful Food

1. Avoid a monochromatic color scheme

A plate of food looks most appealing when there's a high level of contrast in colors. Imagine
being served a bowl of plain oatmeal or a dish of pasta without any sauce. Even if the oatmeal or
pasta has been dressed with flavorful ingredients like butter and spices, it looks like a plain dish
of starch. Serve the same bowl of oatmeal with fresh red berries and a swirl of amber maple
syrup, or plate the pasta with a healthy drizzle of green pesto and chopped cherry tomatoes, and
you've created a wholly different dining experience. No matter what you're serving, think of
ways to add more color contrast

When you're planning meals, think ahead about the colors you want to feature on the
plate. You might not be able to represent all the colors of the rainbow at every meal,
but challenge yourself to have as much color as possible.
If you realize you're about to serve several like-colored foods, like grilled chicken and
mashed potatoes, adding a serving or two of fruits and vegetables is a fantastic and
easy way to add pops of color. The richest greens, oranges, reds, purples, blues, pinks
and yellows on your plate probably take the form of fruits and vegetables.
If you're not sure how to add color, utilize garnishes. Nearly any savory dish is wellserved by a sprinkling of fresh chives, parsley, dill, or mint. Lemon and lime wedges
are welcome alongside poultry and seafood dishes.

2. Bring out vegetables' brightest colors.

The way you cook your vegetables has a lot of bearing on the overall visual effect of a meal.
Veggies that are a tad overcooked lose their color and tend to look less appetizing than those that
are cooked just to the point of softness. To avoid mushy, pallid vegetables, aim to cook them
until they're bright with a bit of crunch. Here are a few ways to bring out the best in your
vegetables:
Lightly steam them instead of boiling them. Steaming vegetables makes them look
appetizing and flavorful, while boiling creates the opposite effect. Take broccoli, for
instance: steaming broccoli turns it a fresh, bright green and each floret retains its shape
and texture. Boiling broccoli results in a mushy texture and a paler color, which isn't as
pretty on the plate. The same holds true for asparagus, carrots, green beans, and many
other vegetables.
Roast or saut them with a little oil or butter. Roasted or sauted vegetables look quite
appetizing when they're allowed to caramelize a little in oil or butter. The bright orange or
green of the vegetable is offset by brown, crispy spots. It's a delicious way to cook
vegetables.
3. Sear your meat and let it rest.
Many meat dishes look most appetizing when the meat has been seared. The sight of a steak or
piece of grilled salmon with a brown, crispy sear will make your dinner guests' mouths start to
water. In addition to searing your meat, you should let it rest for several minutes before cutting it.
This allows the juices to absorb back into the meat, so that they don't end up running all over the
plate.
There are exceptions to the rule of searing your meat. For example, if you're
serving braised beef, you'll have to think of creative ways to make the meat look
appetizing even though it doesn't have a crispy crust. Serving it with a sauce is a good
way to add visual interest.
There are so many ways how one meal can be served and presented. Learn the basic rules
about serving and food presentation. How to use an unusual techniques for food presentation
with simple plates, and how can create interesting food presentation just with use of unusual
kitchen utensils. I'll say more about the modern way of food presentation, methods and tools that
you will needed and use of technological breakthroughs for futuristic slow food lovers.
Basic Rules For Food Presentation
There are certain rules that you need to follow, so you could be able to master some advanced
techniques for food presentation in your restaurant:
Plate should not never be overloaded with food, but should not be even a seemingly
empty
It is always necessary to leave blank the outer part of the plate along the edge.
You need to create color contrast on the plate.
Forget about symmetry, asymmetrical shapes are welcome.
Mix large and small, soft and crunchy, bright and dark colors.
Keep uniformity when it comes to portion size.

Do not overdo with sauces, rather served them separately.

If you need to serve chicken skewers, meatball or shrimp rather use odd number of
certain food than even numbers, it will look more interesting on the plate.

You can use it too but you do not have to stick to it. The old rule says that you have to look at
the plate as a clock, and set specific types of foods at specific hours. At a 11 you should set
carbohydrates (pasta, rice, potatoes), vegetables at 2 and in a case of dinner, at 6 you should set
proteins, main meal (fish, meat, mushrooms). This old fashioned way of serving meals has its
positive side and the one is that helps you to provide similar portion size. This aspect is very
important part of food waste reduction management as well as for the calculation of costs and
its impact in final restaurant profit.

Japanese Food Presentation

Japanese style of food presentation has had a major impact on food design in
general. Minimalism is present everywhere in Japan including kitchen and culinary
art. We can describe it as the beauty of simplicity and uniqueness.
Japanese would never put different kind of food on one plate, they rather
separated it into several little bowls. This way of presentations removes all
doubts about matching colors and forms, so if you do not have the talent to create a
harmonious dish, this could be a good choice for you. The dish that you use take a
major role in food appearance. They can be very simple or decorated with various
motifs. The vegetable and meat is cut into the small pieces - that are suitable to eat
it with chopsticks.
If you think that your restaurant offers food that can not be served in this
way, see how looks serving of fries on Japanese way. Irresistible!
Methodology
Participants
Sixty participants (mean age of 27.7 years, SD=7.2; ranging from 18 to 58 years), 30 males and
30 females took part in the study.

The visual arrangements characterizing the three conditions contained the exact same quantity of
exactly the same ingredients. The regular presentation condition consisted of a mix of the
ingredients, which were simply placed in the middle of the plate. In the neat presentation
condition, the ingredients together with the sauces were placed side by side without touching
each another. Lastly, for the art-inspired condition, the ingredients were placed on the plate in a
very specific manner
Before being placed on the plate, the vegetables and condiments were prepared in exactly the
same manner for all three presentations. While the sauces were specifically laid out on the plate
for the neat and art-inspired presentations, they were mixed with all the elements of the salad for
the regular presentation. The plate on which the food was served consisted of a white rectangle
of cardboard (dimensions of 270 180 mm).
The food consisted of a relatively complex salad with 17 distinct components made up of a total
of 30 ingredients. They included three types of elements: vegetables, sauces (purees and a
reduction), and condiments. The 17 components of the dish were as follows:
Vegetables: seared Portobello slice, shimeji mushrooms (briefly boiled with a sweet vinegar
marinade), cooked and raw broccoli sprouts, a variety of endive salad, raw red and yellow pepper
cut into fine brunoises, one slice of raw red pepper, three slices of red pepper skin fine julienne,
half a slice of raw yellow pepper, raw cauliflower sprouts, five slices of mange-tout fine julienne,
and half a mange-tout.
Sauces: beet pure, carrot pure, cauliflower and lemongrass crme, mushroom essence with
squid ink, and, finally, pepperoncino oil.
Condiments: Spanish olive oil, and Maldon sea salt.
Procedure
A between-participants experimental design was used. The experimental setting, which was the
same for all participants, was designed to replicate a typical restaurant table in a dark room,
isolated by means of a curtain. On the table and over a white tablecloth were placed a fork, a
knife, a paper napkin and a glass of water. The only lighting in the room, a small lamp, was
directed at the dish. The three conditions were randomized across the various testing times
(between 10:00 and 17:00 hrs) and gender was balanced for each condition. The experiment
lasted for approximately twenty minutes. Upon completing the consent form, the participants
were seated at the table and told the procedure by the experimenter. The participants were also
instructed that they would be presented with a plate of food, a salad, and asked to eat it. Before
they could start eating, they were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the visual
aspects of the salad. Moreover, the participants were informed that after completion of the first
questionnaire, they would be allowed to eat as much of the salad as they liked and that after they
had finished they would be given another questionnaire to complete. While the experimenter
explained this procedure, the dish was placed in an adjacent room. None of the participants were
aware of the existence of different visual presentations and no further information was given
concerning the aims of the study or the food they were about to eat and its preparation.
When the dish was ready, it was placed on the table in front of the participant together with the
first questionnaire. The participants were left alone while eating the food and completing the
questionnaires.

All of the questions were presented using 10-point Likert scales. The first questionnaire was
designed to assess the visual appeal of the dish and the participants expectations. The second
questionnaire assessed the perception of intensity of different taste attributes (saltiness,
bitterness, sourness, and sweetness) and again the same questions as asked in the first
questionnaire (liking, tastiness and willingness to pay), this time testing the actual experience of
the food rather than merely the participants expectations about it. For a complete list of the
questions before and after consumption

Conclusion
Bibliography
www.possector.com/en/blog/restaurant-food-presentation-ideas
www.wikihow.com/Present-Food-on-a-Plate
www.slideshare.net/rafgriep/the-importance-about-garnishing
www.pte.idaho.gov/Family_Consumer_Sciences/Programs_of_Study_Curriculum/