You’re having some people over, or a date perhaps. You’ve found a great recipe and followed it with precision. Everythings ready to go, wine is poured, table is set.

Then, you spoon a mound of your masterpiece on a neon yellow plastic plate, splashing sauce and chunks of vegetables everywhere and plop it down in front of your guests. Bon Appetite?

It may be cliche, but no one can deny it: we eat with our eyes. If it looks good, we want it! And you would definitely be surprised at how a few simple plating tips can jack up your next cooking experience and impress even the most distinguished of diners. Let’s start with some basics:

1. Pick the right canvas

The plate is your canvas, and that means you want the food to stand out, not your circa 1976 avocado green chipped plastic plates. Keep it simple; white, round, with no obnoxious designs to detract from your hard work.

2. Odd Numbers Look Better

This is a weird one, but trust me, it’s true. One of the best chefs I’ve worked for told me this and it’s something that has just stuck with me. Say you’re plating some beautiful grilled tiger prawns for example, plate 3 or 5 instead of 4 or 6. The rule applies to anything where you’re plating more than 1 of a certain item. Try it out for yourself and you’ll see.

3. A Little Colour Goes a Long Way

Say you’ve been building the perfect flavorful cream sauce for your pasta, you top it with a perfectly grilled chicken breast and what do you see on the plate? Beige, white, maybe some hints of gray and black, did I mention beige? A colourful and well suited garnish of some fresh flat leaf parsley, some sliced cherry tomatoes and some grated cheese will go a long way to splash some life into your dish. Just remember to keep it appropriate, meaning don’t throw a sprig of rosemary on a dish that contains none of it whatsoever. You know what I mean.

4. Keep it Clean

No one wants sauce or food splashed up to the very edge of their plates, coating the handle of their forks and knives each time they set them down (I hate that) for a moment. Keep your masterpiece a tight little package towards the center of the plate. A bit of sauce or reduction carefully drizzled around is more than okay, just don’t go nuts with it and make it a challenge to navigate without coating hands and cutlery while enjoying it.

5. Height

Chefs love to build height with their dishes. It’s impressive and visually appealing and can be done fairly easily. Try this next time for example you’re making that old pantry stand-by, spaghetti and tomato sauce:

- Instead of plopping down a flat layer of noodles and ladeling sauce overtop, coat the noodles with the sauce before hand. They’ll absorb more of the flavour and make it easier to build a little height with your presentation.

- Next, use a pair of tongs and grab some of the sauce-coated noodles. Lower them into the center of the plate, twisting the tongs as you do this so the noodles stay in a nice tall pile. Garnish with some parsley, some parmesan cheese and some fresh cracked pepper. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil around the whole dish to finish it off. Let me know how it turns out!