Made some pumpkin muffins and realized how in a lot of my cooking, I don’t care too much about uniformity or presentation.
I’m pretty functional about it - like the meal and my previous creations speak for themselves. If I’m making something for a party or whatever, I try to make things look a little better, but I 100% prioritize flavor and texture more than anything else.
Other people who cook/bake, what are your thoughts on visual presentation?
aesthetics can be a force multiplier for taste and flavor
Somewhere between “not at all” and “very little.” Like I’ll avoid using sumac in curry if I’m making it for anyone else because it’s also a strong purple dye that turns the otherwise yellow/orange curry a dull grey as a result, but other than that I don’t give a single thought to how anything looks.
Sometimes something will come out looking quite aesthetic, though, like when I tossed red cabbage I’d pickled with tien tsin peppers on top of a bowl of egg-drop ramen with fried tofu, which looked almost professional for a meal that came out to less than a dollar to make - the contrast between the vibrant purple cabbage, the warm orange broth, and the crispy brown tofu was quite striking. Then I stirred it all together to actually eat it and the effect was lost completely.
tasty slop is tasty slop
100% sure, but it’s definitely tastier if it looks tasty
It’s not always necessary, and there are diminishing returns, but it does bring your food to the next level, especially if you’re entertaining guests
The diminishing returns thing is my rule of thumb. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just needs to not look like you slopped it out of a can.
my grandpa would make the ugliest, most delicious food ever, and if you asked why it looks like that?
“it’ll make a turd”
Making for myself? Idfc. For others? Putting the rat under my chef hat
