Do you make pretty food for yourself?

jadedone

I posted a rare dinner pic on Facebook and a friend wondered if I was entertaining. But it was just a Sunday night dinner for me (I live alone). I do try to make my plate attractive. I find it fun and it doesn't add much time to place food intentionally. So do you dress up your plates before you serve them?

ohmscheeks

No

gothchiq

Well it looks appetizing, but not set up like a 4 star restaurant or anything.

EmmaFitzwilliam

I don't go for fancy plating, but when I have time, I go for nice napery, an individual cream pitcher for my coffee, etc. Little things to elevate the experience.

Kalikel

Yes and no. I like fresh thyme on my scrambled eggs and they sit on brown bread, so when I sprinkle the thyme on, the whole plate looks kind of pretty. Matches my plates, too.

I don't knock myself out making pretty food, though. Most things don't match the plates, either, so there's that.

zoeysasha37

No, i often just throw it onto the plate. I dont even try to make it pretty because nothing about my cooking is pretty

irisgal345

I have really developed a liking for Japanese cooking. I think because the presentations are all so beautiful. I take the time to make a deal of my meals. Part of eating healthy is enjoying the food as well. My lunches are usually in Bento boxes and everyone comments on them. Over time I've also collected a nice eclectic collection of interesting small dishes to make a nice presentation.

pdxwine

Yes, I usually do. M Dr. told me that I should do a food blog, with the foods I have shown to her. This is tonights dinner. Halibut, tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, corn and salad.

annette_15

Lol yea always. I have a food IG, so I love posting pretty pics of food

mangrothian

Dinners? Not really; I'm usually too tired when I get home to bother. As long as it tastes good, I'm happy, although I'm not sloppy about it either. I'm a great believer that people eat with their eyes just as much as any of their other senses, so food that looks horrible is generally something I avoid.

That is why lunch is a different story for me. Just like @irisgal345 , I bento:

yesimpson

If I have time and the patience, I try to make my food look nice. I don't always pull it off though!

kshama2001

Oh yes, I add red pepper and cabbage (etc.) for the red and purple (or whatever) colors and spend a little time on presentation. I'd like to take a class on carving shapes from foods like I get from my Thai restaurant.

jgnatca

Sometimes. I've made pretty mason jar salads and plated my breakfast.

mistikal13

Sometimes I do. What's more important to me is that I make delicious food for just me

cwolfman13

yes....presentation is important.

healthygreek

All my colorful veggies look beautiful and tempting on in my bowl!

Francl27

Nope.

jemhh

No. Not at all. If we have people over I'll use nice serving dishes but on an average day, we will take the baking dish or pot/pan to the table and serve straight from it or if we plate the food over on the counter we don't really try to make it look pretty.

mbaker566

yes, when I have the time and chance, yes. I love photographing food anyways

CooCooPuff

No. Other than weighing and dividing recipes, I'm very lazy when it comes to preparing food.

I do put more effort into baking.

DKG28

nope. I live alone and eat almost everything out of a bowl, or straight from the pots and pans to save messing up another dish I have to wash. I don't have a kitchen table - so it's not like i'm sitting down to a plate of food anyway. I eat on the couch, but mostly standing at the kitchen counter. (I really haven't nested much in this place since moving in a year ago). I have found that it's really helped me think about food as fuel, and not as entertainment.

kommodevaran

I don't have the patience nor the fine motor skills to do anything extraordinary. I don't like preparing food for others because of that. But the food I make is always appetizing for me, and I enjoy it very much.

stealthq

Nope. I have no time for that.

Besides, a fair amount of dishes I love are just ugly no matter what you do with them. Like Saag paneer. There's no improving the looks of what amounts to spinach mush. I mean, you can put it in a pretty bowl, but that's about it.

kshama2001

You could throw a radish on top of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b3JY5kNQvA

Or carrot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzAtm7pHVYE

MommyL2015

I don't cook fancy and I sure don't pretty it up. I made my polish grandmother's version of goulash tonight and ate it out of a cheap bowl with a chip on the rim and smashed two slices of bread and butter on the top of it. lol Tasted great, though.

Ozzzzzzzzzz

I dont care if my food is pretty or not.

I`m very impressed by those who do make it look pretty, Some are almost works of art.

mw1nters

Absolutely. I've always felt that food should be a whole experience, not just for you tongue but also your eyes and nose and everything. It really helped me when I started eating healthy. Some of the food I make, if I just throw it in a bowl I get really bored with, but making a meal a whole experience with nice plating and a well paired drink makes it all so much more enjoyable. So even if I'm having dinner with someone else who's eating something that might be tempting, well... that smooshed burger in its cardboard box ain't got nothin' on my beautiful plate of perfectly seasoned fish with a seashell drawn in the sauce.

I also kinda feel like it makes cooking the food more fun. It feels less like a chore for me and more like an art project.

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andympanda

My food does not look pretty, it just tastes great!

pauladner

Hi Jade, I liked your question. When I was single I used to do this all the time. Now I still doing this for my family. However, when I am by myself I just set the food in a bowl. Thinking about this I know that I deserve better, and I should pamper me too. Doesn't matter if you take an extra 5 minutes to dress up and clean up the dishes, right? Have a great day!

wickedpursuit

Alas, not so much. I fret over my baking and how it looks (because I'm usually making that for people) but not over the stuff I cook for myself! It still tastes good; I'm just super-lazy.