I would love some feedback on pan searing ahi tuna. This is the best I could do. Any feedback?
>>7576905
those disgusting smudges on the left side of the plate
0.5/10 for presentation anon, i am dissapointed in you
1993 called, they want to know what you did with good old fashioned gangsta rap
btw they said keep the food
Granted, I used the spring onion only for a garnish, is it too much?
>>7576920
i would've seared it a bit longer, it looks nice tho
>>7576905
Looks good but just kind of one note. The spring onion is also a bit much too. Who's going to eat it just like that?
It looks like your pan wasn't quite hot enough to catch a good sear.
I personally go the traditional route of crusting my ahi with sesame seeds (black and white looks the coolest, but doesn't taste any better than just using white seeds).
Looks like you had good quality ahi.
As pretty as your green onion garnish is, I don't like the idea behind impractical garnishing. Cut it nice and pretty on a bias, but don't leave a giant chunk there unless you actually intend to eat that thing like a celery stick. It looks cool and all, but you're cooking for you. Not a food magazine.
Is that just soy sauce on the side? It's an attractive enough touch, but maybe jazz it up and do a pretty citrus-sesame-soy vinaigrette and gently dot it around the fish instead of letting it puddle to one side of the plate.
Final suggestion: learn to make good short grain rice and mold it so that you can rest your fish on that in a pretty fashion. It seems like you're dicking around with a lot of garnishing when really you just need a good starchy accompaniment to fill out the plate.
This is just constructive criticism, OP. No matter what, you did a pretty good job and I'm sure it tasted wonderful. Not everyone has the balls to cook something as expensive as ahi on their own, and then come to a forum seeking feedback. Props to you.
>>7576974
It actually wasn't just soy, I made a quick teriyaki-soy vinaigrette infused with green onion. Thanks for the feedback though! When I use ahi in the future, I will totally use a sesame seed crust. That sounds like a great idea.
>>7576997
Sounds tasty =D
You done good, anon.
If you like pickled ginger, just a ribbon of that would make a very pretty garnish.
It's fun to see people thrive in the kitchen.
>>7577004
Yeah, plating and garnish is my new big challenge. Pickled ginger would have been great, but I am a culinary student. It's a bit "iron chef" due to the fact that resources are surprisingly limited due to the fact that the American campuses are closing.
>>7577012
Well, take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm no culinary student. I just kind of made my way from serving to doing kitchen work and worked up from there.
Plating and garnishing is so important, yet so overrated. I believe it's important to have a clean, nice looking plate that's also functional. If you get too into the garnish, the impact of the dish gets lost on the person enjoying it because they're stumbling around what you've put in front of them. But obviously, you want a good presentation, not a stark plain bullshit looking dish. I guess it's kind of like a dance. You have to anticipate how your customer will dive in and what they will experience when they do. The best I know is to think of how I'd want to eat something, what textural/flavor combinations I'd enjoy. It's all subjective in the end. Do what feels right for you, not what someone tells you is cutting edge or whatever.
Again. Not a professional. You're probably best off listening to your chefs. I'm just giving my own opinion.
>>7577046
No need to diminish yourself! I always love to hear from people in the industry!
From what I've gathered from my chefs and other people, in contemporary and upscale cuisine, "less is more". But what do I know?
It seems that with most upscale restaurants, if the food looks pretty, the price goes WAAAAY up.
I read an article stating that most people "eat with their senses, not only their taste". Apparently the smell and look of the food greatly impact the taste. While the flavour does have to do a great deal, surprisingly it's not everything.
>>7577058
You're exactly right. I work in a long term continuing care retirement community for very wealthy people. The down payment to live there is in the ballpark of a quarter to half a million dollars. So these people know their cuisine.
Our residents remind us again and again, "we eat with our eyes". Yes, the food must taste good. But every plate must appeal. We can't have high school kids slopping food on dishes. Every meal has an orchestrated presentation. It need not be over the top, but it should flow.
It's hard to strike a balance. But you'll find it. Always remember to taste, and to experience each dish you create as if it were made just for you. You'll be able to spot flaws instantly, you will just know. Trust your instincts.
>>7577070
Thank you for the advice/input. Like I said, I love to hear from people in the industry. Good luck to you!
Needed to sear for about 15 seconds longer on each side.
>>7577077
Thanks! You as well.
You'll get there, young grasshoppa. You will sure as hell surpass me.
>>7577084
I mean....is this too excessive?
>>7577083
I wanted more of a "sushi" feel, without being too aggressive.
>>7577092
Explain it to me. I don't think it looks too busy, as long as every ingredient is playing a necessary part.
It's certainly elegant as fuck.
>>7576905
Yes I definitely want to eat a whole raw green onion with my meal....
But seriously...could have seared longer
When searing, let it sit out & get to room temperature 1st, also dry it well with paper towels & season right before cooking
Ground coriander is delicious when seared on the tuna & gives a nice crust too
>>7576905
1) Put something else on the dish. carb + vegetable ideally, but something. you've got 70%+ of the plate filled with emptiness. Or just use a small plate so the sides go elsewhere. I tend to like a balanced meal, so I'd go with something else on the large plate - roasted carrots/asparagus/potato would probably solve that well.
2) Hotter pan. That isn't so much as seared as it is lightly warmed. Crust it with pepper or sesame seeds or what have you for an even better visual
3) Tighten up your sauce. That shit looks like soy sauce straight from the bottle - not a finished product one would present.
4) Clean the smudges on the plate off, they look bad.
>>7577106
I essentially made a "crunchy" Parmesan "chip" on top, properly seasoned, with a filet on the bottom (medium rare). I made a ground mustard aoli I splashed on it. On the sides I added a cored grilled zucchini with ratatouille (all home made). It looked great. This was for my "plating class" (which most of my colleagues take as "throw some parsley on it!")
>>7577125
I was aiming for one of those single portion restaurant where you have several dishes. Thanks for the input though
>>7577125
But thank you, sadly I'm not in a professional kitchen
>>7577135
That's fucking fabulous!
I hate when people smother things with fresh herbs when they aren't called for. It's one thing if they finish/complement the dish. But if you're throwing parsley on just because...maybe don't.
Look into unusual cuts of meat (i.e., European styles). That's where food seems to be going. There are cuts of beef, lamb, etc that aren't even known of in the states, but have been staples in other countries. They have a load of potential, and can help you distinguish yourself if you learn to work with them. American meat cutting is very wasteful, and a lot of delicious cuts get trashed as a result.
>>7577151
I pride myself into proper fabrication, but do you have a website or tutorial on how to do it more European? I'm from Finland/Sweden and from what I know, it's pretty similar (yet with more rabbit). Any tips?
>>7577163
I wasn't saying your dish should be more 'European'.
I sorta assumed you were American, and maybe weren't aware of how many interesting cuts of meat there are out there.
I'd just recommend googling how the French do things; they have a reputation for wasting as little as possible, so there are many wonderful cuts of meat that don't appear in the US. Gaining that knowledge opens you up to dishes that your potential competitors perhaps wouldn't have dreamed of.
On a side note, if you haven't already, it's very valuable to learn to cut your own meat/fish. You can save a lot of money, and it's just...satisfying. It makes you really appreciate what you're working with.
>>7577177
I know that different countries have radically different traditions for how animals are butchered. But I'm curious to know how one is more "wasteful" than another. Minimizing waste is the goal of every butcher. How does the manner in which different cuts are separated affect that? They might cut the animal in different ways, but they aren't exactly throwing things out.
>>7577177
Oh, believe me, it's a family tradition to eat raw "fish cheeks" when we caught our first fish. It's pretty hardcore up here.
>>7577186
I'm not too aware of how everyone else does things...but we waste tons of meat in the US. There are so many cuts that we could be using to be more economical, but we just don't for whatever reason.
It's depressing as fuck. I admire any other country that doesn't just throw away perfectly good meat bc they think it is too time consuming to trim it up and make it useful.
And I get that organ meat is not everyone's thing, but we basically trash it. Offal is good, if cooked and served correctly. If we could just change our food culture, we'd waste so much less.
>>7577191
Fish cheeks are the best part!
I tend to prefer mine cooked, 'cause all of our local fish comes from Lake Erie (which is polluted as fuck). But all the same...
>>7577186
It's less of "throwing things out" and more about using every bit of the animal. Yes, the offal may be unappealing to some, but it's used it sausage, lining, or other cuisines that require it.
>>7577201
Yeah, it's good stuff. If you can get it super fresh, it's better than sushi!
>>7577196
It's a shame. Not to be too Native American, but you have to use the entire animal.
>>7577070
That sounds like an amazing place to work. Could you help me snag a job?
