Method 1: Choose dishes for decoration.
1, try to choose edible dishes. Dishes are not only for decoration, but also to enhance the flavor and taste of dishes. In addition, the choice of edible dish ornaments also avoids the embarrassment of taking out the dish ornaments before meals.
2. All inedible dishes must be placed in a clearly visible position and easily taken away. Small umbrellas on cocktails and candles on birthday cakes are typical inedible accessories, which are hard to be replaced by edible accessories. However, because these accessories are placed in conspicuous positions and easy to take off, the possibility of being eaten by mistake is greatly reduced. Remember, if you use inedible accessories, make sure they have the same characteristics as umbrellas and candles.
3. Choose dishes with strong or light taste. Light dishes may need to be sprinkled with some herbs or spices, but not all dishes should be accompanied by heavy dishes. If the taste of the dish itself is already heavy, try to avoid heavy taste when choosing the decoration of the dish, so as not to conflict with the taste of the main course.
4. The color and texture of the dishes should be different from the dishes. As a dish ornament, it is best to compare food and dishes in color to make the dish ornament more conspicuous and pleasing to the eye. Similarly, the contrast of texture is also important. For example, crisp and refreshing vegetables can add a lot of interest to a soft dish. Two different dishes can be placed alternately on the plate, and the contrast of two colors can also play a good decorative effect. You can try slicing tomatoes and cucumbers to match them, or decorating them with jelly blocks of two different colors.
5. Place decorations. When the color of the dishes just contrasts with the decoration of the dishes, diners can be attracted immediately. If the color of the dish itself is rich, just put the dish ornaments on the edge of the plate or bowl. Most dishes can be set off with white plates, while some brightly colored dishes may be placed on dark ceramic plates, which will be better. Remember, dish decorations are mainly used as a foil for dishes, not as works of art to make accessories for dishes, so as not to usurp the host's role. For example, two or three staggered decorations may be better than a pile of decorations or a whole circle along the edge of the plate.
6. Pay attention to the temperature. Frozen dishes will melt next to steaming food, even if it is not considered that the dishes will be deformed due to melting, it is probably not appropriate to drink a bowl of hot soup with cold dishes. Similarly, hot dishes are not suitable for cold desserts.
Method 2: Decorate dishes with fruits.
1. Know when to decorate with fruit. Most fruits are sweet, so it's best to take a small amount to go with dessert or salad. Citrus fruits such as lemon and lime are very suitable for fish dishes with rich flavor, as well as fruit dishes themselves and desserts. Citrus fruits can be cut into disks, fans or filaments, which are very beautiful. Please refer to the following for specific suggestions.
2. Cut the fruit into simple cubes. It is a good choice to choose fruits with small pieces or textures inside, such as oranges and kiwis. You can cut a rectangle in the middle of the fruit and then cut it into simple slices. Choose fruits of different colors. When fruits of different colors are matched, the texture need not be too particular, such as cantaloupe and mango. You can cut these fruits into cubes or dig them into small balls with a ball digger.
3. Be a strawberry fan. Wash and dry strawberries. Use a fruit knife to cut 4-5 knives from the tip to the top of the strawberry, but don't cut off the stem. Then gently unfold the thin slice and put it on the plate.
4. Be a "cherry blossom". Cut the cherry vertically from the bottom to about 2/3, then turn it slightly, so cut it twice, and finally cut the cherry into six petals. Gently break off the petals and flatten them. You can also put a small piece of sweet fruit or other edible decorations in the center of the "cherry blossom", and then put one or two mint leaves under it.
5. Make "frosted fruit balls". Choose stronger fruits, wash them and dry them. Then separate the egg whites and beat them with an egg beater until they foam. Then pour a thin layer of egg white on the fruit, and finally sprinkle sugar to make it look like a layer of frost.
6. Be an "apple swan". If you have a sharp knife at home and have enough time, you can try to carve a swan with an apple. Radish or other hard and big fruits and vegetables can also be used for carving. Other complicated carved decorations can also be used as central decorations or for special occasions. You can search online for "Thai fruit carving" or "food art", and you can find fruit dishes of various shapes.
Method 3: Decorate with vegetables, flowers and herbs.
1, this kind of dish decoration is generally used for dishes with heavy taste. Vegetables and flowers are best served with salads, meat, vegetables, pasta and rice. If you are not sure what vegetables or flowers to use, you might as well choose the ingredients contained in the dish, or try to choose light ingredients such as cucumber or radish.
2. Carve flowers with carrots or cucumbers. Wash half a cucumber or carrot and scrape off the dirty and uneven skin. Then cut a long one from top to bottom with a fruit knife, but don't cut it off. Cut "petals" along the periphery of cucumber or carrot in the same way. If there is enough inside, cut another layer of petals. Finally, cut off the uncut part in the middle and gently break off the petals.
3. Be a "tomato rose". Tear the tomato skin down along the spiral circle. The lower it goes, the narrower the tomato skin will be. Roll the torn skin tightly, and it will become the shape of a flower when it is loose. The narrowest end may need to be stuck between two circles of tomato skin to be fixed, or the whole flower may need to be fixed with a toothpick.
4. Make a vegetable chain. Onions, peppers and cucumbers can be hollowed out and cut into rings. If you want to make it more gorgeous, you can cut an opening in the circle and then let it buckle up two by two to form a chain. Such a chain can be placed on the top of the dish and then go round and round to the bottom of the plate.
5. Decorate onions with food pigments. Cut the onion into pieces, but don't cut the roots. Then soak in clear water to remove onion smell, and then soak in food pigment. There will be a faint color after 20-30 minutes.
6. Choose edible flowers. Violet, rose, geranium and marigold are all edible flowers, but not all flowers are edible. You must know carefully when choosing ingredients, because some flowers are poisonous. Don't eat flowers that grow on the roadside or in areas with pollution sources, and don't eat flowers sprayed with pesticides and unknown varieties. There are only a few kinds of edible flowers, so it is best not to eat them often, because they may cause indigestion. However, then again, flowers are also the most commonly used and most beautiful dish ornaments. Different varieties, different flowering periods and different growing environments have different tastes. Before choosing a flower, you should pick a petal to taste, whether you have tasted the same flower before or not.
7. Decorate with a herb. Putting a parsley on a plate is the simplest and most common decoration method, which is most suitable for dishes with delicious gravy and rich flavor, because parsley can balance dishes with its natural and fresh taste. You can also use rosemary, mint or other herbs, but you must first remove the inedible parts of the stem. Sometimes you can sprinkle some vanilla powder or spices on the plate. Brightly colored powders such as Chili powder and turmeric can have a good decorative effect.
Method 4: Decorate with the ingredients in the dessert.
1, draw a pattern with chocolate sauce. You can pour the chocolate sauce into the flower bag and draw a pattern directly on the dessert or plate. If you want to draw more complicated patterns, you can draw patterns on the baking tray with wax paper, and then carefully put the baking tray in the refrigerator or freezer. After freezing for about ten minutes, chocolate will cool and harden. You can put a chocolate pattern on the ice cream or lay it flat on the cold dessert. You can use dark chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate alternately to draw colorful patterns.
2. Dip the fruit in chocolate. Small pieces of strawberries, grapes and other fruits can be dipped in chocolate to make delicious desserts. As a dish decoration, you can string the fruit dipped in chocolate on a bamboo stick to make several such fruit strings, and then insert both ends of the bamboo stick together in a salad bowl or dessert to make the fruit strings fan-shaped.
3, sugar-coated flowers. Pick a few edible flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides, preferably with fragrance. Then beat the egg white until it bubbles and brush a layer on the flowers with a brush. Then sprinkle some sugar on the flowers, so that you can pour a small amount of vegetables on desserts such as eight-treasure rice.
4. Make dish ornaments with Geely powder and molds. Whether it is herbal tea or fruit juice, as long as it is a delicious liquid, it can be mixed with Geely powder. Heat the gelatin powder according to the instructions on the package, then pour it into the mold and wait for the gelatin to solidify. If there is no mold, you can also cut the gelatin into squares, diamonds or other shapes yourself. You can also make delicious gelatin blocks with mixed soup and seasoning herbs.
Tips If you need to decorate dishes frequently, you'd better buy a set of high-quality knives and polish them frequently. This kind of knife will make you feel at home in food carving.