Food Presentation: Transforming the Ordinary into Extraordinary

Presentation of food is just as important as taste. How food is arranged and garnished figures prominently into a person's reaction to it. A tray of crackers can be pretty boring, but when placed on an attractive tray or platter and garnished nicely, it becomes an appetizing hors d'oeuvre.



Three factors to consider when presenting food are color, shape, and texture.

As you know, a box of crackers is boring. It's just one bland color. Presenting food with to or three colors is visually more interesting and enticing. I dressed up the crackers with a splash of red from the strawberries and a touch of green from the parsley sprigs. The tarnished silver tray presents an elegant backdrop.

The crackers I bought came in a variety of shapes. I recommend looking for packages that offer different shapes and different textures as well, such as the ones pictured above, The bulbous strawberries offer a nice contrast to the flat crackers.

Texture appeals to the visual senses as well as the sense of touch. Foods of varying texture give the eye more to take in and the stomach more to look forward to.