How to better present a steak at the table

Presenting a dish at the table to restaurant diners is the final step in the chef’s carefully and meticulously crafted work to highlight the most delicious and…beautiful creations. In fact, often taken for granted, food presentation should highlight the quality of ingredients and preparation techniques, engaging the diner’s senses.

Presenting any kind of dish is much more than serving food for nourishment, it is offering a complete sensory experience, starting with the eyes and reaching the taste, not forgetting textures and aromas. This is true even when the main dish on a menu is meat.

Favorite meat in Italy

Meat is undoubtedly an indispensable source of protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. An indispensable food for people of all ages, it is a fundamental pillar of the Mediterranean diet.

However, this does not exclude responsible and moderate consumption, which follows not only trends but also common sense. It is estimated that in Italy the actual consumption of meat per person would be about 104 g per day, for 38 kilograms per year. There is a recent emphasis on chicken meat and the pursuit of plant-based rather than animal protein foods, while some studies, not always true, highlight negative consequences of red meat consumption. The truth, as always, lies in the middle: moderation and quality are the watchwords for meat as well. 

What is certain is that the presentation of this delicious food, in all sauces and colors, starts from the kitchen and ends up resting in a work of flavors and aesthetics on the table of customers and guests.

The white of the Steak Plate, Hotel Line, enhances the flavor of the meat

How to serve meat: from kitchen to table with porcelain

Chefs and restaurateurs know how crucial planning is: from the quantity of food to the choice of delicious ingredients, perfect cooking in the best tableware, and ending with an ideal arrangement of what is prepared on excellent tableware. Preparing to present a quality meat dish begins days in advance, to enter the scene with a unison applause. 

The first step to a perfect presentation is to evaluate the entire menu and determine what the role of meat is: will it be the protagonist or part of the script that includes, for example, meat sauce or curry?

This question will help evaluate the amount of meat to be purchased and presented. Considerations will obviously be personal and subjective, but in general, when the meat is the main dish, such as a roast or steak, combined with side dishes, it is recommended to prepare about 200 g per person, while if the meat will be used in another dish, you can go up to 100 g or 170 g to abound. 

Fundamental is the choice of cut: from filet to rump, bone-in or boneless, the quality that the trusted butcher will propose is the starting point for success. Then, perfect cooking, rare, medium or well-done, following recipes and preferences. Let the roast brown or marinate your chosen cut of meat among flavors of herbs and butter in the porcelain baking dishes from the Grand Buffet Roasting line. You can choose the best size for the dish to be prepared and the color, to bring even class to the table with the best porcelain, durable and aesthetically perfect for every type of presentation. The smooth, reflective surface in rectangular, oval and round shapes brings out the color of the most golden or least cooked meat for striking combinations. 

Space for creativity and texture games

Bringing steak to the table with the best presentation: porcelain

If the intention is to serve chops or slices of dishes such as roasts and pork, it is important to consider a few more details and choose the right tableware to present a succulent steak at its best.

The general rules for impressive dish presentation

As a general rule when serving food, it is best to avoid overdoing and overloading the course, to the detriment of the attractiveness of the dish. Usually, each element has a more appropriate arrangement, such as the meat in the center, facing the diner, while the garnishes are placed around it, top or bottom, right or left. But it is at this stage that the chef can be at his best and come up with surprising and unusual combinations. Let’s go in order:

• Decide whether to slice the meat or leave it whole. This assessment is crucial: some cuts will look better when served whole, tickling the appetite, while others are better cut and carefully arranged in slices. Beware of cooking, however: if the steak is rare, slicing it will not be ideal.
• Playing with colors. Most meat will have a brown hue, certainly not the most striking color. Therefore, it becomes important to add color to the dish in other ways, with sauces, bright green or deep yellow vegetable garnishes.
• Adding height. This is an increasingly popular stratagem in starred restaurants that can make the difference between a mediocre and amazing presentation. The task is made easier with thick cuts, such as filet mignon, and adding the garnishes above the steak gives an extra boost of creativity. A base, such as mashed potatoes, can also be added under the steak. It is, of course, important not to overdo the layers, to avoid unstable “construction.”

The real basis of meat presentation: why choose porcelain tableware

In addition to the rules and tricks seen so far, there is one aspect that precedes everything and allows one to proceed in creating a masterpiece to serve: the choice of tableware to present the meat. This evaluation can really turn the success of the final effect upside down, both in terms of aesthetics and flavor. 

Porcelain has an indispensable advantage over other materials: the ability to keep the food served warm. Presenting the meat warm will give a unique taste sensation to the restaurant customer, who will also be delighted by the flavor, which will remain unchanged, thanks to the smooth, non-porous texture of porcelain, that will not absorb fat or seasonings.

In addition, MPS porcelain products can be used in the oven, in the microwave, and are also perfect for Ho.Re.Ca. professionals, thanks to their dishwasher-safe design.

Rustic and innovative effect with the Porcellana Ardesia line

MPS Articles Porcelain and meat, a perfect match

Aesthetically attractive, MPS porcelain items are also durable. Like the Hotel line, designed with the everyday needs of restaurateurs and professionals in mind, and which also includes a product dedicated specifically to meat presentation, the steak plate. 

With its elongated shape, it allows any type of steak and cut to be perfectly arranged, framed by side dishes of crisp, fresh vegetables. The side dishes chosen to accompany the steak contribute to the overall effect of the presentation. 

Care should be taken not to pile up without a clear idea, but to add small amounts elegantly, for example with mashed potatoes. A glossy white porcelain base illuminates colors and textures to create a perfect balance between the main dish, the meat, side dishes and delicate garnishes.

Also consider enhancing a rustic effect, with the Porcellana Ardesia line, for an “old-fashioned,” yet still modern presentation. The rectangular charcoal gray plates, available in different sizes, are an innovative solution, to present steaks of all shapes and colors, beyond aesthetics. In fact, slate-effect MPS items have the same advantages as porcelain: they retain heat and prevent food from sticking to the surface, excellently preserving the taste. 

With MPS Porcellane quality, all that remains is to unleash creativity: even a traditional dish such as meat can become unique.