Eating out has always been a popular way to gather socially and enjoy food from around the world. Just lately however, possibly due to the rise of social media and the abundance of culinary based TV programming, restaurants have been constantly on the lookout for new ways to gain increased exposure.

The newest craze adopted by restaurants to tempt customers through their doors doesn’t focus on the food, but instead on the way it is presented. What is it with restaurants serving food on everything but a plate?

This trend for the unusual has now developed into serving food in the most unusual, if not downright weird, receptacles possible!

From the sublime to the ridiculous

The trend started with serving food on wooden or slate boards. However, much to the disbelief of many as shown in this article exploring the new craze, it has now developed into presenting dishes on spades, in trainers and even on iPads. But this fad really doesn’t seem to have taken into consideration the hygiene risks or even how the taste of our food may be affected.

What are the risks?

The type of material, and how it can be cleaned, will have an effect on the risk of bacteria contaminating food. The only way to completely disinfect surfaces is by using heat and

through commercial dishwashers and steam cleaners that can reach temperatures high enough to kill bacteria, or food safe cleaning supplies.

Wood – Wood is soft compared to ceramic plates, so cutting up food on this material will inevitably result in cuts on the surface that can harbour bacteria. Wood is also extremely porous so bacteria can be drawn into the material. It is not dishwasher safe, and chemicals would also be absorbed, so it would need to be steam cleaned after every use to ensure it is completely disinfected.

Granite or Glass – The good thing about smooth, hard surfaces like granite, glass and marble is that they are not porous, so there won’t be any bacteria drawn into the material itself. However, as the exterior is so smooth, bacteria can spread across the surface easily. Fortunately, these surfaces are very easy to clean and are dishwasher safe, so contamination can be controlled.

Plastic – Plastic has similar qualities to wood in that cuts can be made on the surface where bacteria can thrive. If the plastic is not particularly strong, you can also end up with tiny strips in your dinner when cutting up your food. It is, however, much easier to clean and is non-porous so contamination can be controlled by dishwasher cleaning.

Electronics and textiles – Some of the more unusual food presentation involves things like iPads, trainers, slippers and even flat caps. The worrying thing about these receptacles is that they are not easy to clean. iPads obviously can’t be put in the dishwasher, so the only way to disinfect the surface is to use a screen cleaner. This is not necessarily food safe, and residue could end up in your food. Textiles are equally hard to clean and contain more crevices where bacteria can build up. They need a thorough clean in a washing machine, and time to dry out completely to stop bacteria spreading.

Directly onto table tops – There are even restaurants that serve food directly onto table tops. The problem with this method is that the only way to disinfect the surface between diners is by using chemical cleaners, as it is impossible to clean in the dishwasher. The tables would need to be rinsed thoroughly to ensure that no residue remains on the surface to contaminate the next meal.

Altering the taste of your food

Some of the alternative materials used in food presentation can even alter the taste of your food. A study was conducted into the effect of different metals on the taste of food, and it was found that the only metal that did not give food an unpleasant taste was gold. Stainless steel and chrome closely followed, but it was found that silver, copper and zinc react badly to acids in some foods resulting in an unpleasant metallic taste.

Wood can also have an effect due to the porous nature of the material. It can absorb the flavour of foods so, unless the same dish is always presented on the same wooden surface, chances are there will be some flavour contamination between different meals.

What are the best food presentation options?

Overall, it would appear that the best surfaces for serving foods are the smooth, hard surfaces of granite, marble or glass, that are easily to clean quickly so contamination doesn’t spread. They also won’t affect the flavour of your meal, so you can enjoy your dinner without any unpleasant taste from the presentation.

Failing that, you could always ask the waiter or waitress to transfer your meal on to an old-fashioned ceramic plate!

Visit: Cherwell Cleaning Supplies (http://www.cherwell-online.co.uk/) 

Follow on Twitter: