Poll: Plattering or plating???

ya know, there really is a lot to think about in this thread. I'm going to ask my..

friends about how they feel when put I the main course on a plate and set it before them. I know they will be honest with me and probaby enjoy a "platting/plater" debate.

I always thought it was easier for me to be at the stove and serving from the pasta pot. or cutting the lasagne which is a tad messy for the first couple of servings. and there's having several people trying to get a serving from a side of flaky salmon neatly out without trashing the entire fish.

I only plate the main course, sides are passed around. I did plate the flan cause it had to be taken out of the ramkins.

interesting thread..... lots to learn here smileys/smile.gif

 
Oh no! I hope I didn't offend anyone who plates *blush* - I should've read...

through ALL of the replies before I said what I did.

Open mouth, insert foot!

 
I think "plating" is an attempt to duplicate restaurant service, but the more proper formal

way to serve, according to Miss Manners, is from platters held to the left (or is it the right?) of each guest in turn by a tuxedoed footman, with each guest serving him or herself. For large tables more than one identical platter and footman (if identical twins can't be found they should at least dress the same) attends the guests.

 
I didn't think you were offensive at all. I'm finding it all so interesting cause there are

points of view I hadn't even thought of. now I'm seriously curious about what my company thinks of it. I'm doing my salmon in the pinot gris and caper sauce this weekend and I'll see what they have to say.

like I said, there are things I plate and roasts and stuff I slice and put on a platter. I think that if you are doing certain fish dishes and they get surrounded in a sauce, it's better to plate. big ole fish with taters around it and the like... platter.

take a deep breath sweetie pie, you're fine... smileys/smile.gif)

 
Funny, Joe. Yeah, right, men to serve us. Incidentally, I don't know how well-known...

this is, but a waiter friend of mine told me once that the "French" way of serving (even though it was in the U.S., that is the way their restaurant did it) was to serve from the right and to remove used plates from the left.

I have always remembered that, but I don't care who puts what, and from where, as long as it's good!

 
I agree Dawn, it does seem like something one would do for a child..

My impression has always been that "plating" is an "upper crust" British thing. The way I've seen it done is the host, seated at one end of the table, serves the meat part of the dish, then the plate is passed down the table to the hostess, seated at the other end of the table, who serves the vegetables, sides, etc., then the plate is passed to the waiting guest. Seems too slow and tedious for me. Maybe that's part of the point to it all - to slow the event down and make it a ceremony. However, as each plate is being prepared, the host or hostess usually asks the intended recipent how much they would like of each item, in a most polite and discrete way of course, nevertheless, everyone at table, each in his turn, is made the centre of attention - wanted or not, with regards the amount of food being received. NOT something our pioneer ancestors in North America, who had more important things to worry about, would have bothered with I think - Too busy worrying about the drought, floods, snow storms, epidemics, crop failures, and plain old making it from one day to the next.
Sometimes formal traditions - often the luxury of the wealthy, are simply pretentious. I picture the "lord of the manor" making a big show of presenting his bounty to guests who are expected to be appropriately humbled and grateful. Give me the old country/farm tradition of everyone helping oneself to the bounty freely and lovingly offered.

 
I was a waiter for years and I never got the left-right thing down. Most restaurants are so cramped

that you're lucky to be able to reach everyone from any direction.

I just re-checked Miss Manners and she does say to serve from the left, since most people are right-handed, but that left-handers may request to be served from the right. But she's talking about serving from platters, not laying down plates

I think all these rules were made to be broken, and anyone who goes to the trouble to entertain should pat herself on the back for her efforts and have her footmen serve however she prefers.

 
oh Randi, I do agree things like fish with sauce, and lasagna..

would be easier plated for your guests, and passing a large, hot serving platter around from guest to guest can be a disaster waiting to happen. That's not at all the kind of plating I was thinking of while I was responding in 8.3

 
after reading the latest posts, it might be that I actually don't plate...

I put the difficult to serve entrees on plates and hand those out to guests. they choose whatever else goes on their plate. also, things that need to be sauced and/or "constructed". I do serve the pasta from the pot to keep it warm for seconds. I guess that's not true plating.

the sept. issue of bon appetit is their resturant issue. there's a recipe for pan seared sea scallops with lentils, bacon and a cider reduction. it also has a marscapone cream sauce the drizzled on it. I can't wait to make that one even though it seems a bit "fussy". something like that you definately have to make the plates. lentils first, topped with the scallops, cider reduction drizzeled around it and marscapone sauce drizzeled over it.... oh my!

 
For me, it depends on the situation. We always plate for our

Gourmet Group dinners ( we have been meeting 25 years and were once written up in a small magazine) because each couple brings their course & it's kind of fun anticipating the dish coming out. However for any other company dinner (family usually) husband serves the meat from a platter at his end, anything hot or unmanagable to pass I serve from my end and we pass the rest. I also serve dessert from my end.
Once we were at friends' and the pork chops were being passed around the table. My husband took 3 without checking because that's what HE wanted (there were 6 on the platter and there were 6 people dining...) So if you ask HIM to dinner you had better PLATE! Good thing they were our best friends so I just suggested he do a little counting...

 
So funny about your DH and the porkchops! My Mom always served family style,

so when I had them over in very cramped quarters with a very small table, I had no choice but to plate, and dad thought it was very uppity. He still can't get over that. Creatures of habit are we.

 
Yes, sauced or constructed...As a guest, I was recently served Scallops with Morel Mushrooms and

Asparagus Puree (recipe from the French Laundry cookbook). There was no way this could have been served other than plated, as it was built in layers. I find it delightful, when I'm a guest to sit down, relax, and be served and I like to reciprocate when I have guests. Most of the recipes for entertaining that I have are best suited to being plated. Also, as pointed out above, lol, if there are a limited number of servings, better to plate. Sides can always be plattered or whatever, if desired. Salads or other first courses are better plated, imo. I always plate for just the two of us.

 
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