Product Description

Feast your eyes.


Long awaited by professional chefs, this groundbreaking guide to food presentation will also delight and inspire culinary students and sophisticated home cooks. Acclaimed food writer and culinary producer Christopher Styler describes seven distinctive plating styles, from Minimalist to Naturalist to Dramatic, with several striking examples of every genre. Each plating suggestion is accompanied by clear instructions along with color photos of step–by–step techniques and finished plates. Complete with essays on plating from ten leading chefs and recipes for the dishes featured, this book is a work of art in itself––a must for the kitchen shelf.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62579 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Review
In the world of cooking, presentation is every bit as important as flavor. This idea is critical for restaurants, where a dish′s appearance could determine the difference between excellent reviews and bankruptcy. Enter Styler′s new work, a step–by–step recipe manual for home cooks interested in making their dishes look as good as they taste. This is no ordinary cookbook; think of it as a compilation of ideas. Ten of the nation′s top chefs here introduce eight styles of plating. Delineated by chapters focusing on the art and principles of plating, the brief but packed text allows readers to indulge in various styles, including "Minimalist," "Artist," "Architect," "Contemporary European Style," "Asian Influence," and "Desserts: Classic and Contemporary." The book features photographs of chefs preparing dishes and is sparsely designed with an eye to beauty, allowing food design to take center stage. Styler doesn′t seek to be an authority on plating but instead hopes that this work will serve as an introduction to the art. Highly recommended for large public libraries.
—Steven G. Fullwood, Schomburg Ctr. Lib., New York (Library Journal, October 15, 2006)

"Professional and home cooks…can take culinary presentation to the next level by learning the secrets of contemporary food styling." (Cakes & Sugarcraft, Autumn 2007)

“Professional and home cooks who are passionate about food can take culinary presentation to the next level…” (Inspired by Food, Summer 2008)

"...take culinary presentation to the next level by learning the secrets of contemporary food styling." (Inspired by Food, Winter 2008)

Review
"...this is no ordinary cookbook...it is a compilation of ideas" (Library Journal, October 15, 2006)

"Professional and home cooks…can take culinary presentation to the next level by learning the secrets of contemporary food styling." (Cakes & Sugarcraft, Autumn 2007)

“Professional and home cooks who are passionate about food can take culinary presentation to the next level…” (Inspired by Food, Summer 2008)

From the Inside Flap
An inspiring book for professionals andsophisticated home cooks who wantto take their skills to the next level,Working the Plate goes beyond adding adrizzle of something here or a sprig ofsomething there to explore both the principlesand the art of food presentation. Christopher Styler shares the secrets of seven contemporaryplating styles: The Minimalist, The Architect, The Artist, Contemporary European Style, Asian Influences, The Naturalist, and DramaticFlair. He also reveals the thoughts of ten leading chefs on the art of plating, from Terrance Brennan and Emily Luchetti to Suzanne Goin and Marcus Samuelsson.

Working the Plate includes several examples of each plating style. Stunning color photographs show both finished plates and the steps involved to duplicate the techniques behind such dishes as Roasted Quail with Chard and Potatoes, Parmesan Crusted Lamb Chops with Swirled Root Puree and Pea Sauce, Skate and Angel Hair Pasta with Caper Butter, Soba–Tofu Salad in a Nori Cone, and Bird′s Nest Brunch.

Plating provides the all important first impression and sets the stage for the sensoryexperience of enjoying a great meal. With this overview of popular plating styles, you′ll see how you can vary approaches and add adistinctive dash of élan and panache to the dishes you serve.

Discover the plating philosophies of these renowned chefs:

Wayne Harley Brachman, Porter House, New York, NY

Terrance Brennan, Artisanal, Picholine, New York, NY

Andrew Carmellini, A Voce, New York, NY

Suzanne Goin, Lucques, AOC, Los Angeles, CA

Sharon Hage, York Street, Dallas, TX

James Laird, Restaurant Serenade, Chatham, NJ

Emily Luchetti, Farallon Restaurant, San Francisco, CA

Tadashi Ono, Matsuri, New York, NY

Kent Rathbun, Abacus, Jasper′s, Dallas, Texas

Marcus Samuelsson, Aquavit, Riingo, New York, NY

Customer Reviews

New to Plating? Then DO read this!
The negative reviews and low rating of this book left me so flabbergasted that I had to put in my 2c. I love this book and have bought two additional copies for friends as gifts.

OK, it's probably not a book for professional chefs or people who have been plating food at home since they were two bricks and tickey high. But if you've recently discovered plating, and need ideas on how to get started yourself, or progress your beginning experiments, this book is actually a quite wonderful foundation!

It takes you through eight different approaches to the plate. There are photographs of the finished plate, and some accompanying how-to help, also with photographs. Don't expect recipes! It's not a recipe book. The only recipes you get are there to help you through the plating experience.

One reviewer accuses the book of being dated. Well, perhaps it's very dated to make a chocolate bowl to serve your dessert in, but wow, does it make a hit when you serve that chocolate bowl to guests. You will never get an up-to-date book on anything, it takes a couple of years to get a book into print. Having a foundation on plating helps you make sense of what's been done on your plate in a restaurant.

Most home cooks don't believe they can make their food look as pretty as it does in a restaurant. This book will show that it's possible. There are very, very few books on how to approach it; I've only found two others - Dishing with Style, which is actually a recipe book that gives you two ways to serve each dish, and Stacks, which shows you how to master just one form of presentation.

My view on this book is 100% positive and I wish there were more like it.

Pretty pictures but lacking substance
Whilst some of the presentation ideas are good (not that there are many!) there is little detail on methods used (two or three pictures at most on each)and even fewer recipes...
One of those books that could have been good, but simply fell at the first hurdle - i.e. to engage and inspire!
You could probably gain more from browsing a sunday newspaper supplement.

Chefs view
A lot of the presentation in the book is dated. Presentation of food is perhaps the most fashion concious aspect of food; and as such obsolescence seems to court a book like this one. I found some of the presentations to be OK but you'd be better off paying more attention to your plate in a very good restaurant than buying this book.