Five Mind Tricks That'll Make Your Food

If you're always looking for more fabulous ways to serve your meals, then you might be interested in these five mind tricks that'll make your food taste better. These �taste perception� tricks are fast, simple, alarmingly clever - and can really go a long way in making a good dish GREAT. Taste perception is a new term that is getting a lot of airplay these days. What exactly does it mean? Although it may sound complicated, it really isn't � it's basically the idea that your food will taste better if you expect it to taste better. How do you �expect� it to taste better? By enhancing the overall sensory experience of eating it. When you indulge all of the senses, not just the taste buds, you can actually make food seem like it tastes better. Still confused? Here are some examples!

If you've ever watched a cooking show like �Hell's Kitchen�, �Top Chef�, or �America's Test Kitchen�, you'll know what the term �plating� is. Plating is how your meal is presented on a dish. If you can make your food look good on a plate, then you can stimulate the visual perception that the meal is going to taste delicious. There are scientific studies that prove this! So, how to artistically plate a meal? Your best bet is to use a simple, clean white plate that will highlight the food without distracting away from it. Make sure you keep the serving relatively small so you're still leaving some white space � filling only two-thirds of the plate works best. Serve a well-balanced dish of contrasting shapes, textures, sizes, and colours � a good rule of thumb to follow is 25 percent protein, 25 percent starch, and 50 percent veggies. For example, a salad with greens, nuts, and a slice of rye bread could work. You can also play with different types of garnishes using complimentary colours and textures. Fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, and cilantro add a gorgeous flair to a simple plate, and there's nothing like fresh fruit for zest and colour. Have fun with it. Think like an artist!

Creating the perfect ambience within which you can enjoy the meal will also go a long way in making the food taste better. Once again, you are indulging all of the senses, enhancing the receptivity of the taste buds. Set the table in a quiet room where you won't be disturbed. Use a special tablecloth � something simple but beautiful, something with warm colours, but with minimal patterns, on it � again, you don't want to distract from the meal itself. Speaking of distraction � be sure to turn off your phones and any gadgets that might interrupt the eating experience. Light candles, use soft lighting, and turn off any harsh lights overhead. Play gentle, soothing music. All of these details will help make the meal taste amazing.

Another way to make your meal taste better is using heavier silverware. Sounds crazy, right? Studies have shown this actually works too. Eating with heavier knives, spoons, and forks sends the brain the unconscious message that weight means worth. This works with plates and bowls, as well. These are just a few of the mind tricks that can make your food taste better, and they come from the Lifehacker website. Over there, you can find all manner of ideas to help facilitate so many of the daily chores of life. Need to make a hard job easier, a slow task faster, or a long day shorter? Lifehacker might have just the answer you're looking for.