Food Styling for Photographers

MEETING MEAT HEAD-ON

diff erences. Th e recipe for the coloring agent is the same

as that used for hamburger (see Chapter 6, Adding

Color to the Burger Patties): On a plate, pour about 2

tablespoons of vegetable oil. To the oil add 1 teaspoon

of gravy coloring and 1 teaspoon of Bitters of Angos-

tura plus 1/4 teaspoon of clear liquid dish detergent.

Mix the liquids together well using an off set palate

knife or pastry brush. Th e liquids will thicken during

the mixing process. With an artist’s brush, test a small

amount of the color on a stand-in piece of meat.

likes. If the color is perfect without the plum sauce and

you want it to have more sheen, add a little Wilton

piping gel.

Th e meat will begin to darken when it’s removed from

the oil bath because it will be exposed to air. Remove the

hero meat from the oil and place it on a few thicknesses

of paper towels. Blot the excess oil from the top and sides

of the meat. If you are cutting the meat to expose the

TRICKS OF THE TRADE In the skirt steak shot accompanying

this chapter section, I mixed the coloring agent recipe with a little

premixed salad dressing that has a beautiful orange/brown color and

herb fl akes. I also sprinkled the meat with a rust-colored rub.

If the meat you are styling is to have a barbecue-type

sauce, then, as you shop, look at the selection of barbecue

sauces in your market. Shop for a sauce that has the color

you prefer. Also purchase a bottle each of hoisin and

plum sauce, found in the Asian section of the market.

Check the color of the sauce by brushing a little of it on

a stand-in piece of meat. You can alter the color toward

the brown side by adding a little hoisin sauce, or toward

a deeper red color by adding plum sauce. Th e plum sauce

also gives barbecue sauce a little sheen that the camera