This is really one of your best lessons, I was just about to ask you for it :)

Will you be doing lessons on how to plate deserts?

This is a great idea and I look forward to following this lesson this evening.
Thank you.

One lesson at a time Pauline :-) This is something that would be covered down the road in a pastry or dessert section. Cheers!

Plating is one area that I've always had a hard time getting consistent results. I can't wait to try these techniques out!

I'm serving 9 people
How many plates should I plate at a time to be most efficient?
My husband is playing waiter

It all depends on how much space you have and the speed you plate at. Try two or three out at first and see how it goes. Cheers!

Thank you for yet another great lesson. You are fantastic!

This is a lesson that illustrates very well the importance of technique. Even if I had observed a few things in restaurants and also used common sense, now I really feel better equipped to make the dishes look more appealing and wow my guests.
Thank you for bringing this theme to the school.

I totally agree with Food Lover. Even though it's difficult to decide among so many great lessons, I also believe this is truly one of the best.
Thank you!

Many thanks, I needeed it, this topic is very import to me. Thanks a lot ;)

Thanks Dawn for your suggestion

I loved this lesson, although, I'm not a slob when plating food....I did learn some valuable information. Thanks again!

Very informative. Thanks!

I truly appreciate this lesson. Plating has been a weakness of mins. I do an eight course dinner each Christmas for my wife's office. I really have been looking for better ways to present the food. I'm so glad I joined. This makes the whole membership worth it. Thanks.

First, I'll echo the rest of the folks - great lesson and indeed in my case a much needed one :). I look forward to trying out what I learned tonight!

Question - do you have any quick tips (or perhaps could you even go as far as add another video segment) for how to plate on rectangular plates?

Thanks!

what about something like chinese food? I tried at least 5 or 6 different things for chicken and broccoli over rice and it looks awful, very unappetizing. In this case, there is starch and there is protein and veggie together. Help!

We knew this question would come up, which is why we stated in the lesson that rectangular plates can be trickier and that for this lesson we are going to focus on how to plate using round plates as they are the most common. Sorry we can't cover it all. That is the beauty of food and learning...it is never ending. Cheers!

That title is sort of like "I love you but..." ha ha :-).

As for how to plate Chinese food and other types of food such as Indian this is a whole other lesson and/or discussion. this type of food can be harder to plate and make it look sexy that's why it is often served family-style.

Here is a link to Steamy Kitchen she does a nice job of plating and pictures. You might find some inspiration. here http://steamykitchen.com/category/region/asian-recipes/chinese-recipes

Cheers!

One of my problems as a learning food blogger is that I was basing most of my plating from two things - general observation and the rule of thirds (photography).

I learned a massive amount of info tonight, two pages of scribbled notes. I see a lot of room for improvement in my plating and now a lot of things make sense.

The problem with plating in photography in mind is that with photography, I am controlling the angle, lighting, etc in a single point of time. The tips you give are for live, dynamic presentation. If I used your tips first, it will look good live AND in still photos. A real "aha moment" tonight.

After all the cooking , it's just as important how you plate your efforts . This lesson introduced me to a method and the science behind it . Never thought about it before . Thanks for igniting the next frontier I need to master.

Do you know how hard it is to get this kind of information? I've been searching for a long long time.

So last night I made the same few things I have made countless times. But this time I plated then according to your lesson.

Husband walks down stairs for dinner, plate is on the table and I'm in the kitchen finishing up. I hear this "Wow, that looks really good!" coming from the dinning room.

Say what? Is that my husband?

I never heard him say that before about anything I have cooked especially with such enthusiasm.

Then remembered I used this lesson to plate. Ha!

Thanks!

Ironing Board Chef, here I come!

Thanks for the great lesson. FYI, I usually zap the plates in the microwave for 1 minute, right before I begin to plate.

Does anyone know of a good source of plates in Vancouver? I have been looking for a while and have been unable to find any I like.

There are several stores that sell quality white plates in Vancouver - Ming Wo, The Bay, Puddifoot, Cookworks, William n' Sonoma, Market Kichen Store (Granville Island)...just to name a few. Hope this helps. Cheers!