Food Styling for Photographers

VEGGIE PERFECT

Th e process of steaming a vegetable enhances the color

while maintaining the photo viability of the vegetable.

Th e eff ects of steaming on the vegetable can be observed

if a glass lid is used over the steaming pot. Most vegeta-

bles will achieve color enhancement within a minute or

two of steaming. Use tongs to remove the vegetable

from the steaming pot and immediately submerge the

vegetable in a bowl of ice water. I often leave the vege-

tables in ice water until they are needed to build the hero

plate. However, another method involves removing them

from the ice water and placing them in Ziploc containers

or on trays. Cover the trays of vegetables with plastic

wrap. Th ey will need to be refrigerated until you are ready

to construct the hero plate. Steaming works especially

well for larger vegetables such as broccoli, caulifl ower, or

corn because after steaming, these vegetables are easily

handled with tongs without causing damage to their

appearance.

Blanching

Another method for cooking vegetables for photogra-

phy that achieves an eff ect similar to that of steaming,

is blanching. Blanching is a better choice than steaming

when you are prepping tender and small vegetables. Th e

simmering water surrounds the small vegetables and

cooks the outer surfaces evenly and quickly. Remove

small vegetables such as peas and green beans from the

water with a mesh strainer as soon as the optimum color

is reached. Larger vegetables can be more easily removed

from the water with tongs. As you add vegetables to the

simmering water, it works best to blanch small batches

at one time. Th is keeps the water temperature even,

allowing for more controlled and even cooking of the

vegetables. To stop the cooking process once vegetables

are removed from the simmering water, plunge them

into an ice water bath. If you are blanching or steaming