Everyone is cooking more often and eating in more than ever. So why not learn how to jazz up your dishes with really easy tricks and tips to make them look great? These are simple ways to make your home cooking look better and add some wow factor to the table, with just a little extra flourish here and there.
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Use plenty of herbs
A lonely sprig of parsley in the center of a dish is rather sad and old-fashioned. Instead sprinkle plenty of chopped herbs over the whole dish to make it look appetizing. Keep it relevant – the herbs need to work flavor-wise with the recipe too. For example, a summery pasta with tomatoes cries out for basil or flat leaf parsley. Use finely chopped chilies in the same way.
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Truss a chicken
How do you make a roast chicken keep its shape while roasting to have a plump, perfect result? It’s easy – tie the end of the legs firmly together with kitchen string. Baste with the pan juices during cooking to keep the flesh moist and snip off the string to carve. Add a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly chopped herbs before serving.
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Think about color
Good food presentation is all about making a plate pleasing to the eye, as well as on the palate. Think about color where you can. If you’re roasting or grilling a plate of vegetables, avoid green peppers which turn dull once cooked, and opt for red, orange or yellow instead. Fresh herbs are an easy way to add a pop of color to brown food.
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Double glazing
To achieve a gorgeous, glossy top on a pie, try the double glazing method. For the egg wash, beat an egg yolk with a little cold water and a pinch of salt. Then brush the pastry top with the glaze and leave in the fridge for 45 minutes until set. Glaze again before baking. You could also make simple pastry shapes out of the trimmings which you stick on with the glaze.
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Use bigger plates than you think
A plate or bowl overloaded with food is neither great to look at, nor is it very appetizing. Use a dish which leaves plenty of space around the food. You can always come back for seconds!
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Be creative with serveware
Wine glasses, tumblers and martini glasses can all add wow factor to presentation, whether for starters, salads or desserts. And it’s completely fine if glasses are mismatched. It helps to keep everything informal.
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Keep numbers odd
Food looks much better if you serve it in odd numbers. Try plating with an odd then an even number, put them side-by-side, and you’ll see what we mean. Interestingly, the same rule applies to arranging flowers in a vase!
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A sprinkle of spice
A sprinkling of spice adds color, as well as flavor, to a dish: think paprika, chili powder, chili flakes and sumac. Sumac is a crushed red powder from a small berry and goes really well on Middle Eastern dishes. It tastes of lemon so would be perfect with roast chicken or grilled fish.
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Pile it high
Flat food on plates is dull and unappetizing, so always think about height when you’re serving. Even a simple bowl of vegetables looks better piled up. It also helps if you keep the food central on the plate or in a bowl too. Use kitchen tongs to pull spaghetti or other long pasta up into a high, central serving.
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Perfect potato topping
To achieve a gorgeous crust on any potato-topped pie, whether it’s fish, meat or veggie, use a fork to really rough up the potato. It’s best if it’s uneven for that rustic, homemade look. Dot it all over with butter, bake as normal, then flash under a hot grill before serving.
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Add a swirl
Take a simple bowl of soup to the next level by adding a swirl of sour cream. Simply dot the cream on the surface, then lightly pull a skewer through each one. Toasted seeds or nuts add crunch as well as visual impact too.
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Slice on the diagonal
Instead of chopping vegetables straight through into chunky pieces, try slicing them on the diagonal to make your dish really classy. Use the green tops of scallions to scatter over a stir-fry. Even a simple bowl of carrots looks more impressive if you slice them this way.
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A drizzle of olive oil
A drizzle of olive oil over almost any dish will make it look instantly better. It adds gloss and shine, and brings the food to life. Even a simple pasta bake will be transformed, as will a piece of fish or a bowl of pasta. It’s a must if you are serving a mozzarella and tomato salad, both for flavor and presentation. Remember it looks good to drizzle the oil around the plate, as well as on the food.
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Microgreens lift any dish
Microgreens are widely available to buy in supermarkets and one of the easiest foods to grow at home. Best of all, they make the simplest of dishes look great. Of course they add flavor too as they’re mix of baby herbs and salad leaves. Sprinkle over food before serving.
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Love a lemon
If your recipe calls for lemon juice, zest the lemon first then use it to sprinkle over the finished dish to add more lemon flavor and color. If you want lemon on the side, cut it into wedges rather than slices (which are pretty impossible to extract juice from) and trim off the white pith, so it looks even better.
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Pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate seeds will become your best friend when you want to liven up a simple salad in seconds. Not only do they add crunch and a wonderful sweet and sour taste, their glossy, jeweled color adds instant wow factor.
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Edible flowers
Nasturtiums are a particularly fine addition to any salad. They are peppery as well as great lookers. Easy to grow in a pot in your garden, the edible flowers are also usually available to buy in big supermarkets. The glorious color works fantastically with a beetroot and feta salad. Check flowers are actually edible before using – not all are.
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Platters for antipasti
A platter of cold meats or cheese looks great and keeps dining casual. Fan out slices of meat, keeping some height. Add extra texture and color with olives, fresh figs or grapes. Serve sliced bread in a basket lined with a colorful cloth or tea towel.
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Shave Parmesan, don’t grate it
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Beautiful bread
A simple loaf looks much more enticing if you spend a few minutes making a seed topping. They’ll toast in the baking so there’s no prep involved. Brush the top of your homemade loaf with milk, then press in the seeds before baking. You can buy mixed bags of seeds, or try mixing pumpkin seeds, linseed and sunflower seeds together.
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Deep-fried herbs
Deep-fried sage not only makes a dish look better, it’s also deceptively moreish. Try with pork, on a butternut squash risotto or scattered over soup. It only takes a few seconds to put the leaves into hot oil, fry and drain on paper towel. Celery tops also fry well and taste great to garnish a soup or a meaty pasta dish.
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Go nuts for pistachios
Toasted nuts and seeds add texture and flavor to so many dishes, as well as giving presentation brownie points. One of our favorites has to be chopped pistachio nuts. Their bright green color gives wow factor to sweet and savory dishes. Finely or roughly chop depending on the texture you want, then sprinkle over salads, a pavlova or icing on a cake.
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Crazy for cress
Cress isn’t just for egg mayonnaise sandwiches. A few sprigs sprinkled over scrambled or fried eggs help to make your brunch more glamorous. Scatter over a salad in place of chopped herbs, or over a piece of grilled salmon.
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Drizzle it
Balsamic glaze, a thickened, sweeter balsamic vinegar, makes a fine drizzle to brighten up any dish. The same goes for pomegranate molasses which adds a sweet and sour note, as well as visual impact. They’re usually sold in plastic bottles which makes drizzling easier. If not, transfer to a plastic squeezy bottle. Both are great to jazz up a salad and for grilled meats, especially lamb and steak.
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Slice it up
Slicing a large piece of beef or steak in the kitchen then placing it on a board for guests to help themselves makes serving easier, and the presentation even better. Drizzle over some of your accompanying sauce, if using, then put the rest in a small bowl. Scatter over sea salt and plenty of cracked black pepper.
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A dusting of cocoa
A simple dusting of cocoa powder will make chocolate recipes look great: think brownies, roulade, a meringue cake or chocolate truffles. Be gentle when dusting – use a small sieve or tea strainer, don’t overfill it and tap lightly. It looks great if there’s a dusting of cocoa on your serving plate too.
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Hone your icing skills
Instead of pouring glacé icing over your favorite drizzle cake, go backwards and forwards with the icing in a piping bag, or on a dessert spoon. Go slowly so you make track lines along the cake. Some edible flowers, such as viola, would be a very pretty addition too.
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Chocolate curls
Jazz up chocolate cake with more of the sweet stuff: chocolate curls. You can buy them in good baking shops but it’s easy to make your own. Melt dark chocolate (no more than 50% cocoa solids), spread on a board and leave to set in the fridge. You don’t want it rock hard, so it’s a bit of trial and error to get the set right. When it’s firm but has some give, drag a cheese slice or large knife over the chocolate towards you, slowly, to make the curls. Store in a plastic box in the fridge until required.
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A dusting of confectioners’ sugar
Pep up desserts with a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Whether it’s a lemon tart, a fruity pavlova or a Victoria sponge cake, it will really make a difference to the finished dish. Plus, it’s a great trick to give shop-bought desserts a homemade touch.
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Bring out the blowtorch
When chocolate cake comes out of the fridge, the cold will have made it dull and lose that lovely gloss on ganache icing. This top tip works for any chocolate topping. Run a cook’s blowtorch over the top – briefly of course, you don’t want it to melt – just before serving. It will look as though you’ve just finished making it!
