In my article, “Making a Beautiful Meal,” I talk about how the different color combinations of foods can greatly enhance and beautify a meal, making it more attractive and appealing. In this HeARTful Idea, I wanted to expand upon this concept to give you more ideas and inspiration while you’re cooking.
But first, a little color lesson. If you have taken any kind of art class, chances are you have seen a color wheel. It is basically a circle with each color of the rainbow. However, the colors are placed so that opposite to each color is its complementary color. Below is a quick drawing of a color wheel I made.
A color wheel can be very helpful when you are first learning how complementary colors work. As you can see, orange and blue, green and red, and yellow and purple are all directly across from each other. These colors have the most contrast between them, making the colors stand out. You can use them to create more dramatic presentations in cooking and in art.
Let’s make this more practical and think of some situations where you might see these complementary colors at work within the art of cooking. As you read each example, take a moment to imagine what the colors of the foods would look like together.
Red and Green: I can think of many different circumstances where red and green create beautiful meals. There are so many because there are so many green as well as red foods. Here are a few examples I can think of off the top of my head:
- Green salad with tomatoes, radishes, red bell peppers, strawberries, pomegranates
- In the Indian Eggs dish in this week’s menu planner, the red tomatoes and cilantro are another example.
- Red beans or red rice with green vegetables and herbs
- Radicchio and avocado
- Beets and greens
Yellow and Purple: This is a little harder because there aren’t quite as many purple foods but there is still a lot to choose from.
Yellow and purple peppers
Yellow summer squash and purple cabbage
Yellow nasturtiums (edible flowers) and purple greens
Orange and Blue: Again, blue is hard to come by in the food kingdom, but you can also think in terms of black foods, such as black beans and black rice.
- Blueberries or blackberries and oranges in a fruit salad
- Black beans and sweet potatoes
- Blue corn and butternut squash
As you can see, when you combine colors of foods together that are complementary, it creates a meal that is beautiful to look at and appealing to eat. This week, when you are cooking, begin to notice the different colors of foods and how they complement each other. Notice how a meal can be changed dramatically simply by adding a sprinkling of cilantro or by choosing summer squash over red peppers.
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