Part of Lesson Plan: Eating With Our Eyes: Factors in Plate Presentation

Activity Overview / Details

Say- Can anyone give me something we do to a specific product to enhance its appearance?

Answers should range from uniform cuts to cross hatch marks, fanning and presentation side down first among others. Discuss all you have covered in class over the next 2-4 minutes

Say- So to properly put a plate together in a visually pleasing fashion to increase its value there are several factors that chefs use to ensure success. These factors are;

1. Height- there are many ways to vary height from stacking or layering to spreading the food out on the plate.  Teachers should quicky either show or draw examples.

2. Color-  too much color, and the eye gets confused but too little and it is bored. The correct amount of fresh natural color stimulates the eye and stimulates the appetite. The amount of color varies with the type of cuisine or cooking method used. I try and always have no less than 5-6 colors on my plate of fresh natural looking color. Natural color appeals to the senses.

3. Visual Texture- The first is visual texture which is shiny, smooth, rough, wavy, dull, etc. 

4. Mouth feel texture, Is it crunchy, crisp, firm, soft, chewy, smooth etc.

5. Shape- A variety of shapes is just as important. They create appeal and interest.

6. The last is not visual but we will briefly discuss and pick up next class. In order to insure a successful plate, you must include flavor. There are many ways to use flavor some of the more common are; food pairing, food contrasting, or 6 base taste pairing. On the board there is a website that lets you explore some of the pairng options and we will do it as a class at a later date. Website www.foodpairng.be./

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