With all the cooking I’m doing, I’ve been noticing that colors make a big difference to both the healthiness of the food and the taste being awesome. Not rocket science, I know. Many people have said this, and I will skip the part where I give you proof, because I’m going to assume we all mostly agree that eating lots of vegetables of different colors is good for you because you get different nutrients from them I’m also not a licensed Nutritionist). What I will muse about is how much cooking can feel like making art. Nope, I don’t mean literally getting some brushes (although I do own a nifty silicone brush that I use to brush pastries and such with milk, oil, etc.) or sculpting your food (again, I have done this with pies and cakes, but that’s an entirely different genre). I mean try to look at your food with an artistic eye.
– Pay attention to colors: Composition is very important, so maybe use complimentary colors. I don’t just mean so that your food will be pretty, although that will help you feel accomplished about making it and happy about eating it. Complimentary colors like green basil leaves, red tomatoes and white mozzarella cheese also signify food groups and nutrients that you are getting. Yum!
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| Notice how the yellows, greens and white splashes compliment the red sauce. And the circular theme kindoff gives my pizza a 60s look. |
– Think about textures: Combine mushy mashed potatoes with crisp green beans. Or crunchy multi-grain pizza crust with soft and fibrous zucchini. Again, we are getting pretty but also healthy. For example, if everything is soggy, you may be cooking all your veggies too long and they are loosing some of their nutritional value, not to mention their flavor.
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| I seem to be on a pizza binge. Notice how the bean “sauce” is soft while peppers are crunchy and the avocado adds a creamy touch. |
– Keep proportions in mind: In most art compositions, you don’t want all one color and a tiny dot of another (unless you are doing Modern Art but that’s another thing entirely and not always your friend, in my opinion). So go ahead and plan your proportions. A giant pot of yellow mac and cheese with three green peas in it doesn’t equal good nutrition. Try to use quantities of ingredients in such a way that the color amounts equal out.
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| Oops, being repetitive. And this photo mostly shows cheese hiding all the good veggies underneath. But you get the idea… Sortoff… |
Try to cook so that the dish or your plate looks like it could be hung up on a wall to admire. It will all end up looking disgusting in your stomach but trust me, your appetite and body will appreciate it!
