Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation
by Christopher Styler
List Price:
Our Price: $16.95
You Save: $23.05 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Christopher StylerPhotographer: David Lazarus
Edition: Hardcover
Published: 2006-09-25
ISBN: 047147939X
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation
Book Review: Good first attempt at a subject
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, I am a professional chef. I enjoyed this book, but I doubt this book would have as much value for a home cook as it did for me.
The book is broken up into sections based on four "styles" of food presentation. Each style consists of a series of plates presented from actual chefs from their restaurant menus. Each "plate" comes with a large picture of the plate, a description of the dish's philosophy, and three smaller pictures, each with captions, highlighting one or two of the elements to plating that dish. Additionally, each chef is profiled sharing the reasons they believe in their particular plating style.
There is a section at the end of the book that gives the actual recipes for each of the plates presented. I didn't read them all, but they seemed incomplete, even within dishes (possibly the chef wouldn't release the recipe for a particular element to a plate). I was not so upset with this since I did not buy the book for any recipes.
I was mostly disappointed that all of the elements to plating each dish weren't included. Basically one or two (more often than not one) key techniques to each dish were highlighted in the three smaller photos. Because I am a chef I could complete most of these dishes but my girlfriend was baffled when I asked her until she had seen me do the missing step. Some of the techniques are used on multiple dishes and were maybe omitted because they would be redundant in the book or they may have seemed obvious to the author, but others should have definately been included since they are not common nor included elsewhere in the book.
Overall, this book had to get three stars because, though I learned from it, a person who hasn't been to culinary school nor worked in a high end kitchen would not be able to recreate all these dishes. However, the photography was absolutely stunning, and this will definately remain on my coffee table for people to thumb through.
I think this is a good first stab at modern plating techniques. I very much appreciate the fact that the author/chef and publisher attempted a book like this and I hope someone else will follow up with a more scientific and complete attempt.
Summary of Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation
Feast your eyes.Long awaited by professional chefs, this groundbreaking guide to food presentation will also delight and inspire culinary students and sophisticated home cooks. Acclaimed food writer and culinary producer Christopher Styler describes seven distinctive plating styles, from Minimalist to Naturalist to Dramatic, with several striking examples of every genre. Each plating suggestion is accompanied by clear instructions along with color photos of step-by-step techniques and finished plates. Complete with essays on plating from ten leading chefs and recipes for the dishes featured, this book is a work of art in itself--a must for the kitchen shelf.
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Wedding Gifts for Allison and Craig
Nature Zone Naturally Clean 12ozNATURE ZONE; NATURE ZONE; Kitchen
Best price: $8.18
Price in other shops:
Hound Dog Products Poop Hound #POOP HOUNDHound Dog; Tools
Best price: $22.87
Price in other shops:
What's Your Poo Telling You?by M.D., Anish Sheth, Josh Richman
Chronicle Books; Published: 2007-05-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.52
Price in other shops:
Everyone Poops (My Body Science) (My Body Science)by Taro Gomi
Kane/Miller Book Pub; Published: 1993-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
Yin Yang CharmRembrandt; Jewelry; Jewelry
Sterling Silver Love Name Plate RingSymbols in Silver; Symbols in Silver; Symbols in Silver; Jewelry; Jewelry
BIA Cordon Bleu Assorted Salad/ Dessert Plates, Set of 6, Gift Boxed, Wine CountriesBia Cordon Bleu; BIA Cordon Bleu; Release date: 2007-06-15; Kitchen
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops:
Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentationby Christopher Styler
Wiley; Published: 2006-09-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.20
Price in other shops:
Eureka 4700D Maxima Bagless Upright VacuumEureka; Eureka; Release date: 2005-06-27; Kitchen
Best price: $59.44
Price in other shops:
Bissell 3910 Momentum Bagless Upright Vacuum CleanerBissell; Bissell; Release date: 2006-11-01; Kitchen
Best price: $122.82
Similar Books and other products
The French Laundry Cookbookby Thomas Keller
Artisan; Published: 1999-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $31.50
Price in other shops:
Michael Mina: The Cookbookby Michael Mina, JoAnn Cianciulli
Bulfinch; Published: 2006-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.30
Price in other shops:
Digital Food Photographyby Lou Manna
Course Technology PTR; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.49
Price in other shops:
Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eatingby Michel Richard
Artisan; Published: 2006-08-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.72
Price in other shops:
Club Cuisine: Cooking with a Master Chefby Edward G. Leonard
Wiley; Published: 2006-06-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $27.53
Price in other shops:
The Professional Chefby The Culinary Institute of America
Wiley; Published: 2006-08-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $38.77
Price in other shops:
Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)by Herv? This
Columbia University Press; Published: 2005-12-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.31
Price in other shops:
Dishing with Style: Secrets to Great Tastes and Beautiful Presentationsby Rori Trovato
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2004-05-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $195.95
Culinary Artistryby Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page
Wiley; Published: 1996-10-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.97
Price in other shops:
Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites That Delight Before the Meal Beginsby Rick Tramonto, Mary Goodbody
Random House; Published: 2002-10-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.10
Price in other shops: