Food Presentation

							Food Presentation
Food Presentation is the art of modifying,
 processing, arranging, or decorating food to
 enhance its aesthetic appeal.
   The visual presentation of foods is often
    considered by chefs at many different stages
    of food preparation, from the manner of tying
    or sewing meats, to the type of cut used in
    chopping and slicing meats or vegetables, to
    the style of mold used in a poured dish. The
    food itself may be decorated as in elaborately
    iced cakes, drizzled with sauces, sprinkled
    with seeds, powders, or other toppings, or it
    may be accompanied by edible garnishes.
The arrangement and overall styling of food upon
  bringing it to the plate is termed plating. Some
  common styles of plating include a 'classic'
  arrangement of the main item in the front of the
  plate with vegetables or starches in the back, a
  'stacked' arrangement of the various items, or the
  main item leaning or 'shingled' upon a vegetable
  bed or side item. Item location on the plate is often
  referenced as for the face of a clock, with six o'clock
  the position closest to the diner.
Appealing to the Senses

When it comes to food presentation, one of the
 primary rules is to try to make it appeal to as
 many of our senses as possible. While it's
 difficult to get food to stimulate all five, some
 come close.
Feel:
   Include a variety of food with different
    textures that are sure to stimulate our tactile
    senses. In addition to juxtaposing food with
    contrasting textures, using borders and
    creating empty spaces on the plate add a
    depth of feeling to the food presentation.
Sight:
   Making the meal you prepared look visually
    appealing on its plate is closely related with
    creating a "feel" for your dish. While you'll
    want to incorporate a variety of food textures,
    you also want to play with colours that both
    complement and contrast each other.
Smell:
   Appealing to your guests' senses of smell
    has more to do with the flavours and types of
    food you choose rather than the arrangement
    of food on the plate. For optimal food
    presentation, when designing a dish
    (depending, of course, on the main
    ingredients and the types of food you
    choose), you'll have to decide whether you
    want the food to be mildly or overly fragrant.
Sound:
   Stimulating your guests' senses of sound is perhaps
    the hardest aspect to include in your food
    presentation. However, this doesn't mean that it is
    impossible. While few foods make noise on the
    plate, other food resonates as you eat or are about
    to eat them, such as crunching on a crispy cracker
    or cracking open a crab leg.

Do now: read the recipe for Heston Blumenthal’s
  dish ‘the sound of the sea’. Pretend you are a
  food writer and review this dish in maximum 300
  words.
Taste:
   Without a doubt, taste is the most important
    sense to stimulate in any food dish. Although
    taste is only fully engaged as you eat, food
    presentation that strongly appeals to the
    sense of smell begins to arouse the sense of
    taste in the food.
Most important
   Avoid inedible garnishes.
   Don't clutter the plate with too many sides or
    garnishes. This will detract from the flavours
    and visual appeal of your main dish.
   Edible garnishes should complement, not
    distract from, your food.
   Pay attention to the shapes of food. Cutting
    food into different widths and lengths can
    make your plate look more dynamic.
Think about your theme…
Present your food in a way that suits your
 theme
Egg: 1970’s – make tomato roses and shapes
 out of your food

Chinese – also suit having vegetable sculpture
Do Now…..
   In pairs scour food magazines and websites.
    Cut out or print any picture of food where the
    presentation appeals to you.
   Scrapbook it onto an A3 piece of paper
   Discuss with another pair why you chose the
    pictures you did, what exactly you like about
    the presentation
So what was umami?
   Umami, also referred to as savouriness, has been proposed as one of
    the basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the
    human and animal tongue. Umami (旨味) is a loanword from Japanese
    meaning "good flavour" or "good taste" . In English, however, "brothy",
    "meaty", or "savoury" have been proposed as alternative translations.
    Inasmuch as it describes the flavour common to savoury products such
    as meat, cheese, and mushrooms, umami is similar to Brillat-Savarin's
    concept of osmazome, an early attempt to describe the main flavouring
    component of meat as extracted in the process of making stock.
   The umami taste is due to the detection of the carboxylate anion of
    glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid common in meat,
    cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods. Salts of glutamic
    acid, known as glutamates, easily ionize to give the same carboxylate
    form and therefore the same taste. For this reason, they are used as
    flavour enhancers. The most commonly used of these is monosodium
    glutamate (MSG).