Food Styling and Design

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
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College of Industrial Technology

Bambang Campus
DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

PROGRAM Hospitality NO.
Management
SPECIALIZATION COURSE
TITLE
YEAR LEVEL TIME WK 1 IM NO. 1
FRAME NO.
I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

HISTORY OF FOOD PRESENTATION
II. LESSON TITLES
1. History of food presentation
2. The basics food plating
3. Elements of Food Plating
III. LESSON OVERVIEW
Overview
In this lesson, you will have an understanding on the history of food presentation, the
basics of food presentation, how to plate like a chef and other techniques on plating and
identify the different plating tools.
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to;
1. Discuss the origins of food presentation
2. Discuss the elements of food plating
3. Explain the classical plating techniques
V. LESSON CONTENT
Historically, food presentation has been used to demonstrate riches and status. Rather
than emphasizing the flavors of a dish, such displays frequently emphasize the complexities of
its composition.
Example; according to ancient texts, hosts of Roman banquets added precious metals
and minerals to food to improve its visual appeal. Aristocrats in the Middle Ages also staged
feasts with sculpted delicacies and live animal performance. These feasts were held to display
the hosts culture and wealth, and were thus linked to social class. Contemporary culinary
aesthetics, such as nouvelle cuisine, and Japanese bento boxes, represents the chef’s
autonomy. Dishes frequently include both simple and sophisticated designs. Some schools of
thought, such as French nouvelle cuisine, place a minimalism, while others focus on creativity.
The art of changing, processing, arranging, or decorating food to improve its aesthetic
appeal is known as food presentation. Chefs consider the visual presentation of meals at many
various phases of food preparation, from the way meats are tied or sewn, to the type of cut
used in chopping and slicing meats or vegetables, to the type of mold used in a poured dish.
The meal may be garnished with edible or inedible garnishes, as non-beautifully frosted cakes,
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topped wit ormate often sculptural consumables, drizzled with sauces, sprinkled with seeds,
powders, or other toppings, or dizzled with sauces.
HISTORICALLY OF FOOD PREPARATION
1. Ancient Rome. Banquets were important social gatherings that were typically held in private
homes for friends and clients. A private banquet’s main goal was to provide entertainment, nt
only through live performances but also through the presentation of the cuisine. The dinner
was divided into three parts;
a. Appetizer
b. Main entrée
c. Dessert
All of which were served in elaborate rituals. At extremely opulent events, for example, the
main course was occasionally served to the sound of trumpets. Wild game, such as pheasant
and boar, as well as specific types of fish and wild fruit, were highly appreciated, owing to their
rarity and high cost. Emperor Claudius is said to have added broken pearls to wine flecks of
gold to peas merely to boost their expenses, according to certain ancient sources. Other recall
seeing live creatures.
2. Medieval Europe. Food was also used to entertain and impress medieval aristocrats. Banquets
were often large feasts with a variety of dishes. The wealthy and powerful were to be served
beautiful and sophisticated foods, while the poor were to be served basic food, mainly scraps.
Banquets like these not only entertained visitors, but also demonstrated the host’s affluence.
The patron, in particular, occasionally commissioned artists to build intricate food sculptures to
awe and inspire. Pies or cakes meant to evacuate live birds when sliced open as well as
rainbow jellies layered together and tinted with spices and vegetable materials, were particular
favorites.
3. Contemporary. Similarly, contemporary food reflects both individual and societal aesthetic
preferences. Unlike in the past, when gastronomy was inextricably linked to wealth and social
standing, today’s cuisine is far less class-based. The dissolution of highbrow and lowbrow
cuisines has made a variety of foods more accessible. Now, a hamburger can be found in a
five-star restaurant and exotic cuisines can be found on street corners. As a result, current
meal presentation is influenced by modern aesthetics and inventiveness rather than
demonstrations of riches and power.
4. France. Nouvelle cuisine is a school of French cooking that favors simple presentation and
high-quality ingredients over showy displays of food. This method of cooking transforms the
chef from a professional worker to an invention and artists, in contrasts to historical cooks who
followed diners demands. The nouvelle cuisine aesthetics stresses minimalism, with fewer
courses and uncomplicated plating. Chefs were exceedingly inventive in their recipe creation
and plating.
5. Japan. A bento box is a portable Japanese lunch that traditionally consist of rice, meat or fish,
and veggies. A considerable emphasis is placed on the aesthetic arrangement of the food in
both Japan and United States. There have even been competitions to see who can come up
with the most unique way of making bento boxes, allowing amateur chefs and common people
to express their ingenuity. Bento boxes are sometimes used to create sculptural patterns, such
as rice shaped like animals. People react differently to numerous aesthetic principles such as
color, composition (including the number of components, positioning of components, and use
of negative space), design, and the organization of a space, according to science.
THE BASICS OF FOOD PLATING
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Food plating is about the presentation of food to increase desire and impress your diners.
ELEMENTS OF FOOD PLATING

1. Create a Framework. Start with drawings and sketches to visualize the plate. Find
inspiration from a picture or object. Assemble a practice plate to work on executing your
vision.
2. Keep it simple. Select one ingredient to focus on and use space to simplify the
presentation. Clutter distracts from the main elements of your dish and might confuse the
diners on what to focus on.
3. Balance the dish. Play with colors, shapes and textures to ensure diners are not
overwhelmed. The presentation should never overpower flavor and function.
4. Get the right portion size. Ensure there is the right amount of ingredients and the plate
complements the dish, not too big or too small. Strike the right proportion of protein,
carbohydrates and vegetables to create a nutritionally balanced meal.
5. Highlight the key Ingredient. Ensure the main ingredient stands out and pay equal attention
to support. This refers to the other elements on the plate such as garnishes, sauces and
even the plate itself.
CLASSICAL PLATING
The classical plating technique uses the three basic food items of starch, vegetables, and main
in a specific arrangement. A simple guide to a classical plating is to think of the plate as the face of a
clock.
1. Main: between 3 to 9 o clock
2. Starch: Between 9-11 o clock
3. Vegetables: between 11 to 3 o clock.
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Bambang Campus

Management
TITLE
FRAME NO.

THE PLATE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF MEAL, ITS COLOR AND SHAPE ON THE
ASPECTS OF PLATEWARE.
II. LESSON TITLES
1. Plating Techniques
2. Plate Presentation Techniques
3. Food Arrangement Technique
4. Visual Plating Techniques
5. Sauce Plating Techniques
6. Garnishing Techniques
7. How to plate Food
Overview
Conceptualize plating as an art form; you are the artist; the plate is your canvas, and the
food is your medium. Master the following plating techniques to perfect your craft.
1. Demonstrate plating techniques
2. Identify the different plating tools
V. LESSON CONTENT
1. Plate Presentation Techniques. The first stage in the food presentation procedure is to
choose the correct dish for your meal. If you’re looking for the perfect dish for your meal
presentation, consider the following;
1. Plate size. Your plate should be large enough to let your food stand out while also being
small enough to avoid your quantities appearing little.
2. Light vs. dark plates. To make your meal stand out, use light and dark plates. The
popularity of white plates stems from the fact that they provide a neutral backdrop for
brilliantly colorful dishes. Light-colored meals, such as whitefish or creamy polenta, look
great on dark plates.
3. Plate color. The color of your plate can either increase or suppress your appetite. Because
red stimulates the appetite, offering appetizers on red plates encourages people to order
substantial entrees and sweets. Professional platers, on the other hand, usually find blue
dinnerware unappealing because there are few naturally occurring blue meals.
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4. Restaurant style. If you run a fine dining business, classical plating styles will go well with
classic china plates. Unique dishes with unusual forms should be purchased by a
fashionable gastro pub to allow for maximum plating innovation.
2. Food Arrangement Techniques. How you arrange your food determines your meal’s aesthetic
tone, structural integrity, and flavor dispersion. Here are few of the most important food
arrangement techniques.
1. The rule of thirds. In cookery, the rule of thirds dictates that the focal point of your meal be
placed on the left or right side of the plate, rather than in the middle. Consider the rim as
your frame, and the use white space to draw attention to the focal point of your plate.
2. View your plate as a clock. As you plate your components, imagine the face of clock. From
the perspective of the diner, your protein should be between 3-9, your starch or
carbohydrate should be between 9-12, and your vegetable should be between 12 and 3.
3. Don’t Overcrowd your plate. Keep it simple by concentrating on just one component usually
the protein. Having a focal point allows you to arrange the rest of your objects to
compliment it.
4. Moist Ingredients First. Place moist ingredients on the bottom of the plate to prevent them
from running. Sliced meat, for example, can be angled against mashed veggies.
5. Create flavor bites. Flavor bites are forkfuls of food that mix all of your serve dish’s
elements into an single bite. Flavor bites are crucial to good plating because they appeal to
both the eyes and the palate.
6. Mix textures. Adding crisp onion straws to a silky vegetable puree or crumbled blue cheese
to a steak creates enticing texture contrast that are classic in high-end cuisine.
3. Visual Plating Techniques. Maximizing the visual elements of your meal is a key plating
technique. While your arrangement develops around your protein, manipulating the colors and
sizes of the other elements on your plate enhances your focal point and creates a gourmet
presentation.
1. Serve odd quantities. If you’re serving small foods like shrimp, scallops, or bite-sized
appetizers, always give guests odd quantities. For example, serving seven brussels sprouts
instead of six enhances visual appeal, and diners will feel they’re getting more food.
2. Color Diversity. Colorful dishes build the expectation of a flavorfully complex meal before
your patrons take their first bite. Add green vegetables or brightly colored fruits that contrast
with your local point.
3. Monochromatic meals. Plating color-coded items together visually builds the expectation
that the dish only offers one flavor. When the plate receives multiple textures and flavors
instead, it surprises the taste buds, causing them to engage with the dish more.
4. Add height to your plate. Visually stimulate your guests by building height. While compactly
stacking ingredients isn’t popular as it was 5-10 years ago, building layers of food for
guests to explore offers an exciting experience.
5. Create Visual Balance. Balance your plate’s landscape by leaning long, flat items against
taller elements (ex: leaning asparagus spears at a 45-degree angle across a stack of lamb
lollipops).
4. Sauce Plating Techniques. With your principal ingredients plated, you’re ready to top your dish
with delicious sauces that enhance your food presentation. Think of your squeeze bottle or
spoon as your paintbrush, and edge as a medium. Once you’re done adding your sauce, make
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sure you wipe down the edge of your plate with a towel so no drippings distract from your
presentation. We explain some of the simplest, most fail-proof sauce plating techniques below.
1. Smeared sauce. Fill a squeeze bottle with your sauce. Squeeze a thick layer of sauce in a
large filled-in circle on your plate. Take a spoon or plating wedge and dip into the middle of
the sauce where it’s thickest. Quickly pull the sauce across your plate.
2. Accent dots. Fill a squeeze bottle with your desired sauce. Analyze your plate from the
perspective of the rule of thirds, then add accent dots. Use multiple sauces to create more
color contrast.
3. Smeared accent dots. Alternate between two sauce accent dots in a curved line along the
side of your plate. Then, take a small plating wedge and place it at the center of the first
accent dot in your row. Drag the plating wedge through the accent dots, creating a
multicolored, single-sided edge.
4. Swirled sauce. Fill a squeeze bottle with desired sauce. Place your plate atop a cake turn
table. Point your squeeze bottle face down at the center of the plate. Spin your stand while
simultaneously squeezing your bottle. Adjust your wrist to vary your swirled design. You
can use multiple sauces to create more visual contrast.
5. Garnishing Techniques. In the past, chefs casually threw a piece of kale and an orange slice
onto every plate. However, these garnishes added nothing exciting to the dish, and few guests ate
them. Modern garnishes pair thoughtfully with the meal to create flavor bites. Follow these garnishing
techniques and guidelines to master the last step of food presentation.
1. Edible Garnishes. As you finish plating, remember that garnishes should always be edible and
enhance the dish. To determine whether a garnish belongs, ask yourself whether you would want it
consumed in the same bite as the meal it accompanies.
2. Intentional Placement. Never heap garnishes in one corner of the plate. Instead, disperse them
thoughtfully to add color or texture. For example, place crispy carrots shoestrings atop a delicate filet
of fish nested in a curry sauce and decorate the plate with pomegranate seeds.
3. Less is more. Never clutter your plate for the sake of a garnish. If your plate is full, opt. for a
drizzle of flavor-infused vinegar or oil to enhance the taste and appearance of your dish without
overcrowding your plate.
4. garnishes to avoid. Avoid using unappetizing garnishes like raw herbs, large chunks of citrus, and
anything with a strong odor. Also, avoid garnishes that take a long time to apply.
How to Plate Food

There are three popular styles of plating.
1. Classic plating
2. Free form plating
3. Landscape.
Mastering each style will create meals worth photographing. We provide ideas on how to plate in
each style below using: filet mignon, potato puree, carrots, a demi-glace, a pea puree, a lima bean
and pea blend, thyme, and fried leeks.
1. Classic Plating
a. Pipe the potato puree onto the plate using a pastry bag.
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b. Place the carrots next to the puree using precision tongs.

c. Garnish the carrots with thyme using precision tongs.
d. Plate the steak using precision tongs
e. Garnish the steak with fried leeks using precision tongs.
f. Drizzle the demi-place around the plate using a spouted saucier.
g. Wipe the edges of the plate with a clean towel.
h. Finished classic plate.
2. Free Form Plating

a. Pipe dots of potato puree onto the plate using a pastry bag.
b. Slice the steak into three pieces using chef’s knife
c. Plate the pieces of steak using precision tongs
d. Place the lima bean and pea blend around the plate using a spoon
e. Plate the carrots using precision tongs
f. Place dots of pea puree around the plate using a large squeeze bottle.
g. Place dots of the demi-glace around the plate using a small squeeze bottle.
h. Garnish the plate with fried leeks using precision tongs.
i. Wipe the edges of the plate with a clean towel
j. Finished free form plate.
3. Landscape Plating
a. Place dots of pea puree around the plate using a large squeeze bottle.
b. Paint the pea puree onto the plate using a brush
c. Pipe the potato puree onto the plate using a pastry bag
d. Plate the carrots using precision tongs.
e. Lean the steak against the puree and carrots using precision tongs
f. Place the lima bean and pea blend around the plate using a spoon.
g. Drizzle the demi-glace around the plate using a spouted saucer.
h. Garnish the steak with fried leeks using precision tongs
i. Wipe the edges of the plate with a clean towel.
j. Finished landscape plate
Plating Tools. Having professional tools is essential for commercial plating. We’ve rounded up the
foundational items you need to create restaurant-quality food presentations.
1. Decorating brushes. An aid in detailed line work and broad sauce strokes. You can also use
decorating brushes to create a puree or coulis base for meats or vegetables.
2. Garnishing kits. This is come with everything you need to garnish your signature dishes,
including plating wedges, tongs, squeeze bottles, and brushes.
3. Molds. Keeps plates clean and increase visual appeal by cutting ingredients to specific shapes
and sizes. Ring models help you develop height and structure when stacking ingredients.
4. Precision tongs. Help you place garnishes or small, delicate items. Many tongs feature micro-
serrations for improved grip and stability.
5. Plating wedges. Comes pre-cut with flat, round, or pointed edges and are perfect or smearing
soft ingredients and creating sauce designs.
6. Shavers. Allow you to top your dishes with shaved or grated chocolate, hard cheese, or soft
vegetables.
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7. Plating spoons in varying sizes are essential to the art of food presentation. Saucier spoons
help you drag sauce across your plate and slotted spoons quickly separate solids from liquids.
8. Squeeze bottles help you apply sauce and aioli to your finished plate. Many come with
adjustable precision control tips.
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Bambang Campus

Management
TITLE
FRAME NO.

THE FOOD
II. LESSON TITLES
1. Perceiving Flavors
2. Colors of food
3. Customer Satisfaction Begins with Sight
4. How Color of the plate affects your food presentation
5. Complimentary vs. Complimentary Colors
6. What Works with different Colored Foods and Why?
Overview:
In this lesson, you will have a better understanding how to perceived on food presentation,
the importance of color combination of food, how foods complement each other.
1. Prescribe the different flavors that compliments food preferences.
2. Identify colors of food for customer satisfaction
V. LESSON CONTENT
PERCEIVING FLAVORS. A flavor turns out to be one of the most-multi-sensory of our
everyday experiences. Have you ever wondered what happens in our brain while we’re
eating? Understanding how diners experience flavor is an area that has seen a rapid
growth of interest from scientist over the last few years. In fact, cognitive neuroscience
approaches are increasingly coming to complement the traditional techniques of food
science in the design of great-tasting dishes. The scientist has certainly made such
progress in terms of understanding the mechanisms underlying multisensory flavor
perception. According to the International Standards organization ISO 5492, 2008), flavor
can be defined as a “Complex combination of the olfactory, gustatory, and trigeminal
sensations perceived during tasting. The flavor maybe influenced by tactile, thermal, painful
and or kinesthetic effects. That is the experts would have us believe that taste, smell,
trigeminal and oral-somatosensory cues are the only senses that contribute directly to the
perception of flavor.
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Flavor is paramount in an individual’s development of likes and dislikes towards food

products. Flavors are characterized by the presence of top, middle and base notes. The
crisp, sharp, effervescent and noticeable aromas that you notice first are top notes.
Fruity aromas such as citrus, berry, pear make up the top notes. Binding the top notes
with the base notes are the middle or heart notes that appear after the burst of the top
notes. The warm, soft floral aromas or the mild spicy scents of lemongrass and nutmeg
give body to the final flavor. Base notes linger long after the top and middle notes
disappear. These heavy, intense and long-lasting aromas typically found in spices such as
clove, ginger, cinnamon is known for their long-term bouquet in a product.
Flavor consists of taste and odor and thereby involves gustatory and olfactory
responses. Taste is defined by five descriptions namely sweet, salty, sour and umami and
its reception involves interaction with taste buds on the tongue. Different regions of the
tongue detect different taste sensations, such as the tip of the tongue recognizes sweet
taste while the back detects bitterness. Odor, on the other hand, is the result of flavor
volatiles entering the nose either through orthoasal (sniff) or retronasal (mouth) routes and
then binding olfactory receptors in the nasal epithelium.
COLORS OF FOOD
The color of the food itself is very important. However, the color of a plate it is served on
also has a huge impact on how we perceive a meal. In this article, we will take a look at
how different colors can affect the presentation of your food and how to best complement
your cuisine with color.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BEGINS WITH SIGHT

During a training class for foodservice professionals on dinnerware, we conducted an
experiment that showed the visual importance of plating. Small desserts were equally
divided on plates that either harmonized or distracted from the dessert. The plates were
mixed up and placed around the room.
During a meeting break, the group of foodservice professionals were told to grab a
dessert as a mid-day pick me up. What they didn’t know was that were paying attention to
what they chose. Not only did the majority grab the dessert on the harmonizing dinnerware,
some went s we explained the experiment and the results.
Overall, the experiment showed that there is more to creating satisfaction for your
customers that just delivering a quality meal. All of our senses play a part in how we
perceive food. Our perception begins with sight and is affected by all sensory attributes
such as smell, touch, texture, and mouth feel, all of which are part of the overall
presentation of your culinary creation.
HOW COLOR OF THE PLATE AFFECTS YOUR FOOD PRESENTATION

White is a top choice for many chefs for framing their culinary creations because almost
every color of food looks good on white. The colors of the food seem more vibrant and the
food looks more appealing. It can be a perfect frame for any style of food.
That being said, white dinnerware can also be blasé. Utilizing different shapes and
textures of white tableware can help enhance your presentation and engage new senses.
Lately, we started to notice that more and more culinary professionals choose color
dinnerware to add an extra pizazz to their tabletop presentations. Some play with mixing a
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few different colors on the same tabletop, and even mixing different textures and materials
is becoming more acceptable within the foodservice industry.
COMPLIMENTARY VS. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

If you are looking for a harmonious effect, one trick is to stick to colors that touch each
other on the color wheel. These will be complimentary colors instead of contrasting colors.
Don’t be afraid to play with complementary colors; that is, colors that are on the opposite
side of the color wheel (i.e. red and green, orange and blue, yellow and purple). These
colors do not just complement each other, but rather enhance or accentuate each other by
creating a contrast.
For example, when you are serving meatballs with red sauce, don’t be afraid to choose
green dinnerware. On the contrary, green salad in a red bowl will draw your guests’ eye
and create a stronger presentation.
WHAT WORKS WITH DIFFERENT COLORED FOODS AND WHY?

Keep in mind that we associate color to emotions and feeling. Gold, maroons, and
browns are comforting, rich and warm; greens are vital and fresh; reds and oranges are
powerful and intense.
In order to help, we have put together a quick reference on what works with different
colored foods and why.
Beige or neutral food: chicken, potatoes, cream-based pasta
Since it is easy for these items to look bland, bring contrast to your platting while keeping
the same temperature tone, i.e. cool or warm. Black or brown would offer a perfect contrast
while keeping the same warm temperature tone.
Red: beef, marinara or red-based sauces, tomatoes, beets.
Red is a dramatic color and comes in a wide range of shades. Red can also both warm and
cool. Because of this, white is the perfect choice for framing your creation. Put it on a green
background for an extra vivid look.
Orange ad Yellow: Curried dishes, eggs, and corn.
Both are warm colors and a contrasting color in the same temperature can add drama. A
bright warm blue will benefit both yellow and orange. Just make sure to keep the
temperature tone warm. A cool blue could cause disharmony.
Green: pesto, salad, guacamole and etc.
Green is a combination of yellow and blue. Since yellow and green are both warm tones
and share pigment, they will harmonize well together allowing the freshness of the food to
remain in balance.
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Bambang Campus

Management
TITLE
FRAME NO.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
II. LESSON TITLES
1. Design on plates
2. Elements of design
3. Plating design
in this lesson you will an understanding of how chefs and cooks use ingredients and their
skills to create a successful plate presentation. This lesson considers plate presentation as
a design process and examines some universal design terms and concepts.
1. Discuss that design is a process and not a thing
2. Identify the principles of design
3. Create and Present of art plate of presentation using the elements of designs
4. Observe working habits.
V. LESSON CONTENT
Design is a process not a thing. It is a process of answering question to create a solution.
Culinary design is a method of investigation that is a relationship between the ingredients and
the skills of the chef or cook. The solution that we are trying to achieve is a successful plate
presentation.
Remember, in order to create successful plates, a cook or a chef must first have an
automatic response to fundamental cooking process and a developed recall of previous flavor
affinities.
Of all the work that we do, the art of plate presentation is one of the most intriguing.
Creating a visually stunning “picture on the plate” and hearing “wow! That’s beautiful brings a
great sense of creative satisfaction so long as the next comment is “it tastes even better than it
looks! Visual beauty without fantastic flavor is garbage.
Design on plates happen on two levels:

1. Flavor
2. Presentation
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Elements of Design
The elements of design are concepts used to organize and arrange the structure visual
elements of design. Principle is something that can be performed with elements to produce
visual appeal or effects. For example, color and value are two different elements that describe
cause and effect or give life to things. They physical characteristics of products, such as paint
or food ingredients, are elements of design. Design elements can also be created by the way
products are manipulated or assembled.
The ability to organize the various aspects of an image in such a way that the finished
shot reflects what you want to tell is the art of composition. Although you may already know
how to arrange items so that they “look correct” studying these design principles will help you
better learn how to communicate with your audience and create the picture you want.
1. Color
Color wheels have long been used to depict color relationships. The color wheel, often
known as a chart, organizes the phenomenon of light colors. Color dimensions or qualities
include value and chrome (saturation). Color value relates to the lightness or darkness of a
color, whereas color brightness or dullness refers to the brightness or dullness of the color.
The term color and hue are interchangeable. The most basic color wheels are based on a red,
blue and yellow triangle. In the color wheel, there are various shades between the colors.
Analogous colors are color hues that are next to each other. The bark of trees with numerous
hues of brown is an example of this type of color combination. When gray is mixed with one of
the color wheels hues, the result is known as a tone. Colors that are opposite each other are
called complementary colors. These combinations are often used for holiday themes; they can
be seen in nature in such things as a purple flower with yellow stamen.
Ingredients natural colors come in a variety of shades. Artificial colors should never be
used in a savory kitchen. It is commonly assumed that colors on a dish should be varied;
however, this is not always the case. Salads, for example, can look gorgeous in all shades of
brown-tan, golden, and chocolates-but they’re often awful. Plates with all-one-color tones or
tints of similar colors demand a higher level of conceptual depth than plates with a diversity of
colors to be successful. The service ware and course before and after the tone plate must
convey that this was a global application. As result beginner colorists are encouraged ti used a
variety of hues on a single plate.
Colors often suggest flavor; for example, a red might make a person think that a desert is
strawberry or cherry. Flavor, remember, is critical consideration for a cook; if you are adding
something to a plate because of color, you are probably not working in the best possible way.
Yet, interesting results can be achieved through the association of color and flavor that is
unexpected.
2. Texture or Pattern. This element of design deals with the degree of how an object feels like
roughness, smoothness, bumpy, gooey, sharp, or how it looks like that adds interests into
the sense of sight and sense of touch involved.
Texture is a quality that exists in everything. Texture can run throughout a substance or be
used to simplify a surface aspect, such as when the interior is textured differently. The sight of
an object is known as visual texture, whereas the feel or an object is known as tactile texture.
Temperature, wetness, and form all have an effect on the texture of things. These chemical
changes in foods are investigated by food science. Heat causes proteins to coagulate;
emulsified fats provide smoothness; and varying concentrations of sugars can transform from
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syrup to brittle when heated. Many of these things are learned through practice rather than
scientific experimentation by cook. In culinary creations, texture is a major factor. Texture can
be utilized to produce forms, lines, and patterns in culinary design.
3. Shape, Form or Line. Organic shapes, such as those seen in nature or geometric shapes,
such as circles and squares, such as those found in buildings and products, are both
possible. When a shape is three-dimensional, it becomes a form. These are organic
shapes when a chef cuts vegetable into varied shapes, such as round slices or julienne.
These are formed veggies if the chef purees the cooked vegetables and presses them into
a mold to be turned out on the platter. Chefs have valued organic, geometric, and shaped
foods differently depending on the style they are working in as evidenced by the Frames
and styles of Professional Cuisine.
To hold together in a mold, formed ingredients should never sacrifice the best eating
texture. Similarly, components should not be sliced in a way that minimizes their natural
quality; chopping beef against the grain, for example, will increase its hardness. When
cutting or molding ingredients, care must be taken to ensure that the natural products value
is not decreased. Consider a newborn lamb rack, which is sometimes prepared as
Frenched chops to highlight the racks inherent shaped. Instead, removing the meat off the
bone and cutting it into cubes would devalue this premium cut. To put it another way, if
you’re using a costly or distinctive ingredient, think twice about pureeing or cutting it in such
a way that its natural form is gone.
A line in art and design has no depth; it just has breath and length. Culinary lines are
generally always multi-layered. In a composition, lines guide the eye. In culinary lines are
the way items or dishes are organized can generate a line; on a buffet platter, neat curves
and straight lines are crucial or a nice presentation. Line are more commonly generated on
plates with sauces since there aren’t enough items or dishes to create lines in the plates
limited space, though lines can also be created in plate designs, such as when a chef
spreads out sliced item. A culinary lines most significant feature is that it is “clean” which
means that there are no inadvertent rough edges or hitches in the slicing or positioning of
food, and that sauces are flowing down without smudges or unintentional drops.
4. Space or height. The plate’s boundaries define the culinary space. Spatial concerns include
thinking about how full a plate is or the space between dishes or items on a platter.
Customers often fill plates to the rim at buffets, yet empty spaces, often known as negative
space, are necessary in plate presentations. The empty areas add to the value of the food
on display. Almost every item or dish displayed on a plate has a dimension that rises from
the flat surface in culinary compositions. A lamb chop placed down has dimension off the
plate, but it is not considered to add height; instead, if you lean this lamb chop against a
mound of potatoes so that the tip of the bone points up, the chop would be deemed to add
height.
What is the focus of food of the plate design?
A delicious meal appeals to your senses than just smell and taste. It must also appeal to
the eye. The focus food leads to the choices concerning sauce and accompanying dishes or
ingredients that are perfectly plated dish can upgrade your meal immensely. Though the
strategic placing of ingredients, you will automatically view the meal as a high-value.
Take note that focus food plated design are more likely to enjoy the taste and hold a
higher opinion of the meal. Plating the perfect dish is both an art and a science. Chefs and
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cooking enthusiasts must explore their creativity and play with color and texture while placing
foods to create a visual appeal.
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PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
II. LESSON TITLES
1. Principles of Design
a. Balance
b. Scale and Proportion
c. Visual Weight
d. Patterns
e. Arrangements and Balance
f. Unity
g. Variety
In this lesson you will learn about the definition and significance of design principles. This
collection of graphic aids might assist you in creating a well-organized structure for
delivering a clear message. Art and several design sub-disciplines use these ideas as well.
Along with definitions, we’ll show you some instances of design principles to help you
understand what they mean.
1. Discuss the significance of principles of design
2. Explain set of visual tools that can help you create an organized structure to deliver a clear
message.
3. Apply the food using design principles
V. LESSON CONTENT
Principles of Design
Principles are cognitive patterns that can help you comprehend and work with design.
Because human brains arrange visual information in comparable ways, certain “looks”
appeal across countries and time. Design principles can be sued to describe how individual
components of a composition relate to the total.
The principles of design are a collection of guidelines that designers can use to create
visually appealing work while composting a composition. The goals of these rules is to
deliver a message in the most efficient and ordered manner possible.
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Every design piece has a structure surface that holds up the design and makes it
visually interesting and balanced. Once designers understand the usage of the principles,
they’ll understand better how to break these rules.
1. Balance. Is a sense of stability in the body of work. balance can be created by repeating
same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal weight, any element on a page has a
visual weight to it. It can be anything from the shape to the size, color and texture. The
pieces of a design must have a specific scale in order for it to seem stable or balanced.
In a symmetrical design, for example, the items ion the right side have the same
visual weight as those on the left. Symmetrical patterns are easier to balance, but they
can also be boring. Different sides of asymmetrical designs have equal visual weight.
The ability to achieve asymmetrical balance can result in an aesthetically appealing
design with movement.
Your design would feel weighty on one side and empty on the other of it lacked
balance. When your design feels as if it falling off to one side, you know it’s out of
balance.
a. Asymmetric. Balance is distributed but not equal on each side of the plate.
b. Symmetric balance. Plate is uniform and food is mirror images on all sides of plate.
2. Scale and Proportion. The scale of a work is its overall size; the pieces of the work are
proportionally related to one another and to the whole. The scale of the labor in culinary
presentations is influenced by the serving manner. If the chef and cooks are plating in
the kitchen, the size of the serving plate determines the scope of the operation.
The dishes and ingredients are proportional in size to the serving plate and to
one another. The attention is traditionally set by the largest dish or ingredient on the
serving plate which is left entire. The size of the other dishes or ingredients is then
proportioned to the primary food. Out of proportion refers to putting too much of one
dish or ingredient, or too much food, on a service plate. This has to do balancing the
composition.
3. Visual Weight. Proportion, emphasis, pattern, and placement can all be used to give
pieces visual weight. In culinary presentations, a dish or item is frequently highlighted by
its size, positioning, or color. The focus food, for example, is usually the largest item on
the plate, and when the plate is placed in front of a diner, the focus food is facing, or
closest to, the dinner. Consider a meal with all of the ingredients in shades of white and
a vibrant crimson sauce; regardless of the quantity of the other foods on the plate, the
sauce will be the focal point. Large decorations that are placed on top of stacked
ingredients can sometimes become the focal point of the dish. Think of a long-fried chip
placed on top of a presentation is it the first thing that you want the eye to go to?
This is an important consideration when using one of the stacked archetypes
because the top of the stack is emphasized by its height. Having this emphasis will
change the way sauce is placed around the stack; if a pattern is drawn in the sauce
surrounding the stack, it may compete with the focus of the stack. Patterns create an
emphasis.
4. Patterns. The recurrence of specific shapes in an orderly manner is known as a pattern.
It could be a recurring motif throughout the entire background or the usage of
alternating shapes on a line. Patterns are typically formed in culinary presentation by
repeating dishes or ingredients around a primary cuisine to make a border or borders
built with sauces. In free style mounds of veggies or starches, there are random
patterns, but we conceive of these as texture in the kitchen. In classical platters or on
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Nouvelle plates like the Sun, or in sauce around a single Island motif, patterned
repetitions are frequently used.
Patterns, which rely on color and shape repetitions as well as texture, are generally
more visually appealing than texture alone. The texture of a sauce, for example,
influences how it is plated, and the presentation of sauces generates patterns on the
dish.
5. Arrangements and Balance. The arrangement of elements within a composition can be
described as symmetrical or symmetrical. There are different types of symmetry, but the
two most often associated with the plate designs are reflective and radial.
a. Reflective symmetry- describes a design that, when divided down the middle,
both sides are exactly the same.
b. Radial symmetry. Describes a design where all the rays extending from a center
point are the same. Classical patterns and Nouvelle plates are most likely to
have effective or radial symmetry. A symmetrical composition is balanced; there
is equal visual weight on both sides of the presentation because of the placement
of ingredients.
In an asymmetrical composition, each side is different. Asymmetrical arrangements can
be balanced using pattern or emphasis to provide visual weight. Plate presentations done on
service ware that is not round are often asymmetrical, but through the use of pattern and
placement are balanced in visual weight. This is true for the archetype’s elemental, linear,
course within a course, and deconstruction plates.
You can check if the visual weight is balanced in the plates frame by establishing an
imagined grid over it. For rectangular or square plates, a nine-sectioned grid is more useful.
The thirds vertically and horizontally. The golden ratio was derived from natural phenomena
such as that roughly equals one-third to two thirds of the total. Consider how food is typically
served on such a dish. Are the dishes arranged in the grid’s focal points? Or in the boxes that
have been established in the grids middle? There isn’t just one best way to do things. Rather,
this is merely a design tool to assist you. Using alignment to create structured or suggested
rows gives a sense of unity to a linear presentation.
Balance, of course, relates to more than spatial arrangements for culinary
presentations. Flavors, cooking methods, and serving sizes must also be balanced in
proportion to each element of a plate. Each style of plating has different guidelines for how this
is achieved, and can be reviewed in relation to each individual style.
6. Unity. Unity is what binds all of the pieces together in a composition. Positioning,
proximity (putting similar objects close together), continuation (using lines or placement
of elements to guide the viewer’s eye on a desired direction), and repetition are all ways
to achieve design unity (using a shape or color multiple times in different places of a
composition).
Unity has almost entirely come to be employed in culinary evaluations in terms of
location; and united presentation is one in which everything is drawn together in the
middle of the dish. This is due in part to the widespread acceptance of the BUFF
archetype. The purpose of this plate presentation was to provide balance, unity, visual
flow, and concentration.
However, the most important factor of culinary unit is flavor. In other words, it is
the understanding of why all these ingredients or dishes are put together on a plate,
which always has the same underlying truth. Together they are more delicious than they
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would be served alone. Unity is the understanding that the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts. The synergy of ingredients working together produces a larger effect
than any individual ingredient could alone.
Unity can be bought of as harmonious flavor combinations and also as
compatible parts that are arranged in an orderly way to make the presentation easier for
the eye to read.
7. Variety. Variety makes unity interesting; too much variety leads to visual chaos in
designs. Variety is achieved by varying textures, shapes, and colors in a composition,
as well as flavors in culinary presentations.
Contrast is a big part o variety. A crunchy texture feels crunchier next to smooth textures
than next to other crisp ingredients. Colors that are opposite on the color wheel, placed next to
each other, look brighter. Contrast and wide variance are not considered as essential in
classical and nouvelle styles but are more important characteristics in Fusion, New American
and Global styles.
Between unity and variety, there must be a balance. If the ingredients or meals are too
dissimilar, the presentation appears dreary and bland; if the ingredients or dishes are too
similar the presentation appears dull and bland. In general, a dish with all round forms would
be unattractive, but what if the shape is new potatoes and peas served together since they
were at their height in the spring market? Keep in mind that there are two layers to food
design. Flavor is the initial level of consideration, followed by presentation.
In order to think about balance, make a list of complementary features of recipes and
components. Because plate design components must always be preserved in the context of
flavor, there are flavor pairs in the list, not only design elements. The flavor of an ingredient
changes depending on how it is chopped. The meals and ingredients’ visual messages of the
dishes and ingredients also serve to create flavor as well as contain it. Texture is, in fact, the
intersection between flavor and appearance often made through cooking techniques.
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CONSIDERATION IN CULINARY DESIGN
II. LESSON TITLES
1. Serviceability
2. Degree of Difficulty
In this lesson you will have an understanding of how the elements and principles of design
gives us language to talk about the look of food presentations. These are also some
decisions we make while plating that are less easily seen; with this lesson I have grouped
together as considerations. The ability of the kitchen and service staff, the perception of the
diner, and the nature of the ingredients, all influence the design principles in plating.
1. Discuss the considerations in the culinary design.
2. Explain some considerations in the culinary design
3. Explain the ability to plate food presentation
4. Observe working habits.
V. LESSON CONTENT
“The eye eats first” as the proverb goes. Our first perceptions of a plate of food form the
basis of our subsequent decisions and expectations. Our appetite is aroused when we see
food, and our digestive juices begin to flow and makes us want to get right in. our dinner takes
on a new level of excitements and stimulation.
If, on the other hand, the food appears to have been thrown onto the dish in a
haphazard manner, we assume it was prepared ion the same careless manner. If the colors
are light and airy, we expect the flavors to be boring and monotonous because the colors are
washed out and there is no color accent. In the event that we leave unhappy since the platter
makes the steak appear little (even though it isn’t). there are decisions that we make to look
our dish presentable and it is how we plate the food that in these I have grouped some
decisions that we make while we plate for considerations that all influences the design
principles expressed in plating.
Serviceability
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A plate must be served to a customer after it is completed. If moving the presentation

causes it to become unsuable, it lacks the necessary serviceability. It not because the platter is
faulty by the time the dinner notices it. If the components or dishes are stacked or balanced in
an exaggerated or unstable manner, this ma occur. This is one of the reasons why soup s now
served in a bowl at the table; the center Harnish is preserved before the liquid causes it to
move or float. This way of serving soups also maintains the soup much hotter, making it a
better design not only in terms of appearance but also in terms of functionality.
More typically, upsets arise when there isn’t enough empty space around the plate’s
edge; previously, this empty space was marked off as the rim on the plate, but in modern
models, its no longer the case.
Serviceability also refers to the way a customer will eat the presentation. If a tail
presentation is served on a small plate, when the diner begins to eat the food it will topple off
the plate. Or, if food is put into smaller service ware that is part of a larger plate, then the
customer must have the right silverware to get into the smaller containers. If these smaller
containers are meant to be picked up and sauces from the other dishes on the plate have run
under them, then there is a risk the customers will drop the sauce onto themselves.
Presentations must be fitted not only to the service ware used but also fitted to how a customer
is expected to use the service ware.
It’s worth nothing that the finest solutions for serving presentations work on two levels in
each of these examples. The design enhances the presentations appeal while also increasing
the enjoyment of consuming it. Serviceability also refers to how the cooks can present the food
during service. It is not effective if a presentation is attractive and serves and eats well but
cannot repeated again and over and over in a timely manner. As a result, serviceability refers
to the ability of wait staff, dinners, and cooks to engage with a design effectively.
Degree of Difficulty
Points are frequently granted for achieving a particular level of technical difficulty in
culinary competitions or other evaluations of presentations. In other words, a plate of food that
demonstrate mastery of a range of techniques receives more points than a plate of dishes that
is more straight forward. Consider combining cooked beef, buttered sliced carrots, and
mashed potatoes on a face plate.
Instead, I can make the carrots into heightened swirls and pipe the mashed potatoes
into heightened swirls, which I can then brown under the broiler with cheese. I might then
rearrange the face to make a BUFF plate. This displays a higher level of technical proficiency.
But I have to ask myself, what effect did it have on the flavors and serviceability of the food?
Increasing the complexity of a plate or in the preparation of dishes and ingredients can
be thrilling for a cook. It fuels four imagination and demonstrates our professional know-how.
But there must be an understanding of why the increased complexity is important. Paramount
to any increase in complexity are much like unity and variety-they are not antonymous but
complementary. A balance is achieved in the best presentations; for example, complex flavors
are often best showcased in simple design.
Charles Mingus a jazz musician and composer, once said’ anyone can make the simple
complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple” there should always be underlying
understanding of why you choose to present dishes and ingredient differently. The goal of
working through the exercises of this chapter is to help you clarify your reasons for culinary
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creativity. The way you ultimately decide to express flavor can be influenced and inspired by
may factors.

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SAUCE AND PLATE DESIGN
II. LESSON TITLES
1. What is sauce
2. Sauces contribute to any dish
In this lesson you will have an understanding of how chefs and cooks highlight the quality
of the cuisine and preparation method where sauce is part of the process of cooking
methods and considered as an element of plating that is going to be used as an important
influence on the service ware used in plating.
1. Explain the sauce is part of the cooking process that influences the service ware used in
plating.
2. Define sauce
3. Formulate sauce using the element of plating.
V. LESSON CONTENT
What is sauce?
Sauce is a thickened liquid, richly flavored to complement a dish. The sauce should
heighten the flavor and appearance of the dishes, and make it more digestible. It should flow
over the food and provide a thin coating, rather than do disguise the dish itself.
What sauces contribute to any dish?

1. Moisture
2. Flavor
3. Appearance 9color and shine)
4. Richness
5. Interest and appetite appeal
Chefs spend numerous hours perfecting their dishes in order to provide their guests with a
memorable experience. The final phase in the process is to present their works o a plate. Plate
presentation, which is sometimes overlooked or treated as an afterthought, should highlight the
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quality of the cuisine and preparation skills while also engaging the diners senses. Plates that
are effective should be simple to prepare on a busy night but yet attractive and visually
appealing to the guests. consider the plate through the lens of a photographer to create a
composition that harmonizes the dish numerous aspects. Its rare to get a winning plate
presentation on the first try. Imagination, trial and error and collaborative brainstorming are the
fundamentals of good culinary skills, high-quality food, and plate selections that complement
the dish’s style.
When you have chosen a focus ingredient for a plate, what do you think of next? The
most common answer is how that ingredient will be cooked. Of course, if you though of a
spice, the answer would be different, such as, how will I showcase this flavor? This is one of
the biggest differences between techno-emotive consideration often start by conceptualizing a
flavor rather than an ingredient. Global style’s starting point is generally an ingredient, while
classical, nouvelle, new american, and fusion style plates generally begin with a focus food or
dish. This is why, in more modern styles, a repertoire is not emphasized, yet the most
successful modern chef has usually had an extensive repertoire that serves a part of their
mental culinary web.
Before you can successfully conceptualize expressing flavor in a new medium, or even
create a new expression of an ingredient, you must understand a dish that has that flavor or
ingredient in it. So, the questions to begin with are; what is the focus food, and how will it be
prepared?
The sauce choice is primarily determined by the method of preparation. This is most
visible in braising and stewing where the sauce is an integral component of the processes;
other cooking processes also reveal sauce interactions. Any method of cooking that produces
juices suggests a sauce based on those fluids. Roasting, for example, proposes a simple
sauce or gravy made any essences behind, such as grilling or steaming. The sauce repertory
has grown with each professional style; studying the varieties of sauces used in professional
styles will demonstrate this.
CLASSICAL NOUVELLE FUSION NEW GLOBAL

AMERICAN
Bechamel Stock reductions Glazes Vinegar based Juices
with wine and
aromatics
Velouté Coulis Salsas Barbeque Essences
Espagnole Beurre blanc Chutneys Frothy Water
emulsions
Hollandaise Cream Broth like Gravies Form
reductions
Tomato Soy based Flavor oils Pure-like
Broken butters Pasted based Syrups Frozen
Compound Gastrique Gel.emulsions
butters
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V. LESSON CONTENT

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II. LESSON TITLES
V. LESSON CONTENT
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Food Styling and Design

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Food Styling and Design

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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

THE BASICS OF FOOD PLATING

ELEMENTS OF FOOD PLATING

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

How to Plate Food

b. Place the carrots next to the puree using precision tongs.

2. Free Form Plating

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DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

Flavor is paramount in an individual’s development of likes and dislikes towards food

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BEGINS WITH SIGHT

HOW COLOR OF THE PLATE AFFECTS YOUR FOOD PRESENTATION

COMPLIMENTARY VS. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

WHAT WORKS WITH DIFFERENT COLORED FOODS AND WHY?

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

Design on plates happen on two levels:

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

A plate must be served to a customer after it is completed. If moving the presentation

College of Industrial Technology

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in COURSE

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

What sauces contribute to any dish?

CLASSICAL NOUVELLE FUSION NEW GLOBAL

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I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

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I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

II. LESSON TITLES

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College of Industrial Technology

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YEAR LEVEL TIME WK 1 IM NO. 11

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