Do you like cooking and decorating food? Have you ever dreamt of being in Hell’s kitchen and impressing the godliest of all chef’s Gordon Ramsey? If you have, chances are you want to open your restaurant someday. 

However, wanting to be the best cook isn’t just about cooking delectable meals! There is so much more to that! Today, in order to be the best chef, you need to have faultless presentation skills for your dishes. Now, this might seem easy, but the food presentation is complicated. There are so many subtle ingredients and flavours, that mixing these need talent and sheer patience. 

However, with practice, you can be an amazing sous chef or even the head chef of the restaurant you wish to open. But, what about the practice? 

Well, the best way to practice your food design skills is on a platter. That's right!  

But Why Platters? 

Well, platters are simple wooden, metal, glass or ceramic plates, which come in a plethora of designs and styles. These are simple, classy and can make any dish stand out. Not to mention, these platters are customizable to a great extent. Thus, no matter what you cook, you can easily place your dish strategically on a platter to reflect an A-la-Carte dish. 

On that note, today, we are going to discuss steps to make your platter, Gordon Ramsey Friedly! Let's see, if the skills are good enough to impress the ultra-famous moody international chef! 

Starting with: 

Basic Food Presentation Rules: 

• Do not overload a plate or under load it. Keep a balanced amount of food on the plate to make it look good. 
• Colour contrasting is the best way to make food look delectable. 
• Don't always stress on symmetry, asymmetry works perfectly for food presentation too. 
• Mix dark and bright, crunchy and soft, large and small portions to make a platter look full. 
• Don't force sauce on top of platters, rather serve these separately in a small serving bowl. 
• Uniform portion sizes are best. 

Moving on, 

Japanese Food Presentation 

Japan is the king of minimalism and hence, they do not leave out this aspect when it comes to food presentation. One unique thing about Japanese chefs is that they do not mix portions directly on a platter.  

Rather they take a long platter, and on top of that artfully put small bowls with food items in it. This helps them make the dishes look crisp, colourful, simple yet elegant. Additional, the Japanese believe in controlling portions. This is why, when they put smaller items in little bowls, it prevents the chances of gaining weight too. 

You can try this option and create a harmonious dish. For example, let’s say you want to serve dumplings, with sauce, soup and condiments. Then you can take a platter and place two small bowls for sauce and soup. Next, take a mid-sized serving bowl and place your dumplings categorically to create a soothing minimalistic look. 

Play with Abstract Forms  

If you ever watched Hell’s Kitchen, you might have seen this technique used countless times. Numerous people training under Gordon Ramsey, love to play with abstract forms when it comes to platter presentation. 

You can do the same! (Note: Ensure to invest in a good platter from websites like Ellementy to suit your purposes.) Now, to play with abstract shapes, you need to combine a few eclectic ingredients and create unique contrasting colours. 

For instance, you can make a dish out of pesto sauce, combined with shrimp and green onions. Now, artistically and creatively, place these incidents atop one another to give the dish a stylish edge. 

Go Vertical 

Many sous chefs apply this technique in several avant-garde restaurants. In fact, you might have even eaten a dish served in this manner. As part of the latest on-going food trends, you can create real food masterpieces and art if you go vertical with your dish. 

For example, you can try landscape plating with your desserts. Take a platter and coat it with sweet red sauce. After that, take a jelly and let it stand tall, and circle the jelly with vertical chocolate stirpes, figures or patterns 

This form of presentation is artful, stylish and reflects your personal touch as a food artist. 

Decorate with Garnishes  

This is probably the most common and oldest form of food decoration. Used and mastered by Gordon Ramsey, you can try out some of his styles and use your personal touch to add some edge to your dish when you’re serving it in the platter. 

Now, the best type of items to use for garnish is spices, sauce, shredded veggies, salads, fruits, and nuts. For example, suppose you want to serve baked fish on a platter; then you can use lemon, herbs, with orange and yellow risotto to do the dressing. This will make the dish look delicious and artsy. 

Similarly, if you are decorating a dessert platter, you can use Choco chips, nuts, raisins, with various kinds of syrups to give your dessert a delectable edge. For more insights, check online and learn some needful tips to decorate a platter with garnish. 

Additionally, ensure to buy the right kind of platter necessary for your dishes. You can check out the platters from websites such as Ellementry for options. 

Go Horizontal with Meats  

As a dedicated follower of Gordon Ramsey, you know he never makes a mistake with his meat. The way you cut the meat, greatly affects presentation. So, if you are serving meat satay, steak or skewers, ensure to cut the meat right. 

What's more? Quoting world’s famous chef’s Daniel England, the right way to cut the meat is “Slice your meats on a 45-degree bias, and also slice against the grain of the meat for a more tender cut.” 

So, follow this technique and slice your meat to get the ideal cut necessary for decorating a platter. Now, once done, use a lot of herbs, cheese and colourful ingredients, (if necessary) to garnish your meat if the recipe suggests. 

Play with the Texture  

Playing with texture is also very necessary to make a dish look intriguing on a platter. For example, if you are serving sushi, you can add flat rice, sesame seeds, different sauces, and seaweed wrapped in salmon to make your dish stand out. Lastly, add different coloured condiments to the platter to make it look unique and contrasted. 

On that note, now that you are aware of the different ways to decorate your platter, start practising now. This is entertaining, relaxing and a great way to boost your artistic and culinary skills. If you practice diligently, who knows, maybe you will get to impress the grand chef Gordon Ramsey someday! 

However, before doing the needful, ensure to invest in a good-looking platter or two from any reputed websites such as Ellementry.