How to create attractive meals MEAL APPEAL How to create attractive meals

What are some arrangements you need to make? Party Scene Your best friend’s birthday is coming up this weekend and you want to make it special by throwing a great party with all your friends. What are some arrangements you need to make?

Party Scene You need FOOD!!!

Party Scene So how do you plan a dinner party for all your friends? Let’s start with the different parts of a meal…

Parts of a meal There are 3 parts to a meal: 1. Appetizer 2. Entrée 3. Dessert

Parts of a Meal 1. Appetizers Finger foods A “snack” before the main dish Keep people entertained while the entrée is being prepared

This cuts down your work and cost$$ Appetizers For informal or larger parties, you may choose to serve only appetizers with dessert later on. WHY? This cuts down your work and cost$$ A party like this sets a “mingling” tone where guests can move around and talk to each other while helping themselves to various food.

So remember… Have a wide variety of appetizers Make them accessible to all guests

Appetizers For formal dinner parties you would serve each part of the meal separately with everyone seated preferably at one table. What are some other appetizers you can suggest for your guests? What kind of drinks would you serve?

Parts of a Meal 2. Entrée The main course When preparing an entrée you need to think MEAL APPEAL!! Meal appeal = the characteristics that make a meal appetizing and enjoyable.

Entrée There are 5 characteristics of meal appeal: 1 – Colour 2 – Shape & size 3 – Flavour & aroma 4 – Texture 5 – Temperature

Colour and Shape Think of your meal as a picture (food) in a frame (plate). Restaurants pay special attention to meal appeal and how food is presented.

Colour and Shape

Food as Art Food photographers have to consider the colour, shape, size and texture when planning each shot.

Entrée What kind of appeal do these entrées offer? Identify the garnish in each

BEWARE!! Although some foods may look appetizing, they may not be good for you!  Consider nutritional value for a healthy diet.

Flavour & Aroma Avoid combining foods of similar flavour or aroma in one dish. This rule also applies to colour E.g. Mixing strong flavours together is not a good idea because they clash Clash = look too alike

Flavour & Aroma Give some examples of clashing flavours: Spicy chili with garlic bread Egg salad sandwich with potato salad How would you fix these meals?

Flavour & Aroma Mix it up! Serve spicy food with bland items Bland = plain; mild in flavour

Spices vs. herbs What’s the difference? Spices = very strong flavour; dried out; derived from plants; multi-coloured; can grind it; examples include chili seeds, black pepper, turmeric, garlic powder. Herbs = flavourful leaves and stems of soft plants such as basil, oregano, rosemary and sage. They’re all green!

Condiment? So then what’s a condiment? Condiment = a seasoning for food that’s not a spice or herb such as ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, mayonnaise, bacon bits etc.

Texture Your meal should have a variety of textures Texture = how it feels when you chew e.g. hard, chewy, crispy, soft etc.

Temperature Serve hot foods on cold days. i.e. soup in the winter Separate cold and hot foods by putting them on different plates so they can retain their temperature and texture. i.e. chicken and mashed potatoes with side salad in a bowl

Dessert 3. Dessert everyone’s favorite indulgence! Serve with coffee, tea or dessert wine.

Dessert You should know about any peanut allergies among your guests.

The End… Developed by: Isabel Marques-Kontos Course: HFN 100/200 Food and Nutrition Last Updated: March 2005

Resources Food for Today (text) McGraw-Hill & Ryerson – First Canadian Edition Food Photography http://www.virtual-productions.net/vp-food.html Rosy’s Japan Journal http://www.sundark.com/nikki/photos/osaka6-9-03/food.jpg Food Gallery http://css.ait.iastate.edu/Int/GoLive/Boxes/Data/veggi.jpg http://css.ait.iastate.edu/Int/GoLive/Boxes/Data/fastfood.jpg Still Images/Raul Rubeira Photography http://www.geocities.com/rrubiera/food.JPG Lost in the Stacks: the Adventures and Misadventures of Jess Webb www.lostinthestacks.com/index/2003/07/ Bali Hai Cruises http://www.balihaicruises.com/sunset-cruise.html DIAC Conference in Seattle http://www.neiu.edu/~ncaftori/gif/food.jpg Kate Kline May Photography http://www.kateklinemay.com/food1.html