How To: Plate the Perfect Dinner Party

5 Minute read

20 Jan 2025

Writer

Maria Nguyen from The Art of Plating has endless tips and tricks to make your dinner party shine beyond the food.

As the Founder of The Art of Plating, an international media and events company that celebrates food as a form of high art, I’ve spent the last decade of my career documenting some of the world’s most beautiful dishes. My work has taken me into the kitchens of acclaimed chefs and has found me hosting countless extraordinary dining experiences. Through it all, one thing remains constant: the magic of a beautifully plated dish.

There’s nothing quite like the energy that fills the room when guests sit down at a dinner party and taste a dish for the first time. But before their first bite, their eyes have eaten first. Not only can a dish evoke a feeling or create a sense of place, it’s been scientifically proven by University of Oxford researchers that aesthetically pleasing presentations make food seem more flavorful and enjoyable.

Whether you’re perfecting your weeknight plating or aiming to wow guests at your next dinner party, these tips will help you plate like a pro.

SingleThread - credit: Nader Khouri Photography

SingleThread - credit: Nader Khouri Photography

Identify Your Menu and the Vibe

The plating process starts with understanding your menu and the story you want to tell. Perhaps you’re paying homage to a certain cuisine or showcasing a new recipe. At this stage, identify what you are serving and the atmosphere you’re creating. A farm-to-table, family-style meal might call for natural, unfussy plating, while an elegant, fine dining vibe might require more technique, drama, and symmetry.

Choose Your Vessel

Beyond practicality, the plates, bowls, and serving vessels can play an equally important role in the presentation of the dish, just as the food itself does. Think about how the shape, size, texture, and color of your plate will complement the food. When in doubt, classic large white plates always make ingredients pop.

Visualize the Dining Experience

Before you start plating, visualize how you want your food to look and consider how your guests will interact with the dish. Are they meant to mix elements together? Should they eat with their hands? Or should each bite stand alone? What about the temperature? If done correctly, the plating should guide the eater intuitively.

Have the Right Tools on Hand

Plating combines vision with technique which can be accomplished with some basic but versatile tools:

Spoons: for scooping and saucing.

Tweezers: for delicate garnishes such as herbs and flowers.

Offset cake spatula: for placing elements down or creating designs on your plate.

Squeeze bottles: for sauces, purees, and drizzlings.

Paper towels: for cleaning up any drips or smudges.

Roze Traore - credit: The Art of Plating

SingleThread - credit: Nader Khouri Photography

Set Up Your Mise en Place

The foundation for successful plating starts with proper mise en place, French for everything in its place. Having your plates, tools, and ingredients neatly arranged within arm’s reach ensures you can plate efficiently and get your food to the table quickly.

Plate Multiple Dishes

When you’re plating for a group, the key is to think of an assembly line, not solo dishes. Start by laying out all your plates in a neat row, then work through each element one step at a time, adding the same component to each plate before moving on to the next.

Layer Ingredients Strategically

Build your dish from the ground up. Placing heavier ingredients like proteins or vegetables at the bottom creates a stable base, while placing lighter elements on top adds height and drama. This creates visual interest and ensures the dish doesn’t collapse.

Garnish Thoughtfully

Garnishes serve as the finishing touch, enhancing the color, taste, and texture of a dish. Edible flowers, fresh herbs, oils, crisps, pickled elements, powders, and spices are just a few things you can use. Remember to add garnishes at the very last minute to avoid any wilting or sogginess.

Keep It Clean

You want your food to look appetizing and delicious, so be sure to use a clean cloth or paper towel to wipe away any splatters or smudges from the rim of the plate.

Be Yourself

Plating, much like any art form, is a personal expression of creativity. Have fun with the process and let it be a tool to spark conversation at your next dinner party. After all, food is a universal language that connects us all.

20 Jan 2025