Presentation – Culinary Cornerstone

Aug 28, 2023 by Chef David

By S. Levin and Chef David

It takes seven seconds to make a first impression which influences everything, even our perception of food quality.  Chefs are taught to ‘plate food’ to stimulate the diner’s appetite before the first bite. While home cooks tend to focus on food preparation, by applying presentation tricks they can enhance the overall dining experience offering diners a full sensory experience.

It all begins with the selection of your plates. Choose ones that are big enough to make your food stand out, yet petite enough to prevent your portions from appearing small. Use your plate as a canvas, to visually engage diners by adding colors with sauces and garnishes, and arrange foods playfully with different colors and textures.

We discovered Porland, a Turkish manufacturer of exceptional porcelain dinnerware, whose striking colors and patterns will enhance the presentation of your meals by setting an exquisite table.

Color Counts

The color of your plates can influence what you are serving. White plates are popular because they offer a neutral background for brightly colored foods. Darker plates provide contrast with lighter-colored meals. Bold colors or patterns can detract from the food’s detail, but they also create a striking contrast. Your choice of plate color may even stimulate or reduce appetites. Red increases the appetite, while blue may have the opposite effect.

Serving platters should be more than just a vessel for transporting your culinary creations from the kitchen to the table, they can capture the imagination while making them captivating, conversation pieces. Try plates with different sizes and shapes to make your table setting more exotic.  Make your dinnerware and servingware a complimentary accessory to the meal rather than a functional formality.

Common Materials

Let your choice of plates set the mood and prepare diners for their meal. Dining can vary from formal and fancy, and your choice of dishes can match each occasion.

Dishes come in a variety of materials.

• On the fancier side, there is porcelain, also referred to as china, which provides durability and weight. They have a glazed, nonporous surface that is dishwasher-safe and microwavable, with an upscale look, as compared with stoneware and earthenware, which are heavier alternatives to ceramics that present a rustic and textured style. Earthenware tends to be prone to chipping.
• Bone china is often used for formal dinnerwear. It is made by adding bone ash to porcelain. It is costly, and delicate but rarely microwave or dishwasher-safe. Bone china presents with a translucent milky white, luminous glaze. Despite its delicate appearance, this lightweight thin dish is considered the most durable ceramic dinnerware.
• For strong and break-resistant options especially with children a good choice is melamine a strong, food-safe dishwasher-safe plastic. Vitrified glass is another popular option made from glass that has been fired at an ultra-high temperature. It is non-porous and extremely durable.

Porland Story

Porland, one of the first companies to master colored porcelain, started out as a glassware store in 1976. In 1984 they began supporting the hospitality industry, increasing production to 70 million pieces per year. Porland has lines for both professional use and home use.

They describe their business as designing with passion, and manufacturing with expertise, bringing together the finest materials with exceptional knowledge. Their patterns are breathtakingly bold, to accentuate the table, creating an ambiance that they describe as a ‘dance of aesthetics and quality’. Porland place settings are more than vesicles for holding food, they make a statement. Porland is available online.

Collections

Porland has over 70 collections, each setting a distinct mood to capture the diner’s imagination and complement the food. Some of their collections are musically themed – Bach, Chopin, and Cartot distinctly different stylized ivory settings. ‘Discover the magic of music hidden in the details at your table…Add a new meaning to elegance with delicate details and magical touches of music…’  From their musical collection, we tried the Chopin. Our testers enjoyed the simple relaxed elegance of this modern design.

There are whimsical collections including Be Happy and Marine Blue, a nautical theme with each dish sporting a different pattern.  Porland embraces the elements with a collection that includes Vortex, a swirling celestial pattern, and Rock offering a deep solid color.

We tested serving bowls from the Seasons collection inspired by 16th Century Japanese, Wabi-Sabi, a philosophy that emphasizes the perfection of imperfections. Sabi represents the beauty of time passed, and the reflection of embracing the imperfections that occur in that time, which allows each piece to be unique, which is what makes the product more special. We found them a classic showpiece for our table.

Table Setting Ellegance

Porland brings the glamor of formal dining into your home, giving consumers a selection of collections used by elite restaurants. Explore their collections, and find the right dining experience. With so many colors and patterns, it can be fun to differentiate fleshing from milchig and add exotic serving bowls and platters to jazz up your Shabbat and holiday table.

Shop Porland and add an extra flare of elegance to your traditional table setting.