Garnishing food is the art of decorating food or drinks to make them visually appealing and appetizing. It requires the use of simple edible ingredients like vegetables, chocolates, and fruits that complement the dish well to make it appear interesting. The garnish can also be used to add some flavor to the dish or drink. You should equip yourself with some of the essential food garnishing tools and with a little practice, you will soon be a pro at food dressing. Ideas for Garnishing Food To garnish food creatively, it is essential that you make use of appropriate garnishes that complement the texture, color, and taste of the dish or drink. Soup recipes have a uniform texture, that may appear quite boring if they are not garnished. You can make use of cream, yogurt, flavored oil, or grated cheese as soup garnishes. For vegetable dishes, you can make use of mint or coriander leaves, citrus peels, grated ginger, and nuts or seeds. For meat, you can make use of different sauces, herbs, and spices. Desserts can be garnished using fresh fruits, dried fruits, whipped cream, various forms of chocolate, powdered sugar, and edible flowers. Carrots, tomatoes, mint leaves, bell peppers, nuts, oranges, lemons etc., all make good drink and food garnishes. Tools Required The various tools that you would require for garnishing food and presentation include tools such as a parchment cone, apple corer, citrus stripper, a grater, cookie cutters, toothpicks, skewers, knives, and vegetable peelers. These tools are easily available and are easy to use as well. Once you have equipped yourself with the tools and garnish ingredients, you can begin garnishing foods with the help of the following ideas.

• If you are using citrus fruits like oranges or lemons as garnish, you can use a citrus stripper to cut out strips, wedges, and twists. These can be used for drinks, fish items, or desserts.
• While using bell peppers, you can make use of all the colors in equal quantity and they can be either sliced or diced.
• Chocolate can be used for garnishing in the form of chocolate chips or you can also grate it and sprinkle over dessert. Melted chocolate can either be drizzled over the dessert or on the plate before serving. Chocolate sauce goes well with other garnishes like fresh fruits and nuts.
• Carved fruits and vegetables can be used to decorate the centerpieces. You can also use the top portion of a pineapple as a decoration for a fruit platter.
• Carrots can be grated, sliced round, or shredded to use as garnish for meat dishes. A carrot rose can also be used to decorate a salad platter.
• You can use a tiny bunch of mint leaves as garnish, or you can cut them and sprinkle them evenly over the dish.
• Make use of different colored syrups, sauces, and chutneys to add a hint of color to dull and bland looking food.

Along with these food garnishing ideas, remember to use fresh ingredients that go with the color, temperature, and taste of the main dish. Avoid over use of garnishes and make sure you arrange the dishes appropriately and that they complement the table decoration.