Displaying Food

[marla]

How much of a difference does it make on they way you display the food you serve? I ask because all the programs on TV usually go to great efforts to make the display as important as the food itself it seems, but in sucha busy day, I don't take the extra 10 minutes to display my food. Do you think family members like the food more if it was displayed better?

[miclason]

Definetely!...The other day I had the inspiration to use a really nice dish to serve my spaghetti, instead of right from the pot, and every one was oohing and aahing over it! (nd it was the same recipe I always use!)

[PrincessPerky]

I know my kids eat more if the food looks good. I ony take about 10 seconds, I already put it on there plate, so why not make it pretty? Now Dh he gets to get his own out of the pot most days .

[SeeAPenny]

Sigh, I would love to do this consistantly. When I was growing up, my mom always served us at table every night for supper, set nicely and with proper serving dishes and bowls. Not formally by any means -- but not right out of the pot at least. It was attractive, and it feels 'proper' to me. But, she had a dishwasher (that she put in near constant use), and I don't -- not that I would care to run it often even if I did. So, for the sake of practicality I guess I'm more likely to simply serve our meals right off the stovetop. I always try to serve three things for dinner (say, a main dish/grain/vegetable or fruit), and if I used serving bowls and serving spoons, in addition to the pots and pans I use for cooking, with our own plates, silverware, and glasses -- argh, I'd be spending even MORE of my time everyday washing dishes than I already do, KWIM?

[miclason]

I know what you mean... we don't have a dishwasher....whoever cooks DOESN'T wash...

[PrincessPerky]

I think you can make it pretty on the same plate they would've eaten on, I certainly don't do serving dishes. (and if you use the fork to serve the meat before anyone starts eating that saves one dish. And it is perfectly possible to make a meal using only one serving spoon, and most meals can be one dish, since my DD eats the noodles straight and they have to be a bit cold, I even put the noodles in the strainer and use the same pot to cook the sauce.)

[MrsChambers]

It's just me and my husband - and my husband feeds us. He LOVES to make our meals all snazzy and jazzy... I don't care personally.... but I think that if others groove on it and it makes the meal taste better or they eat more,

then JAZZ UP YOUR FOOD - you only live once right?