The Food Plating Mistake Too Many People Make

When you've patiently waited for food to finish cooking with a grumbling stomach, the last thing on your mind is plating it correctly. That sentiment might change, of course, when hosting dinner guests, when you want to put a bit more effort into how the food looks. If you don't have much experience plating food, don't fret — you don't need to come up with a mind-boggling, eclectic presentation. There are just a few simple dos and don'ts of food plating to keep in mind.

To get the inside scoop, Chowhound spoke exclusively to two food professionals from HelloFresh, which recently did a "ReFresh" of its menus: senior culinary manager Michelle Doll Olson and recipe developer Marina Schulze. Doll Olson starts with a solid piece of advice, saying, "Food plopped down in piles is never very exciting. I love to plate my proteins half on/half off of the accompanying starch." For example, rather than just a pile of steamed white rice and grilled tofu each set on one half of the plate, you could shape the rice into a molded ball and balance the tofu strips on half the rice. The flavors can benefit from this plating, too. As Doll Olson explains, "The mashed potatoes or rice can get any sauce that runs off giving it a great flavor and not just creating a puddle."

Overlooking small details like plating is a common dinner party mistake. Schulze echoes the sentiment of serving foods intentionally, especially with condiments and sauces. Even for simple foods, like chicken fingers and fries, she says to make it clear which dipping sauce goes with each.

Sauces are an easy way to make a plate look more restaurant-style with little effort. Marina Schulze told Chowhound, "Playing around with sauces is a great way to get creative with plating. Giving the plate a swipe, pool, or smear of the sauce on the bottom of whatever you're serving can make it feel fancy." This idea can be applied to various courses, including the starter, entree, and dessert. 

Say you have homemade hummus and vegetables for the appetizers — the hummus doesn't need to be dropped as a lump on the serving plate, but rather could be spread smoothly into a crescent shape, with the vegetable spears arranged neatly around it. For dessert, rather than drizzling berry coulis on top of a cake slice, add some delicate dots around the plate.

It's a misconception that you need fancy dishware or specialty tools to create a visually pleasing dish. In fact, you can mix and match plateware for a cool aesthetic, and something as simple as using a petite plate can improve the look of a dish. If you're serving food as pieces, like spring rolls, cauliflower wings, or dumplings, an odd number looks more aesthetically pleasing. Try contrasting both colors and textures; a smooth soup could use toasted seeds or a sprinkle of feta. A baked potato looks so much more appealing when bright green herbs are generously sprinkled on top, and pomegranate seeds bring an unexpected pop of color to basic green salads.