Food Styling

the appetizer:

Food Styling by Delores Custer includes excerpts like Coconut; Pumpkin Pies; and Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (BSCBs).

Food Styling

by Delores Custer

Click to buy Food Styling

Based on her 30 years of experience in food styling for advertising, magazines, books, and films, Delores Custer presents the definitive lifelong reference on food styling-complete with lists of handy tools and vital equipment, recipes for artificial foods, and guidelines for running a successful food styling business.

Full of ingenious advice on styling in any media and packed with full-color photographs, Food Styling reveals every trick of the trade, from making a beverage appear to sweat to producing those perfect grill marks on meat without a grill. Filled with resources and organized in a simple problem-and-solution format, this is an ideal resource for both experienced food styling pros and first-timers alike.

This is the only book of its kind on the market, shedding light on the art and craft of food styling
More than 300 full-color photos reveal the process of styling and the spectacular results, teaching and inspiring anyone interested in food and how it is presented in media
The book features a timeline of 60 years of food styling, a glossary of important terms, and a listing of vital styling resources
The only book the aspiring or professional food stylist will ever need, this exceptionally thorough resource covers challenges from flawless fried chicken to fluffy, cloudlike cake frostings-and everything in between

Quick Excerpt:

No Two Results Are the Same

I once read a wonderful article in Gourmet magazine called "The Quirky Dozen." The article was about a group of professional bakers in the San Francisco area who meet to support one another and share information. At one meeting, each baker was given the same recipe for an angel food cake. When the bakers brought the cakes to the next meeting, the display of sixty cakes was remarkable in that no two cakes looked alike. The cakes "looked more like vague acquaintances than twins or even relatives. Tall, statuesque cakes sat next to short, stubby cakes. A few sagged in the middle or slouched to one side as if embarrassed by the way they turned out. Some appeared to have been sandblasted smooth. Others had a nubby surface like the nap of a suede jacket." The article continued to discuss the reasons for the differing results and offered some tips for the home baker. "The most important discovery: There is more than one right answer. Very good results can be obtained in several different ways."

Whether you're looking to break into the food styling business or just touch up on the latest and most effective techniques, Food Styling is the ultimate guide to creating stunning culinary visuals.

About the Author

Delores Custer has been a freelance food stylist and culinary educator since 1978. Today she styles for magazines and cookbook publishers, and in print advertising, public relations, television, and feature films. She has taught courses in Professional Food Styling, Recipe Writing, and Food Demonstration Techniques for Television at New York University, The Culinary Institute of America, The Institute of Culinary Education, and culinary schools around the world. Her food clients include Kraft Foods, General Mills, Unilever, Campbell Soup Company, ConAgra, Nestlé, Häagen-Dazs, Red Lobster, Subway, Cuisinart, Bacardi, and Budweiser.