Food-Styling Techniques and Tricks

Food stylists use several techniques to make food look as appetizing as possible, as well as to counteract foods' natural process of discoloration, sagging, dripping, and so forth. For more information, read on!

Cereal

The secret to a perfect-looking bowl of cereal is a bottle of glue!

1.	Select the best-looking flakes. Sometimes you have to go through several boxes of cereal to get a whole bowl's worth of perfect-looking flakes.
2.	Fill the bottom of the bowl with white multi-purpose glue instead of real milk. The benefits of using glue instead of milk are easy to understand: The glue won't slosh around when the bowl is moved during the course of the shoot, nor will it become discolored after a long period under hot, bright lights. And of course, the carefully selected and positioned flakes will not move or get soggy!
3.	Place a layer of flakes in the glue, and then add more glue around the edges of the flakes.
4.	Use tweezers to individually position the flakes in the bowl.
5.	Delicately spread more glue between the flakes. Here's what the cereal looks like after it has been sitting in real milk for only a short time. It's what you're used to seeing every morning, but it's not suitable for a cereal box. So don't be afraid of filling a bowl with glueyou can wipe it clean!

Often, when cereal is photographed, the image includes a spoonful. To style a spoonful of cereal, do the following:

Use a clamp to hold the spoon firmly in place. Place glue on the spoon and add flakes with tweezers.

Add more glue between the flakes with a toothpick. The direction you tilt the spoon will determine how the drip will flow.

Bacon

Bacon is available at many supermarkets in disposable plastic packets that can be cooked in the oven or microwave. Some food stylists prefer to use this product. After cooking the bacon, a great way to keep the strips pliable is to place them in vegetable oil. Perfectly wavy bacon can be achieved by weaving it through the rungs of a wire rack, trimming the strips with scissors where necessary. A modern trick is to use wooden spoons or dowels to create a more natural appearance. To give bacon that "right-out-of-the-frying-pan" appearance, delicately place soapy water on the strips.

Seeded Rolls and Bagels

Sometimes bread, rolls, and bagels do not have enough seeds, and need to be enhanced. There are two primary ways to accomplish this. One method is to spread Vaseline over the area and sprinkle on the seeds. Although Vaseline gives the stylist flexibility in placing and moving seeds, it adds shine to the surface, so many stylists prefer the second method: dabbing an area with Krazy Glue and positioning the seeds individually to keep the original finish. With both methods, a good eye, a pair of tweezers, and a steady hand are essential for seed placement!

Pancakes with Butter and Syrup

Pancakes should be cooked at a very low heat, with little or no fat in the pan, to prevent over-browning. A non-stick pan coated with baking spray works best. Stylists use a combination of light and dark corn syrup or honey in lieu of maple syrup, which is too thin and runny. Years ago, motor oil was used. Kitchen Bouquet, a brown food coloring available in most supermarkets, can be added to achieve a darker appearance. The thicker syrup also gives better control over its placement. If the photograph requires a pat of butter, use margarine; the color is much better. Use a steamer to partially melt the margarine and create the impression that the pancakes are piping hot.

Grill Marks

To create the effect of grill marks on food, some stylists use metal skewers heated over an open flame, while others prefer to use an electric charcoal starter. The electric starter makes a wider mark and minimizes your chances of burning yourself.

Chicken Legs

Preparing chicken legs can be tricky; be sure to make extras in order to get the perfect one. Before cooking them, use T-Pins to hold the skin to the backside of the leg. Do not cook the chicken thoroughly in the oven; doing so will cause the skin to shrink. After they've been cooked, brush Kitchen Bouquet or bitters, a common cocktail ingredient, over the legs to add brown coloring.

Fresh Herbs

Because most fresh herbs wilt quickly, it is important to make sure they look alive and healthy for the entire shoot. To revive or freshen the herbs, trim the stems and place the herbs in an ice bath. Dunking the leaves in ice water also helps. A spray bottle filled with water can be used to add droplets to the herbs to give the appearance of dew.

Pizza

Don't you love a hot, cheesy pizza, fresh from the oven? To style pizza for a shoot, do the following:

1.	Pre-bake the pizza dough at 350° for approximately 810 minutes.
2.	Cut a slice from the pre-baked dough, but leave it in place.
3.	Slice small, thin pieces of whole-milk mozzarella (large pieces of cheese will run together and won't create the desired effect). Place the individual pieces of the cheese along the edge of the cut slice.
4.	Sauce only the perimeter of the pie. The cheese will turn orange if sauce is spread over the entire pizza.
5.	Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the entire pie, placing slightly less cheese over the area where the slice has been pre-cut.
6.	Brush olive oil on the crust to reduce the amount of bubbles from baking and to give the pie better color.
7.	Bake the entire pie until the cheese is melted and the crust is lightly browned.
8.	Cut a triangle of cardboard slightly smaller than the slice, and attach it to a thin spatula. You will use this to remove the slice from the pie.
9.	Use a steamer to freshen the cheese or create a bubbling effect.

Beer

There's nothing that looks more thirst-quenching on a hot summer day than an ice-cold beer with a nice, foamy head. Here's how it's done:

We actually use warm beer because it has more bubbles. To begin, pour the beer right into the middle of glass and stir it with paper-covered straw. Be sure to leave the wrapper on the straw while mixing because this helps stimulate the bubbles even more.
When the foam subsides, add a pinch of salt to the beer to revive the head. When mixing the salt into the beer, use the straw, with the paper still on it. The head will last only a short time, after which a little more beer will need to be added. You can perform this trick only a few times, and then you will need to pour a new beer.
To create the effect of condensation on the beer mug, use an equal mixture of glycerin and water in a spray bottle to add small droplets. For larger droplets, use Aquagel, a commercial product sold for this photographic purpose. It can be applied with a wooden toothpick.

Ice Cubes

Real ice cubes float to the top of the glass and appear cloudy in photographs. For this reason, food stylists use acrylic ice cubes, which are hand-carved and very expensive. These acrylic cubes show up clear and allow bubbles to appear in the glass, and can be purchased or rented at photographic supply houses. Acrylic ice cubes and many other fabulous fakes are also available online from vendors such as Trengove Studios in New York (http://www.trengovestudios.com).

Ice Cream

Photographing ice cream is difficult, primarily because it melts quickly. For this reason, fake ice cream is used whenever possible. Some stylists use instant mashed potatoes, while others make their own mixture. Here's a recipe:

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup light corn syrup

3 pounds powdered sugar

Food coloring, as needed

Beat ingredients together in a stand mixer, and store at room temperature.

Here are a few tips for working with fake ice cream:

Break the mixture apart using your hands to create texture.
Use an ice cream dipper and your hands to form a perfect scoop.
A "collar" can be added while scooping to make the ice cream look ruffled. Use a palette knife to accentuate the collar and to change the shape of the scoop. Using a palette knife is also helpful for filling in cracks.
To create the appearance of fruit in the ice cream, strategically place tiny amounts of jam in the scoop.
To make a sundae, drizzle chocolate sauce thickened with corn syrup on top of the scoop.

You would never use fake ice cream when shooting for an ice cream company. For a "generic" shot, however, the food stylist and photographer can use real or fake ice cream. Photographers always prefer to use fake ice cream because of its ease of use and longevity. If you must shoot real ice cream, make plenty of scoops in advance and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Use "stand-in" fake ice cream or some other object that is similar in color and shape for the test shots. Be sure to have a cooler filled with dry ice near the set to keep the ice cream cold and hard between shots.

Chocolate Curls

Perfectly shaped chocolate curls are an attractive garnish to many desserts. Here's how to make them:

1.	Add four to six ounces of butter, shortening, or margarine to a pound of chocolate chips. This adds fat to the chocolate, which makes it more pliable and malleable.
2.	Melt the mixture in the microwave, stirring it well afterward until fully combined.
3.	Pour the melted chocolate mixture into a small, greased, plastic container, and refrigerate or freeze it for one to two hours.
4.	When the mixture is solid, remove the chocolate block from its container by patting it onto a cutting board.
5.	Use a vegetable peeler to make perfect chocolate curls.
6.	Keep the curls refrigerated until it's time to use them.
7.	Using a wooden skewer, delicately place the chocolate curls on the dish.

Pie

A great way to create the effect of a fruit-filled pie is to fill the crust with mashed potatoes and place the actual fruit on top. This enables you to use less fruit filling, and the potatoes prevent the crust from shrinking. To photograph a slice of pie, or pie with a slice removed, do the following:

1.	Before baking the pie, brush its rim with egg wash, which is simply an egg beaten with a little milk, to create a good seal between the top and the bottom. Crimp the edges with your fingers, and egg wash the top to ensure a nice, golden brown crust.
2.	After the pie is baked, make sure it is very cold before slicing.
3.	Use an Exacto blade to make the first cut, and then follow with a long, sharp knife.
4.	Remove some of the potatoes from the visible side of the slice and refill that area with fruit.

Dollops

If you're shooting slices of pie, or perhaps an ice-cream sundae, your client may want you to add a dollop of topping. Cool Whip is best for creating dollops. Before you begin, be sure to thaw the Cool Whip completely. Then, with the edge of a tablespoon, make lines across the Cool Whip while it is still in the container. This will create a rippled look when the dollop is made. Use the spoon to scoop out some Cool Whip, and twist the spoon slightly as you apply it to create an interesting peak.

"Saucing Up" Your Dish

To create a more artistic look for your dish, you can use a tool as simple and commonplace as a plastic squeeze bottle or teaspoon to drizzle sauce. Either tool helps provide control over what is normally a difficult-to-manage ingredient. Think of the plate as a blank canvas, and use your artistic ability to create a design that perfectly complements the main dish. The artistry of a professional food stylist really shines here!

Additional Tips

Here are a few more food-styling tips:

To maintain the hot, steaming look that a cup of coffee has when it is first poured, simply add soapy water to the cup.
Always under-cook foodespecially meat and poultryso it doesn't look dried-out and wrinkled.
Apply vegetable oil or corn syrup to rice and pasta to prevent sticking and to provide a nice shine.
Use lemon juice to keep cut fruits and vegetables from discoloring.
Select vegetables individually and cook them separately.
Use a brush when applying vegetable oil to add shine to cooked ingredients.
To add height to food, use a can, pastry ring, or cookie cutter for support.