Inedible garnishes are wasteful and unnecessary, and they have no place on the dining table.
This post is all about inedible garnishes, and why you should (mostly) never use them. I would like to specifically shout out a sous chef of mine who showed me the error of my ways years ago: Sam, this post is for you!
What is classified as an inedible garnish?
Basically, an inedible garnish is anything added to a dish or a plate that cannot be eaten. They may be food products or they may be plastic. I also touch on this in my article, How to Create the Perfect Grazing Board. On charcuterie or grazing boards, I often see inedible garnishes such as whole lemons and large sprigs of rosemary. I beg you to reconsider as you reach for that pomegranate half – can a person even eat a half of a pomegranate without ending up with a Joker-smile red stain on their face?
The following are all examples of inedible garnishes I have personally seen, or have embarrassingly used in the past:
- Sprigs of woody herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage
- Large leaves of kale or romaine, commonly seen as a base layer for vegetable trays or sandwich platters
- Lemon wedges (see notes below on acceptable usage for lemon wedges)
- Piles of rock salt, especially significantly more than could be used by the diner
- Cotton fluff to simulate unicorn manes on cupcakes
- Cinnamon sticks and lemon or orange peels on desserts
- Cocktail umbrellas or plastic decorative skewers (see below for acceptable inedible cocktail garnishes)
- Lime rounds on a key lime pie
- Inedible flowers, or whole flowers that are edible but too ridiculous to eat
Why we shouldn’t use inedible garnishes
Inedible garnishes are wasteful, frivolous, and add nothing to your dishes. They will encumber a guest’s experience by demanding they pick off the garnish before eating the dish. They can, and will, be mistaken as food and eaten, often to the displeasure of said eater. Inedible garnishes are wasteful; often they are ingredients that could be useful elsewhere, but instead are only there for visual appeal. Or worst of all, they are plastic, and will be discarded after the dish is consumed.
Is it ever okay to use an inedible garnish?
Lemon wedges: In my personal opinion, I have some leniency towards lemon wedges. I will accept the argument that in home cooking, you could serve lemon wedges on plates where lemon may be added to the dish, such as a Caesar salad or salmon dish. However, in a more formal dining experience or at a restaurant, a patron should never have to dirty their hands by squeezing fresh lemon on a dish. Adjust flavors before serving.
Inedible cocktail garnishes: A great cocktail is a perfectly balanced drink. Sometimes, a citrus juice addition to the drink will unbalance the cocktail. In the case of a martini, a perfectly curled lemon peel will add the fragrance of citrus and the lemon essential oils to the drink while not diluting it. The lemon peel will hit your nose as you lift the glass to your mouth, enveloping you in the citrus aroma. In cases like this, it is completely acceptable to add an inedible garnish to a cocktail. Herbs, citrus peels, rose buds, and cinnamon sticks can add flavor and depth to a cocktail, while technically not being edible. However, my stance is still strong against additions that do not add anything to the beverage, such as little cocktail umbrellas and lit sparklers.
Otherwise, the answer is no.
Agree or disagree? Have other examples of when inedible garnishes are okay to use? Or do you have cringey examples of these inedible garnishes in action? Leave me a comment below or tag us on social media!
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