Recipe writer, stylist, and photographer Katrina Meynink has an unparalleled talent for transforming even the simplest dishes into visual masterpieces. On November 6, 2025, she shared her flexible guidelines for enhancing flavor, color, and texture in home-cooked meals, offering insights that can turn a mundane Tuesday night dinner into a feast for the senses.
“I am often asked how I make my food look good,” Meynink reveals. While she shies away from the term “hack,” she admits to having a few tricks up her sleeve to give your everyday bolognese a glow-up, sans professional equipment or hours of preparation. Her philosophy is simple: we eat with our eyes first. The visual appeal of food can enhance its perceived taste, a concept backed by both science and psychology.
The Art of Imperfection
According to Meynink, striving for perfection in food styling is counterproductive. “Perfection is awful,” she asserts, emphasizing that it is sterile and stressful. Instead, she advocates for a style of “controlled chaos,” where herbs are torn rather than chopped, and condiments are drizzled with carefree abandon. This approach results in a more authentic and inviting presentation.
“Every time I add herbs to a plate, I don’t think; I just let them fall,” she explains. This casual scatter often looks more appealing than meticulously arranged greenery. The aim is to create a sense of abundance and generosity, inviting diners to indulge.
Color and Contrast
Nature’s palette is rich and varied, and Meynink advises home cooks to take full advantage of it. “Contrast will always be your friend,” she says. For dishes dominated by neutral tones, such as risotto or beef stew, she suggests adding vibrant elements like chopped herbs, a drizzle of chili-infused olive oil, or a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.
Layering colors can add dimension to a dish. Meynink recommends pairing purples with greens, burnt oranges with creamy whites, and using black sesame seeds against a bright yellow yolk. She advises cooks to think of their plates as canvases, using the color wheel to ensure depth and interest. Her mantra? “Drizzles, dollops, and crunch.”
The Power of Presentation
The choice of plate is crucial in food styling. Meynink notes that a well-prepared dish can lose its allure if served on a chipped or unsuitable plate. “The plate is always part of the storytelling,” she explains. Lighter foods like fish or salads stand out on darker plates, while hearty, darker dishes benefit from a white or cream base.
Texture: The Unsung Hero
Beyond visual appeal, texture plays a vital role in food styling. Meynink emphasizes the importance of contrasting textures, such as pairing whipped feta with crisp-edged roast vegetables or silky pasta with toasted breadcrumbs. “Texture is the punctuation of your dish,” she says, likening it to the full stops and commas in writing.
For example, when serving roasted vegetables, she suggests adding a drizzle of tahini sauce, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a sprinkle of dukkah or crispy shallots. This layering of textures can elevate a simple dish to something extraordinary.
Composition and Creativity
Style is not just about the food itself but also about how it is presented. Meynink encourages home cooks to embrace their inner artist, using height and negative space to create visually appealing compositions. “Flat food is sad food,” she quips, advising cooks to stack and layer their dishes.
The rule of odds is another key principle in food styling. Foods arranged in odd numbers tend to look more appealing, whether it’s three roasted carrots or a single heroic meatball. Meynink also warns against overfilling plates, suggesting that leaving some negative space can enhance the elegance of a dish.
Finally, Meynink shares her essential toolkit for real-world plating, which includes a good spoon for swooshing and dolloping, a Microplane for zesting, a bowl of flaky salt, a decent flat plate or bowl, and, importantly, a sense of humor.
Katrina Meynink’s insights offer a refreshing perspective on food styling, encouraging home cooks to embrace creativity and imperfection. As she puts it, “Now go forth and scatter sesame seeds with flair. Your dinner deserves it.”
For more culinary inspiration, connect with Katrina Meynink on Twitter or explore her columns in Good Food.
