If a person has a business in the field of catering, then he knows that the rules for serving dishes and presentation are crucial to ensure that guests are happy with the restaurant. However, chefs often do not pay attention to design and are more concerned about the taste of their dishes.
People eat with their eyes, and the original and thoughtful presentation improves the appearance and taste of food. Focusing on design also allows chefs to showcase their creations to guests. Although there are no tough and binding laws when it comes to a “proper” presentation, there are several important concepts that you should remember when preparing and presenting the restaurant’s delicious culinary creations.
Design and rules for serving dishes
Before starting to cook, the cook should think about what kind of kitchen he represents. Does he create a hearty steak, a delicate side dish or a snack? You can’t start collecting the plate until all the tastes have been finalized, so it would be wise to prepare the ingredients before the process begins.
In addition, the cook should pay attention to serving sizes before starting to follow the rules for serving meals. To do this, you need to focus on the balance of proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables in order to cook the right food. Ultimately, neatly placed ingredients create art, but performance should never overshadow the taste.
In order to learn the rules for serving food, you need to follow some steps.
Choose the perfect plate
This action is the key to an attractive food presentation. Here are some points to consider.
Pick the right plate. One of the rules for serving food is to think of yourself as an artist, of a plate as a canvas, and of food as a paint.
Choose the right size. It is necessary to select a plate, making sure that it is large enough, the food should not fall out. But at the same time small so that the portions do not look too miniature.
Complementary color dishes. Plate tint also matters. White dishes are popular because they create high contrast and provide a neutral background for colorful creations. It is necessary to use empty space, thinking of the rim as a frame. And it’s also important to know the rule of the third to highlight the focal points of the dish. With regard to cooking, this postulate prescribes the placement of the main food on the left or right side of the plate, and not in the center.
Location of ingredients
Here are some of the most important aspects to consider when creating a dish:
- Hourly feed rule. When the chef begins to fill the plate with ingredients, he needs to present the dial. From a visitor’s point of view, protein should be between 3 and 9 hours, starch or carbohydrates should be between 9 and 12, and vegetables should be between 12 and 3.
- Wet ingredients as a base. Another practical rule for serving meals and snacks is to first cover the plate with liquid ingredients, as they tend to spread out if other products do not hold them. One way to fix wet ingredients is to put sliced meat or vegetables on them, for example.
- Serve an odd amount of food. If a dish has a small volume, such as shrimp, scallops or canapé snacks. Always give guests an odd amount. Seven Brussels sprouts instead of six create visual appeal, and the visitor’s brain will think that he has received more food.
- Do not overfill the plate. You need to make sure that the cook never overloads his canvas and makes it simple by focusing on one ingredient - usually protein. Finding a key component also ensures that related products play an additional, supportive role.
Pay attention to details
Rules for serving cold and hot dishes:
- Think about color and contrast. One of the best-kept secrets of a beautiful presentation is a close attention to detail. Although the focus will obviously focus on protein, it is important to consider how other elements of the dish create color and contrast. The chef can create a beautiful background for his plate by adding green vegetables or brightly colored fruits as accent points. In the same way, you should try to combine the components with complementary colors, as this will further increase the visual appeal of the dish.
- Create height on a plate. Another way to attract the attention of guests is to use the power of growth. Compact styling of ingredients is not as popular as 5-10 years ago, but creating a tall plate can significantly improve visual appeal. For example, you can put a steak on top of a polenta and lean the asparagus spears against it at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Use texture to enhance the dish. The contrast of smooth vegetable puree with crispy onion straws or steak with chopped blue cheese creates attractive combinations that are classic in an upscale kitchen.
Design and work with sauces
After the ingredients are laid out on a plate, you need to season all with delicious sauces. There are also special rules for serving hot dishes and sometimes cold ones. You need to not just carefully pour the sauce on a plate. Instead, you need to think of your bottle or spoon as a brush, and consider adding the taste-shading sauce as an artist’s brushstroke and remember that dressing should improve the plate.
One way to do this is to create accent points on one side of the dish (given the rule of thirds) or lightly sprinkle the main ingredients with the sauce so that guests get a little taste in each spoon.
Use jewelry purposefully
In the past, cooks casually threw a slice of cabbage and a slice of orange on each plate. However, these side dishes did not add anything exciting to the dish, and few even ate them first. Here are some examples of smart jewelry and how to use them:
- Choose edible ingredients. When the cook finishes cooking, you need to remember that all the ingredients must bind the dish and be edible. Ultimately, the decorations are designed to enhance and complement the tastes of the cook’s snacks, rather than distract them.
- Place side dishes purposefully. Decoration should never lie in a heap, in one corner of the plate. Instead, you should consider the entire dish thoughtfully to add color or texture. In addition, you should avoid using unappetizing decorations such as raw herbs, large pieces of citrus fruits and anything that has a strong smell. Finally, you need to fill the plate quickly so that the food remains hot.
It is worth noting that all these tips are also rules for serving sweet foods.
Table etiquette
Gourmet restaurants require much more attention to detail than just cafes and food delivery. Typical operating times include setting the right height for visitor tables, polishing appliances, and folding napkins in suitable shapes. The traditional menu and dinner design may involve the use of up to 20 items for one guest, and with so many plates, dishes and glasses, the question may arise, what and where to place it. General rule for serving food and drinks:
- Cutlery is installed outside, dinner plates inward, as this corresponds to the course of the meal.
Cookware Chart
Tables are almost always set for righties. Clockwise usually located:
- glasses for wine and water;
- spoons;
- knives
- plates with a napkin on top;
- forks for lunch;
- bread plate and butter knife;
- dessert spoon and fork.
Depending on the menu, additional items, such as cups and saucers, or special dishes, such as seafood appliances, can be placed.
Glasses should be located diagonally or square to the right of the plate and consist of glasses:
- for water;
- white wine;
- red wine;
- sparkling wine.
It is important to ensure that the countertop is symmetrical to create an aesthetically pleasing backdrop for customers. Until employees remember where to place plates, napkins, and appliances, you can use a ruler to measure the distance between the edge of the table and dishes to ensure their consistency in design.
Tip 1: you should always check that wrinkles and spots are not visible on the tablecloth, and the seams are facing down.
Tip 2: when laying the table, you need to keep the pricking and cutlery in the middle to minimize the appearance of fingerprints.
Serving Rules: Quality Requirements
Most upscale dinners will include 5 menu items: two appetizers, soup, salad and dessert. Many restaurants practice the service method from the open side, which means that the waiter’s hands should never cross in front of the guest, and food is always served on the left side of the visitor. Plates must be rotated during laying so that the protein of the dish is facing the person.
Wine service for dinner
Tip: when serving drinks, you should never hold the glass by the cup, always by the stem. The liquid will stay colder longer if heat from the hand is not transferred to the glass. Be sure to use a tissue napkin when pouring wine to wipe off excess drops from the neck of the bottle.
Table cleaning
There are some generally accepted gestures and signals that let you know when the meal ends with guests of the restaurant. Napkins will be laid back on the table, and the devices are placed in an upright position over the visitor's dinner plate. If customers need to get up to use the toilet or make a phone call, a napkin is placed on a chair. This is a sign that the meal is not finished yet.
When eating food with several dishes, empty glasses and plates should be cleaned before the next menu item arrives.
Important tips to remember:
- Ladies are always served first.
- You should never eat, drink or chew in front of guests.
- It is always necessary to demonstrate correct posture - do not stoop, do not cross your arms and do not leave them in your pockets.
- Use employee inputs and outputs only during official functions.
- Do not engage in informal conversations with guests.