Recently in Kitchen Essentials Category

First impressions count. Would you greet a new friend with greasy hair and old sweatpants? Of course not. Then, why would you serve food that doesn't look neat and appetizing? Whether you put together your meal in 30 minutes or worked on your sauce for hours, the appearance is the final touch on the food. There are so many different ways to plate the food so that it looks as good as it tastes.
I am not a chef but I have learned from chefs in cooking classes and I noticed a few things.

1. Who framed the risotto?
The rim of the plate is like the frame of a picture. Many chefs like to keep the frame clean but some don't mind drizzling some sauce around to decorate. If you do , make sure to make it look neat and don't overdo it.

2. Good things come in all colors, shapes and sizes
Make sure to vary the colors on your plate. Don't use too many foods that are the same color. Sweet Potatoes and carrots will look boring. Sometimes a sprig of parsley is enough to liven up an item that is bland color. Don't put only round things on the plate, balance different shapes.

3. White is pure
I have noticed that using plates with busy designs tends to look messy. A nice big white plate is perfect for the pure, clean, appetizing look. If you can use busy plates and still pull it off, then do it.

4. Ring - A- Ding- Ding
Those ring molds that look like oversize cookie cutters are perfect for shaping a mound of rice. Just place the ring on the rice. Use a knife or something flat to level it out on top and remove the ring. Voila!

5. Roll your balls
Melon ballers are not just for fruit. Use them to carve potatoes into balls. Fry the leftovers for hash browns.

6. Let's twist again
For Pasta:
Pick up the pasta with tongs and give a little twist at the end for it to look nice.

7. Read up on Plating: Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation , Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites That Delight Before the Meal Begins

It happens to the best of us. You realize that you are missing an ingredient in a recipe.
Yes, everyone knows that you should read the recipe all the way through before you start it. Okay, so you didn't. Now what?
You are not really supposed to make too many adjustments when baking but there are some substitutions that you can get away with.

Here is my list:

Instead of 1 cup of buttermilk, you can use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make a cup.

Instead of self rising Flour, you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Instead of 1 cup of heavy cream when baking (not whipping) you can use
3/4 of a cup of whole milk and 1/4 of a cup of butter.

Instead of 1/2 a cup of brown sugar, you can use 1/2 a cup of sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of molasses

Instead of sour cream, you can use full fat yogurt (the texture might change slightly)

Instead of vanilla extract, you can use almond or some other kind of extract.