Suggestion Box

[HLP]

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@KKJ wrote:

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@KingstonsMom wrote:

Many times the food you may see on TV, magazines, etc. is not actually edible, but rather 'styled' by a food stylist to make it look more appealing especially after sitting under hot studio lights for an extended period of time.

What does a Food Stylist do?

A food stylist's job is to arrange food so that it looks appealing, tasty, and fresh. This is particularly important when the food is being photographed. Examples of food being 'styled' are the pictures of food that one may see in cookbooks, magazines, advertisements, and menus. In some cases, the food stylist might be the food photographer as well, but more often than not, food stylists will work closely with a team of people such as chefs, editors, assistants, and photographers.

Typically, food stylists are also in charge of shopping for, prepping, and cooking the dishes from start to finish. Food has to stay looking very fresh between the time it is bought and the day of the shoot, so knowing how best to store food is crucial to the success of the final product.

Professional food stylists have several tricks to make food appear as delicious as possible:

• Meat will often look much smaller or even shrivelled when it is cooked completely due to loss of moisture. To avoid this, meat will only be cooked until it 'looks' done.
• Many food stylists will use paint brushes to apply edible glazes to foods like cake to give them some sheen.
• To keep food upright (for eg., a stack of pancakes, or a hamburger), wooden skewers or toothpicks can be inserted in order to stabilize the food.
• Putty or wax can be placed between the food and a hard surface to keep it from rolling away or tipping.
• To make certain drinks look bubbly or to make whipped eggs look frothy, bubbles are often used.
• Faux ice cubes don’t melt in warm environments, and are often used instead of regular ice cubes in drinks or for dishes like shrimp cocktail.
• Dye and paint is often brushed on after the food has been prepared to give it better colour. For example, chickens and turkeys sometimes get that golden brown “fresh from the oven” look from wood stain or shoe polish.
• Real pancake syrup can be difficult to photograph, so motor oil is sometimes used in its place.
• Fast drying glue can be used to reassemble crumbled food, and ordinary white glue can be used as a replacement for milk in a bowl of cereal.

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I don't think this is the case with the Q. For example, when they are showing the Germack nuts they pour container after container into bowls. Don't think they need to pour out 20 big jars of it to show what it looks like. Lot of waste

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I was thinking the same thing, why do you have to keep ripping the cover off and pouring the same thing into a bowl. I was like "enough already"!! Then say there's not many left?

[phluphy]

I don't watch the food shows when Alberti & Rachael are on, they always press down on the meat, ravioli, or any other things they are selling.  disgusting...I'm happy I don't watch, saves me money.  Plus they open up almost every can of nuts into a bowl and then stick their fingers in the bowl and eat, then go back into the bowl with their fingers.  

[corita]

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@homedecor1 wrote:

I wouldn't be surprised if 1/2 that food is "styled"...which makes me think of a couple months ago with Antonella & Temptations Lisa showing the ice cream in cups from temptations.

Oh my gosh, I died laughing -- Antonella took a big spoonful of the "ice cream" and poor Lisa wasn't quick enough to tell her it was "styled food" -- actually scoops of Crisco shortening with Chocolate syrup over it and cherry.

Next time, Antonella was presenting and it had ice cream I clearly remember he stating " Is this real or Crisco? cuz I'm not doing that again!"  Lisa said NO its ice cream just for you!

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      I saw that show with Antonella.  It was funny, but am sure she wanted to leave the set!!

      One of my family members used to have a food show in Latin America.  She also wrote and presented food recipes in a women's magazine.  As she told it, much of the food is staged!!  They can't take a chance on the ice cream melting or the whipped cream falling or the lettuce wilting etc.

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[Patriot3]

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@phluphy wrote:

I don't watch the food shows when Alberti & Rachael are on, they always press down on the meat, ravioli, or any other things they are selling.  disgusting...I'm happy I don't watch, saves me money.  Plus they open up almost every can of nuts into a bowl and then stick their fingers in the bowl and eat, then go back into the bowl with their fingers.  

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@phluphy   And since they can't eat now, they get as close to the food as they possibly can with their fingers and noses........gross!  I don't know why something isn't done about their manners and behavior!

[MissALuvintheQ]

I figure by the time a host has their nose, mouth and (in some cases) actual hands close to/ actually on the food, THEY need to be allowed to take it home and eat it instead of throwing it away. I watched Rick with those ribs the other night, and he said "oh don't worry, I'm wiping my hands and throwing this away"...made my stomach drop to hear that!  WAY too much waste for a food presentation. Same thing with David and squeezing the cakes and cracking open cookies. Okay, don't eat it while live on TV, but for goodness sake, if you touch it, you eat it...later, please!