I don't know about you but, I eat with my eyes!

The old saying is true, before we ever take a bite (or sometimes even a whiff) of anything we look at it. The idea of presentation is the subject here and it is everything! When you dine in any restaurant or diner and order any food - it is always presented to the eater in the best possible way! An egg sandwich on a roll may be cut in half with the inside of the sandwich facing outwards on both sides, why? The burger and fries are served with tomato, lettuce, pickle, and coleslaw. Why? Does the server care that you eat your veggies or is it for presentation?

At home we can do this too. Although we are not driving for a big "tip" from son or daughter, the effect can be the same. We eat with our eyes first!! A simple sandwich takes on a whole new dimension when piled high with lettuce, or with a few added carrot chips, potato chips, or salad on the same dish. Make your food as well as it can possibly be, but present it with this added flair and see the difference this makes!!

Plating and food presentation play a huge role in how we experience food. When a plate of food is put in front of me the first thing I always do is look at it. At this point I’m already calculating if I’m going to enjoy the dish. Just by looking at the plate I can predict if I’m going to have a scrumptious eating adventure or a blah eating experience. Next I take a big whiff, and then that first exciting bite. Now granted sometimes I’m wrong and the gray mush on my plate actually tastes yummy or the beautifully decorated plate of food is too salty or lacks exciting flavors but more often than not that first look is spot on! A well designed plate leads to a delicious meal!

So if plating and presentation is so crucial in our experience with food, you’re probably wondering what types of things you could do to make your plates look delicious? When you cook you can experiment with tastes, flavours, textures, color you can practically play around with all the ingredients in a recipe until you create a signature dish. When cooking there are no rules, you create the rules. But there are some guidelines to follow to ensure you create something memorable and here is what I use in my kitchen.

Tips to making your plates look great: 

• Use different textures: Texture of a food will determine how enjoyable the meal is……. or not. Have you ever eaten ice cream and instead of being smooth and creamy it turned out grainy ,that was your mouth feeling the texture of that brand of ice cream which is created by ice crystals.Or if you take porridge and it turns out lumpy,or meat that turns out chewy after cooking that all texture. Use a variety of different visual textures. Pair foods with smoother textures (sauces, glazes, etc.) with foods that have coarser textures (mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.).

•  Nutritional balance: My number one rule is balance,you need to create balance ,nutritional balance of the meals you are preparing. Ensure your meals are nutritionally balanced,they cover all the food groups.And in case you have forgotten,there needs to be some carbohydrates,some proteins and lots of vegetables and a slice of fruit. This will ensure you are giving your body what it needs. To get an idea of how your portions should be like, refer to my post on portion control here. 

• Use shapes & proportions appropriately: The “main” food component should be the largest piece of food on the plate, the accompanying side dishes and garnish should complement, not overwhelm the main course. 

• Flavor: Of course you need to provide interesting flavours with your meals,do not make them bland. Mother nature has been generous enough to provide us with herbs ,spices and a variety of other foods that mixed and matched will make all your meals memorable. Find flavors that go well together and create memorable meals. Tease the taste buds of the people you are preparing the meal for,take them to heaven and back! 

• Use Color: Plated food should have balanced, contrasting colors. So spice up that Mac and cheese with a little paprika on top or parsley on the side.  Any meal should appeal to the eyes first,no one likes a plain-looking plate. Let us imagine for a moment you had a plate in front of you that was all one color,not appetizing is it? Create color by including more vegetables on your plate,especially the red,orange,yellow ,green varieties.All great for you in every imaginable way. Don't you think its amazing that all the good foods (fruits and vegetables)all come in bright sunshiny colors,reason is so that you can eat more of them. Make food so colorful the minute people lay their eyes on it ,they want to grab their forks, spoons, knives and just dig in. 

• Arrangement: Plated foods should have a natural “focal point”—the spot that first draws your attention when you look at the dish. Though how a meal is plated may not be something you worry about too much,you do not want a meal that is thrown all together haphazardly. Where the rice beans and vegetables all look like a jumbled mess.You want to be able to pick out the components of a meal without feeling like you are going through a haystack. 

I hope this helps you guys some. Feel free to make comments or suggestions. As always in parting I say" Let's Eat!"