Food Presentation and Plating Techniques
                     Food Presentation and 
Plating Techniques
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. It’s 
always good to start conceptualizing your plating and 
presentation ideas before doing the actual plating. 
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Keep it simple
Select one ingredient to focus on and leave enough 
space to keep the presentation simple. Clutter distracts 
from the main elements of your dish and might make it 
confusing for the diners to figure out what to focus on. 
An overcrowded plate is never pretty, so make sure 
there are appropriate spaces in between your plating 
elements.
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Balance the dish
Experiment with flavors and textures that have stark 
contrasts yet go well together.
Sauces are better served on the sides than directly on 
the food so that the dish doesn't get soggy. 
Food presentation is key: play with colors and shapes 
and try combining them – round shapes, cones, rods, 
etc. 
A mix of textures creates an exciting variety of 
mouthfeels too! 
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Get the right portion size
Ensure that there is the right amount of ingredients and 
that the plate complements the dish – not too big or 
small. Strike the right proportion of protein, 
carbohydrates and vegetables to create a nutritionally 
balanced meal.
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Highlight the key 
ingredient
When plating, always highlight the key ingredient. 
Nobody wants to order a steak and find the plate 
crowded with sides and the beef hidden. Ensure the 
main ingredient stands out, but pay equal attention to 
other elements on the plate, such as garnishes, sauces 
and even the plate itself. 
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Color is King
This plays a significant role. Choose a color that will 
complement your dish. Although white dish ware is 
popular as it provides high contrast for colorful 
creations, blue, black, red, and yellow plates can look 
spectacular when paired with the right food. In this 
digital era, food is easily an experience most people 
want to capture and share on social media. 
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 Present your food with 
sauces
Lightly pour or drizzle on the plate, over or underneath 
the dish.
Create dots on the side of the plate or as a feature on 
one side of the plate.
Draw lines that run through the different elements of 
the dish to unify them visually.
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Use the right equipment
Another thing take into consideration is the equipment. 
What equipment have you got to work with? Here are 
the common tools used for cutting, moulding and 
shaping
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Check your Resources
How many times are you going to plate this in a 
service? How long have you got to plate it? Who is 
plating it? These are all things that you must take into 
consideration when you’re coming up with your dish. At 
the end of the day, it’s not the head chef that plates up 
the final dish.
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Find your Style!
 It is important for a chef to find his own identity, his 
style, and what he believes in. A lot of your philosophy 
and your ethos goes into how you plate. For 
exampleencourage healthy eating, responsible eating.
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